Part 1: Water Quality/Watershed Financial Assistance Programs 101 – The Big Picture

This webinar will provide an overview of Illinois EPA’s financial assistance programs available for water quality and watershed protection throughout Illinois. The session will present information on applicant eligibility per the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) – including pre-application registration requirements. This session will introduce the new AmpliFund on-line application system that Illinois EPA will use for all water quality and watershed grant programs, followed by some tips and tricks for a more successful grant application. The session will conclude with a question and answer segment.

Speakers:

• Christine Davis is the Manager for the Watershed Management Section of the Bureau of Water at Illinois EPA’s Springfield Headquarters. The Watershed Management Section has voluntary and regulatory programs to help protect Illinois’ surface and groundwater resources. Ms. Davis routinely works with not-for-profit organizations and local governments to successfully implement site-specific and watershed-wide nonpoint source pollution control practices, projects and programs. Prior to working at Illinois EPA, Christine was a Resource Conservationist for the Macon, Sangamon and Macoupin County Soil & Water Conservation Districts for more than eight years. During that time, she developed and delivered a variety of environmental education programs for students and adults and devoted a great deal of her time developing conservation farm plans and designing conservation practices for local farmers. Ms. Davis has a Bachelor of Science degree in Agronomy from Western Illinois University and has invested thousands of volunteer hours to support environmental organizations in Sangamon County.
• Jeffrey Edstrom works in the Nonpoint Unit at Illinois EPA. He has over 30 years of experience in water resource management in the public, private and non-profit sectors. During his career, he has worked in water quality, water quantity, and general water resources policy, with an emphasis on watershed planning and management, stormwater management, green infrastructure, innovative financing, sustainability, information systems, integrated water resource management, and the water-energy nexus. In his spare time, he’s a Boy Scout Scoutmaster and a docent with the Chicago Architecture Foundation.

For past or future programs, visit https://go.illinois.edu/LGE