translate          view as a webpage

Lake County Stormwater Management Commission Newsletter November 2025

Another Successful Round of Winter Best Practices Workshops and Events

Winter Best Practices Workshop

The Lake County Stormwater Management Commission (SMC), along with the Salt Smart Collaborative and the Lake County Health Department - Environmental Health, hosted an in-person Winter Best Practices Workshop for Public Roads on September 30 at the Central Permit Facility. More than 70 people attended the workshop, which included a classroom learning experience with multiple speakers and a winter maintenance vehicle calibration demonstration (below).

Lake County has been hosting these workshops since 2009, training public and private sector professionals on the most up-to-date winter best management practices (BMPs) that safely reduce road salt use.

Since 2021, Lake County has partnered with the Salt Smart Collaborative to host both in-person and virtual Winter Best Practices Workshops and winter vehicle calibrations. This year’s Public Roads and Parking Lots & Sidewalks Winter Best Practices Workshops took place between September 16 and November 13 throughout Northeastern Illinois. The number of attendees at this year’s workshops is still being finalized, but the number of attendees and workshops continues to grow each year!

Lake County Calibration Event

On November 4, Lake County SMC and Health Department - Environmental Health partnered with the Division of Transportation (LCDOT) and Force America to host a free winter maintenance vehicle Calibration Event at the LCDOT Salt Domes in Libertyville.

One-hour timeslots were available for those responsible for calibrating snow removal vehicles or those who train staff on how to calibrate their vehicles. Ten local entities were able to calibrate their vehicles with Force America technicians. The response to the event has been overwhelmingly positive!

Lake County also partnered with the Salt Smart Collaborative to host additional Calibration Events on November 5 and 6 in Cook and DuPage Counties, allowing more entities to calibrate their maintenance vehicles before the start of the winter season. Check out the Salt Smart Collaborative and Lake County for resources to learn more about winter deicing BMPs.

Last Call for 2025 Winter Maintenance Webinars

Hurry! There's still time to attend a Winter Best Practices Workshop this year! Virtual workshops for Public Roads and Parking Lots & Sidewalks are still being offered in November.

• Wednesday, November 12, Public Roads
  
  
• Thursday, November 13, Parking Lots & Sidewalks

Discount registration costs are available to watershed workgroup members. Email Ashley Strelcheck for more information.

Key Insights Shared at MS4 Workshop

Lake County Stormwater Management Commission hosted the Illinois Water Environment Association’s (IWEA) Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Workshop at the Center Permit Facility on October 10. This workshop presented the new 2025 National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit No. ILR40 (MS4 Permit) changes.

The discussion was led by Dan Bounds, PE, of Baxter & Woodman, with the intention of interpreting permits goals from the meeting attendees, which included local stormwater agencies, stakeholders and government employees, and Illinois EPA staff. This event also provided attendees the opportunity to discuss the new permit language changes and network implementation measures as a group. This was a great collaboration of local stormwater agencies, groups and officials!

Save the Date! 2026 DECI Workshop

The Lake County Stormwater Management Commission (SMC) is hosting the 2026 Designated Erosion Control Inspector (DECI) Workshop on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. Look for registration information in January.

Interested In Being a Presenter?

Share your presentation to be considered for the 2026 DECI Workshop. Each year, SMC strives to provide attendees with helpful, practical and real-world DECI related information. If you or someone you know would be a great presenter on a relevant and interesting topic, please apply. Presentations should be between 30 to 45 minutes.

The following topics were requested by previous attendees, but any related subjects will be considered:

• Case Studies
• Report Writing and Inspection Walk Through
• When and How to File Reports for Non-Compliance, Penalties, etc.
• Projects Involving Ditch Repair and Work
• Regulations Updates from IEPA, SMC, USACE
• Contractor's Perspective

As always, any topic relating to soil erosion and sediment control will be considered. The deadline to apply to present is December 31. There are great benefits to presenting at the DECI workshop!

• Highlight YOUR projects
• Celebrate your accomplishments and share your project challenges
• Connect and share your work knowledge with your peers
• Present innovative ideas, technology and solutions to a large audience
• Showcase your public speaking skills

Send your presentation topic to Mea Blauer or call (847) 377-7701.

Improve Your Property and Make it More Sustainable with Stormwater BMPs

Have you implemented Stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) at your home and work? Stormwater BMPs are different ways to improve the quality of stormwater and help ensure the longevity and health of Lake County’s watersheds and environment. It’s easy to implement green infrastructure ideas. These simple solutions are a great way to make a big impact!

The Central Permit Facility in Libertyville, where SMC’s offices are located, features several different stormwater BMPs, including a green roof, rain gardens, native plant swales, and wetland detention basins. You can learn more about the different stormwater BMPs around the building on our website. Hopefully, this inspires you to create your own stormwater BMPs!

Request for Proposals Now Open

The Lake County Stormwater Management Commission (SMC) has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for wetland mitigation projects within the Fox River Watershed in Lake County, IL, using funds collected in the SMC Wetland Restoration Fund (WRF). The mitigation acreage goal is 1.86 acres, at a minimum, and approximately $201,717 of WRF funds are available.

Eligibility is open to any landowner (public or private) whose ownership property lies within the Fox River Watershed in Lake County, IL. The deadline for submission of proposals is Wednesday, December 3 at 11 a.m. (CST).

The complete RFP is available on our website.

Need to Say Goodbye to Your Pumpkin?

If your Halloween jack-o-lanterns are looking worse for the wear, don't dump them in the trash, compost them with the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County's (SWALCO) Pumpkin Smash program. The Pumpkin Smash is an annual effort to divert pumpkins from landfills to be composted. Bring your pumpkins and gourds for composting, but please remove any candles, decorations, and other materials. Non-toxic paint is acceptable. Learn dates and locations on the SWALCO website.