Attend a Lake County Comprehensive
Stormwater Management Plan Meeting
The Lake County Stormwater Management Commission (SMC) is hosting four public meetings across Lake County between February and April to receive feedback from residents in updating the 2025 Lake County Comprehensive Stormwater Management Plan. Attend any one of these open house meetings to learn more with exhibits and a presentation. SMC staff will also be available to discuss your stormwater and drainage concerns.
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Thursday, February 20 from 5 - 7 p.m., Zion-Benton Public Library
2400 Gabriel Ave., Zion
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Tuesday, February 25 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m., Lakefront Park Building, Main Gym 10 Riverview Ave., Fox Lake
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Wednesday, April 9 from 5 – 7 p.m., Heller Nature Center
2821 Ridge Rd, Highland Park
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Thursday, April 17 from 5 – 7 p.m., Grayslake Area Public Library
100 Library Lane, Grayslake
Unable to attend the meetings? Take the Stormwater Management Survey by the April 30 deadline.
View the 2002 Comprehensive Stormwater Management Plan being updated
Learn more about updating the Comprehensive Stormwater Management Plan
Register Now for the 2025 DECI Workshop on Feb. 11
Registration is now open for the 2025 Designated Erosion Control Inspector (DECI) Webinar hosted by the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission (SMC). Register here to participate via Zoom.
Date: Tuesday, February 11
Time: 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Agenda: February 11, 2025 DECI Workshop Agenda
Once you've registered, you will receive a unique meeting link from Zoom. DO NOT forward this link. You will receive 4.5 professional development hours for attending. If you have colleagues who want to register, please direct them to register online.
If you have questions regarding the webinar, please contact Mea Blauer at iblauer2@lakecountyil.gov or at 847-377-7701.
Watershed Management Board Projects Approved
The Watershed Management Board (WMB) has chosen eight projects to receive a total of $189,150 in funding through the WMB Grant and Watershed Management Assistance Grant (WMAG) during Fiscal Year 2025. The WMAG supports the growth and sustainability of local watershed partnerships in Lake County. The WMB Grant helps fund local drainage improvement, flood reduction and water quality projects.
The projects chosen to receive grant funding are:
Diamond Lake Lake Management Plan, Mundelein Park District (WMAG)
A five-year lake management plan will be created to address aquatic invasive vegetation and water quality impairments.
Bordeaux Wetland Restoration and Drainage Improvements, Village of Buffalo Grove
Eleven acres of wetland will be restored using Best Management Practices, invasive species removal, streambank stabilization and trail improvements.
Restore Original Hydrology to Two Forest Preserve Sites, Lake County Forest Preserve District
Engineering and analysis will create plans to reconfigure and stabilize overland flow paths, maintain and improve critical drainage systems, and more at the Old School and Wadsworth Savanna Forest Preserves.
Middle Fork Stormwater Conveyance Project, Lake Forest Open Lands Association
A failed stormwater infrastructure connection within the West Skokie River Nature Preserve will be replaced with a stone spillway, and a native plant buffer will be added.
Grassy Lake Forest Preserve Hydrology Restoration, Lake County Forest Preserve District
A detailed restoration plan will be created to reconfigure and stabilize overland flow paths, maintain and improve critical drainage systems, and more.
Petite Lake Drainageway Sediment and Erosion Control Phase 1 Project, Lake Villa Township
The first phase of this larger scale project will include seawall maintenance and installation of a native plant swale.
Hartnett Park Natural Shoreline Project, Highland Lake Property Owners Association
A section of shoreline was repaired in 2024, the remaining shoreline will be rehabilitated by clearing vegetative overgrowth and adding native plants.
Bevier Park Shoreline Stabilization and Native Plantings Project, Waukegan Park District
Over 1,000 feet of shoreline will be stabilized and native plants will be added to reduce shoreline erosion and improve water quality to a pond that connects to the Waukegan River and Lake Michigan.
Learn About SMC's Winter Best Practices
and Salt Conservation Efforts
Every year, SMC hosts a Winter Best Practices workshop to help personnel from public and private entities implement Winter Maintenance Best Management Practices (BMPs) in their operations. Their goal is to reduce the amount of salt they use while maintaining safe roadways, parking lots and sidewalks. Some of the highlights from the annual workshops include anti-icing versus deicing practices, good housekeeping procedures, equipment calibration, weather forecasting services and winter maintenance decision-making procedures.
Last fall, SMC, along with the Division of Transportation and Health Department, hosted the inaugural Calibration Event for winter maintenance trucks. Ten vehicles were calibrated at the event.
This event highlighted the importance of calibrating their vehicles before the winter season and after a relevant repair as a best practice to salting sustainably. The County’s goal is to help train winter maintenance operators to calibrate their own equipment and train other staff. This can help protect the environment and save money. Learn more about this event.
Thanks for Attending Our EO/CWS Workshop!
On January 22, SMC hosted an Enforcement Officer (EO) and Certified Wetland Specialist (CWS) Workshop at the Lake County Central Permit Facility and via Zoom. We had over 130 participants at this three-hour event!
Presenters included professionals from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Chicago District, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, Senior Professional Wetland Scientist Consultant, along with staff from Lake County Planning, Building and Development and SMC.
Some of the topics covered were development permitting for Permeable Surfaces, Commercial Solar Farms, and Threatened and Endangered Species. The presentation slides will be available on our website soon. Please contact SMC staff with any questions about the workshop.
Mark Your Calendars!
SMC and IECA BMP Field Day - April 23
Save the date for the upcoming SMC and IECA BMP Field Day on Wednesday, April 23 from 8 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Grayslake. Learn more about the event and register now!
MS4 Workshop with McHenry County - May 21
Further details coming soon!
Hydric Soils Class - June 5 & 6
This class will be held at the Central Permit Facility. Details will be available soon.
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Lake Monitoring Pilot Program Coming
The Lake Monitoring Pilot Program will create awareness about the water quality impairments in Lake County's natural drainage systems.
Five lakes in Lake County will be chosen to launch the program. Citizen scientists will be needed to collect water quality data, while Lake County Lake Lovers will administer the pilot program and provide data to SMC.
We will share further details as they become available for those interested in volunteering and learning more.
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