Gulf Hypoxia Program Priority Watershed Implementation Grant

The Gulf Hypoxia Program Priority Watershed Implementation - Round 2 opportunity is administered by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency through federal pass-through funding received from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the Gulf Hypoxia Fund IIJA, P.L. 117-58. The program is intended to help Illinois make progress toward nutrient reduction goals by preventing, eliminating, or reducing nitrate loads to Illinois surface waters that serve as public water supply sources. Illinois EPA identifies improved water quality, safer drinking water, protected fisheries, resilient landscapes, and implementation of the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy as intended benefits. The opportunity gives higher priority to projects implementing edge-of-field agricultural practices proven to reduce nitrate loads from subsurface tile drainage. Eligible project activities include edge-of-field agricultural best management practices such as Denitrifying Bioreactors, NRCS Conservation Practice 605; Saturated Buffers, Conservation Practice 604; and Constructed Wetlands, Conservation Practice 656. Activities that do not control, prevent, or address nitrate loads to Illinois surface waters are ineligible. Other exclusions include activities required by law or permit, routine maintenance or repair of existing systems, contractor bonus or acceleration payments, mitigation costs, and projects used mainly for habitat improvement, flood control, dredging, support facilities, historic preservation, water supply protection, recreation, or wastewater treatment. Illinois EPA approval is required before implementation costs are incurred. Approved BMP designs must be certified by NRCS staff or an Illinois registered or licensed professional engineer and approved by Illinois EPA before construction or implementation. Applicable permits and minimum 10-year operation and maintenance plans are also required. Illinois EPA expects to award up to $336,699.65 in total program funding. There is no set minimum or maximum total project cost or individual grant amount, and applicants may apply for more than one project. The program operates on a reimbursement basis, meaning a grantee must perform the work, pay project expenses, and submit invoices with supporting documentation before reimbursement. Illinois EPA will reimburse no more frequently than monthly and may partially fund discrete portions or phases of an application. The program may provide up to 80 percent of approved project costs, while the remaining 20 percent is the grantee's required match. Match may consist of eligible cash expenditures or in-kind services and may be supplied by the grantee, subcontractors, or project partners, but federal funds and funds used to match another federal program cannot be counted. Indirect costs are allowed subject to the applicable federally negotiated, state negotiated, or 15 percent de minimis indirect cost rate requirements. Program funds are available to any entity with legal status to accept funds from the State of Illinois. Examples include individuals, private organizations, local watershed groups, land conservancies or trusts, public and private nonprofit and for-profit organizations and institutions, county, municipal, township, and state government units, universities and colleges, park districts and other local land-managing agencies, soil and water conservation districts, and conservation organizations. Applicants must have the financial ability to initiate and pay for project activities before seeking reimbursement and must have the authority and ability to implement the project or appropriately subcontract portions of the work. Applicants must be pre-qualified in the GATA portal before receiving an award, including maintaining required SAM registration, an active UEI, applicable Illinois good-standing status, and absence from applicable debarment, exclusion, stop-payment, and sanctions lists. The latest Internal Control Questionnaire must also be completed before award. Applications were accepted from October 1, 2025 through November 19, 2025 at 1:00 PM CST, and multiple applications were permitted. Applications are reviewed for completeness, technical merit, adherence to Gulf Hypoxia Program guidance, and competitive merit criteria. Scoring considers the population served by the public water supply source, total acres treated by project practices, estimated nitrate-nitrogen load reduction, and project readiness, including whether locations and landowner approvals have been secured. A minimum merit-based review score of 40 is required for funding consideration. Illinois EPA staff score applications, convert individual scores to composite averages, and generally fund eligible projects in rank order. Ineligible components may be removed, and discrete project phases may be considered for partial funding when available funds cannot support an entire application. Selected projects are also incorporated into the Illinois Gulf Hypoxia Program Work Plan Project List submitted to U.S. EPA for approval. The anticipated notification date for both successful and unsuccessful applicants was January 15, 2026. Illinois EPA anticipated sending grant agreements to selected applicants by March 1, 2026 and providing fully executed agreements by April 15, 2026. The anticipated project start date was April 15, 2026 or the date of contract execution, whichever comes first. Before implementation, grantees must complete the required environmental evaluation and Crosscutting Authorities Review. Projects require quarterly Periodic Financial Reports and Periodic Performance Reports and a final project report documenting project execution, tasks, findings, costs, benefits, and success. Additional required documentation includes Gulf Hypoxia Program BMP Documentation Forms, designs, maps, pollutant load calculations, cost documentation, and pre- and post-BMP photographs or video. Programmatic questions may be directed to the Illinois EPA Bureau of Water, Watershed Management Section, NPS Unit #15 at epa.bowgrants@illinois.gov or (217) 782-3362. Fiscal and administrative questions concerning the Uniform Grant Application, indirect cost rates, or Internal Control Questionnaire may be directed to epa.gata@illinois.gov. The opportunity also identifies Trevor Sample as an agency contact at trevor.sample@illinois.gov and (217) 558-2545. Successful applicants must execute a formal grant agreement and comply with applicable State and federal requirements, including 2 C.F.R. Part 200, GATA, applicable environmental reviews, prevailing wage requirements, Build America Buy America provisions when applicable, and other requirements identified in the award. The source identifies this submission as a one-time opportunity and does not establish an annual or other recurring application cycle.

Prioritize edge-of-field agricultural practices proven to reduce nitrate loads from subsurface tile drainage. Maximize documented acres treated and estimated nitrate-nitrogen reduction because both are directly scored. Identify project locations and obtain landowner approval before applying to maximize Project Readiness scoring. Clearly document the population served by the affected public water supply source. Ensure proposed activities directly control, prevent, or address nitrate loads to Illinois surface waters and remove ineligible components. A minimum merit-based review score of 40 is required for funding consideration.