Lake County Stormwater Management Commission

 Lake County Stormwater Management Commission

Watershed Management Board (WMB) Cost-Share Grant Program

WMB funding is split between the four major watersheds in the county:

  • Des Plaines River
  • Lake Michigan
  • North Branch of the Chicago River
  • Fox River

The WMB’s primary role is to serve as a forum for the coordination and allocation of resources of the WMB Annual Grant Program. The WMB grant program is open to WMB members which include municipalities, drainage districts, county board districts, townships, homeowner associations, park districts and non-profit groups.

The WMB grant cost-share grant program helps fund local stormwater projects. Eight Project Prioritization Criteria are considered by SMC staff in the evaluation of resource requests. The highest funding priority is flood damage prevention/mitigation, but water quality improvement and natural resource restoration projects are also considered. There is a 50/50 cost-share requirement which can be in the form of funds, in-kind services or both.

The annual Request For Proposals is distributed in August. An annual WMB meeting is held in December to recommend project proposals to the SMC Board. SMC can fund up to 50% of the cost of stormwater projects within the limit of the annual grant allocation.

For more information on the WMB RFP click here.

More riparian landowner resources are available here.

A Citizen’s Guide to Maintaining Stormwater Best Management Practices here