$5 million available for watershed-based planning, education and information, monitoring, and best management practice projects. Deadline 1pm September 16, 2026.

The Section 319(h) Grant Program prioritizes projects that implement components of an Illinois EPA approved watershed-based plan or an Illinois EPA-approved Total Maximum Daily Load Implementation Plan. These projects can include best management practice (BMP) implementation, environmental monitoring, social indicator monitoring, and outreach efforts. The $5 million in funding includes a total of up to $500,000 for watershed-based planning projects, $250,000 for education and information projects, $150,000 for monitoring projects, and $3.7 million for BMP projects. Actual funding depends on the final U.S. EPA budget approved by Congress and the allocation awarded to Illinois.

The FFY 2026 Section 319(h) Nonpoint Source Pollution Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is now available online. A press release with a link to the NOFO is found here: https://epa.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/epa/about-us/documents/news-releases/2026/07-22-2026-IEPA-Section319-NOFO-Final.pdf

Information on the Nonpoint Source Program is found here: https://epa.illinois.gov/topics/water-quality/watershed-management/nonpoint-sources.html

Please contact a member of the NPS team at 217-782-3362 with any questions.