SMC Community Re-Certification Underway
 Per the Lake County Watershed Development Ordinance (WDO), which establishes minimum countywide standards for stormwater management, every five years the Stormwater Management Commission (SMC) reviews the communities’ ordinance enforcement records and requires re-certification. Implemented at the local level, 42 of the 52 municipalities in the county are Certified Communities (PDF). A municipality or the County may be certified by SMC to enforce the standard provisions and/or the isolated wetland provisions and/or FIL50 provisions of the WDO within the community’s jurisdiction. The designation allows those communities to enforce WDO standards within their own jurisdictions.
Re-Certification packets were recently mailed to Enforcement Officers, Community Contacts, and Community Chief Elected Officials. SMC Chief Engineer, Brian Frank, pictured above, outlined the process at the SMC meeting on Jan. 5. SMC staff will also be sending out in-person meeting requests to all communities.
The deadline for communities to submit re-certification information to SMC is Sept. 30. Please note, communities who do not meet this deadline will be deemed Non-Certified on Oct. 1.
To learn more and access the Community Re-Certification documents click here.
Register Now - New DECI Training Webinar
The Lake County Stormwater Management Commission will host a one-hour virtual training on Jan. 18 at 10 a.m. (CST) specifically designed for new and prospective Designated Erosion Control Inspectors (DECI). SMC will explain what the DECI program is and how it functions, how one becomes a DECI, what the responsibilities of a DECI are and how to maintain one’s status. For those new to the erosion and sediment control field work, SMC will also highlight the most used measures in the field and how to inspect them properly. The webinar will conclude with a question and answer session.
To register for this free webinar complete the Zoom registration form online. Once registered, do not forward the confirmation link to anyone else, it is unique to you. If you have questions regarding this training opportunity, please contact Mea Blauer at 847-377-7701 or iblauer2@lakecountyil.gov.
Register in advance: New DECI 101 Webinar
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The National MS4 Assessment Survey is Open
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The National Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System Needs Assessment Survey is conducted by The Water Environment Federation (WEF) Stormwater Institute, a center for excellence and innovation focused on developing best-in-class solutions to stormwater runoff and wet weather issues, on a bi-annual cycle. The objectives of this survey are to better understand MS4 program challenges, identify the information and resource needs of MS4 permittees, and to approximate current funding levels and estimated funding needs in the MS4 sector.
Only complete the survey if you are:
- With an entity with an MS4 permit (city, county, watershed, DOT, non-traditional, etc.), please have one person from your organization fill out the survey. WEF is looking for your best estimates for answers to the questions.
- A consultant and a city has authorized you to complete the survey, please do so. Otherwise, please pass this information along to your clients with MS4 permits.
If you are with another type of entity (regulator, researcher, NGO, manufacturer, etc.), please feel free to share this with your network and visit the Stormwater Institute for other ways to get involved, but please do not fill out the survey.
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WetPro is Back! Join Us on Feb. 10
Calling all Lake County Certified Wetland Specialists (CWS) and other interested parties – WetPro is back! Join us in-person on Feb. 10 from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Lake County Central Permit Facility, 500 W. Winchester Road, 2nd Floor Conference Room, Libertyville, IL for WetPro 2.2. RSVP by Feb. 3 to: dmcneill@lakecountyil.gov.
This event is free! Tentative topics and speakers include: Climate Change Effects on Wetlands (Vince Mosca, Hey & Associates, Inc.), Farmed Wetland Determination Process (Juli Crane, SMC) & Federal Nationwide Permits Overview (Aaron Spencer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Chicago District). Breakfast, snacks and beverages will be provided courtesy of our sponsor – Hey & Associates, Inc. CWS attendees will be granted two hours of training credit.
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SMC Staff Spotlight
Have you heard? SMC staff member Jeff Laramy was recently featured as a guest on the Voices in Local Government podcast. He shared about SMC's work mapping with geographic information system (GIS) and aerial imagery. Listen to the podcast and learn more about SMC's work here.
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A Note from the Desk of Kurt Woolford
In this newsletter is a voluntary survey for Lake County's Municipalities and Townships (MS4 permittees). This national survey was previously conducted in 2018 and 2020. We request and encourage your community's participation with the survey as it will provide a third year data point to identify national trends that MS4 communities are facing e.g., funding limitations.
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