The Lake County Stormwater Management Commission is excited to host the 2026 Homeowners Association (HOA) Workshop and Vendor Expo on Wednesday, February 25 at the University Center of Lake County, 1200 University Center Drive, Grayslake. This will be a hybrid event. Vendor Expo: starts at 3:30 p.m. and is available to in-person attendees only HOA Workshop Presentations: start at 5:30 p.m. and is available to attend in-person or via Zoom This event is for HOAs and property owners who are responsible for maintaining detention ponds, wetlands, natural areas, and other drainage infrastructure to learn how to best care for these areas. The Vendor Expo will include maintenance, engineering, and ecological consulting companies who will provide educational information. The HOA Workshop presentations will feature knowledgeable speakers and experts to share more. Grants and funding opportunities will also be discussed. This event will be accessible to individuals with disabilities. Anyone needing special assistance should contact Sharene Gould Dulabaum at least one week prior to the event. REGISTER for in-person REGISTER for on-line

Join JULIE, Inc. in partnership with The Paradigm Alliance, Inc. to explore positive response, service lateral requirements, and the joint meet process Details HERE

The Illinois Lake Management Association (ILMA) Annual Conference is taking place February 16-18 in Champaign for those who want to learn about a variety of lake topics from over 30 expert speakers. Register now

Registration is now open for the 2026 Designated Erosion Control Inspector (DECI) Webinar hosted by SMC. Join us on Tuesday, February 10, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. via Zoom to learn about creating successful green infrastructure, sustainable practices, local case studies, and more.

This webinar is best suited for current DECIs. Once you've registered, you will receive a unique meeting link from Zoom. You will receive 4.5 professional development hours for attending.

2026 DECI Workshop Tuesday, February 10 8 a.m. - 1 p.m. 2026 DECI Workshop Agenda

If you have questions regarding the webinar, please email Mea Blauer or call 847-377-7701. REGISTER

Last fall, in August of 2025, the Illinois DOT ‘Bureau of Design and Environment’ announced that all Erosion Control Blankets used on IDOT projects must have a “natural fiber net” (or Leno-weave), thereby eliminating the use of plastic-netted erosion control blanket.  To carry out this change, revisions were made to Section’s 41 and 59 of their BDE Manual which included:

1. the removal the Heavy Duty ECB pay item and,
2. revised the remaining Pay Item to be defined as “bionet or EC Blanket-products containing a “leno weave net with moveable joints.”

This will ensure that their projects are both wildlife friendly and more friendly to humanity. This announcement came on the heels of a research Study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, completed in 2023, which evaluated bio-net performance and showed equivalency. Also, the Illinois Tollway has an ongoing study to look at the environmental effects of microplastics in the environment from the breakdown of plastic-netted blankets. For this research, Northern Illinois University will be using cutting edge technology to detect microplastics in stormwater. Similar actions have been taken by other State Transportation Departments recently, but mostly by internal guidance as there is no Federal Directive or ban on plastic netted products (only advisory guidance from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service at this time). IDOT BDE Procedure Memo - Manual Revision Chapters 41 and 59 related to BDE Special Provision Erosion Control Blanket (ECB) Aug 2025 ICOT Evaluation of Net-Free Erosion Control Blankets Nov 2023 ECB with plastic net        Leno weave natural bio-net