Illinois

Funding Activities

• DWSRF loan applicants that currently use an Asset Management plan, or are creating one, can receive priority points (35 Illinois Administrative Code 662.345(g)).

Regulatory

• An asset management section is being added to the sanitary Survey checklist by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). A recommendation to incorporate an AM plan that incorporates all components of the five-core-question framework will be made in the sanitary service inspection letter if a PWS is found to be deficient in any areas.

Assistance

• Free AM training programs are available for small PWS operators and managers; these are developed by the state in collaboration with Great Lakes RCAP and Environmental Finance Center (EFC.
• Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s (IEPA) website includes AM information. Links to guides and tools developed by the EPA (& others) on developing AM plans, and a discussion of the five-core-question framework are available.
• Illinois is applying existing materials on asset management from other states and US EPA for its own AM guidance. Minimum criteria for small system AM plans were developed.
• The TMF capacity pre-screening survey, currently used in the IEPA’s engineering evaluations, will have an asset management section added by May 31, 2023.

Other

• The US EPA’s asset training modules are used for the Illinois EPA drinking water staff training.
• For DWSRF applicants, the Illinois EPA plans to explore the possibility of requiring AM plans for approval. This includes systems applying for a construction permit to increase capacity by over 20%.

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• Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Capacity Development:  https://epa.illinois.gov/topics/drinking-water/field-operations/capacity-development.html‍
• Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Asset Management:  https://epa.illinois.gov/topics/drinking-water/field-operations/asset-management.html