Reducing Nonpoint-Source Pollution

Nonpoint-source (NPS) pollution prevention and mitigation activities are essential to improving water quality in the region's rivers and streams. Illinois EPA receives federal funds through Section 319 (h) of the Clean Water Act to help implement Illinois' Nonpoint Source Management Program (Program), intended to work cooperatively with local units of government and other organizations toward the goal of protecting the quality of Illinois' waters by controlling NPS pollution.

The Program supports several types of activities including implementation of cost-effective corrective and preventive best management practices (BMPs) on a watershed scale; implementation of new and innovative best management practices; NPS pollution control information, education and outreach programs; NPS pollution control research and monitoring projects; and development of watershed-based plans.

For more than eleven years, CMAP and its predecessor, the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission, have assisted numerous municipalities, agencies, and local organizations in applying, coordinating, and implementing Section 319 projects designed to reduce NPS pollution. From 2004 to 2012, CMAP managed projects valued at $7,926,480, with Illinois EPA awarding up to $2,717,063 in grant funding and the local sponsors providing at least $3,398,406 in matching funds and in-kind services. 

For more information on each project, including project overview, water quality benefits associated with each project, project photos, and contact information, click here. An interactive project location map of projects from 2004 to 2012 may be found here.

CMAP is not currently involved with Section 319 projects, and IEPA is providing this direct assistance to municipalities, agencies, and local organizations. To learn more about recent work and the application process, visit the IEPA website. For a complete and current map of 319 projects in the Chicago Region, visit the Resource Management Mapping Service hosted by the CyberInfrastructure and Geospatial Information (CIGI) Laboratory.