Public Accountability Report

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) was created as part of the Environmental Protection Act of 1970. The IEPA's mission is to protect, restore, and enhance the quality of air, land and water resources to benefit current and future generations. In fiscal year 2022, the IEPA expenditures were $758.7 million to fund the activities of the agency, which included administering state and federal programs to protect and improve air, land and water resources.

The IEPA had 685 people employed at the end of fiscal year 2022, including engineers, biologists, attorneys and other professionals with skills necessary to carry out the functions of the agency. Activities of the agency include issuing permits for air, land and water to restrict pollutants into the environment from industrial and commercial sources; regulating pollution control facilities and solid waste disposal sites; testing the quality of water processing procedures for operators of sewage treatment plants and public drinking water supplies and testing gasoline powered vehicles in the Chicago and Metro-East ozone nonattainment areas. The IEPA also administers grants and loans to local governments for wastewater and drinking water treatment facilities and for brownfields redevelopment projects.

In our Clean Air Program, we work to improve air quality by identifying air pollution problems, proposing appropriate regulations, conducting inspections, and reviewing permit applications. We also operate a vehicle emissions testing program.

The IEPA’s Bureau of Land continues to remove historic contamination from old industrial and commercial sites. Since the passage of landmark “Right to Know” legislation, the IEPA has also been working diligently on expanding outreach to citizens impacted by off-site contamination from industrial and other sources. Land held one-day household hazardous waste pick-ups throughout the state as well as provided continued financial support to the four permanent household hazardous waste collection facilities.

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, the Illinois Finance Authority, and the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity continue working together on the SRF Program and to build a stronger Illinois by enabling local governments to access low-interest loans for a variety of wastewater and drinking water projects. Financing is available for projects including:

* Modernizing wastewater treatment plants to meet water quality standards

* Replacing aging water mains and sewers

* Updating drinking water treatment facilities

Also in our Clean Water program, stream and lake water quality continues to improve.