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Calumet Stormwater Collaborative: Meeting Materials

November 3, 2023 / News & Events

The Calumet Stormwater Collaborative, facilitated by the Metropolitan Planning Council, has been working toward systemic stormwater management solutions since April 2014. Monthly meetings have enabled the Collaborative to identify the challenges and opportunities related to managing the region’s stormwater. Materials from each meeting can be found below. 

Review the 1-year Work Plan that the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative is currently implementing, and check out this blog post which summarizes the CSC’s accomplishments over its first six years.

Meeting Materials

February 2, 2024
November 3, 2023
September 8, 2023

The September 2023 meeting will feature the following three presentations: 1) Christine Davis, Manager, Watershed Management Section of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will share information on the Green Infrastructure Grant Opportunities (GIGO) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). This program provides funding for projects that directly address stormwater runoff and nonpoint source pollution. 2) Kate Evasic, Senior Planner and Kelsey Pudlock, Senior Planner, of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) will present on resources for equitable flood resilience. CMAP is developing guidance to apply an equity lens to flood resilience investment decisions and updating the regional flood susceptibility indexes to continue to identify priority areas where the region can focus its stormwater mitigation and resilience planning efforts. CMAP will provide an overview of both efforts for discussion. 3) Tara Jagadeesh, Coastal Specialist with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Coastal Management Program Coastal Management Program will present a Roundup of Federal Funding Opportunities. Join the Illinois Coastal Management Program (CMP) for an overview of current and future federal funding opportunities. With the millions of $ made available through the federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA), CMP wants to prepare our region to take advantage of these opportunities and scope out opportunities for collaboration.  

May 5, 2023

This month the Center for Neighborhood Technology with GreenPrint Partners will provide an update on the process of project implementation and municipal and resident engagement for the RainReady Calumet Plans. Funding for the plans’ implementation was provided in late 2022 through Cook County’s Department of Environmental Sustainability – by way of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The plans were created to set flood-prone Calumet corridor communities on a path to greater resilience through improved stormwater management. 

April 7, 2023

Quantified Ventures will present their work with local environment and conservation organizations to help support funding and financing of Nature-Based Solutions. We will also hold working group breakouts in the second half of the meeting.

March 3, 2023

March was the first meeting of the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative in 2023. We had two presentations: Bryan Bays from TSW Design showcased the process of retrofitting integrated stormwater open space into urban areas in Georgia. Cytharine Alias from The Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) also hosted a demo of the Urban Flooding Baseline tool. For more information, seel the links below.

December 2, 2022

The December meeting of the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative was our Annual Holiday Party. This was an in-person event, hosted at MPC’s office (140 S. Dearborn St., Suite 1400, Chicago). For more information, see the links below.

November 4, 2022

The November meeting of the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative was held online on Friday, November 4, from 10 a.m. – noon (CT). This month featured an update on IEPA 319 NOFOs (yes, plural) and a presentation on stormwater management efforts in the Village of Algonquin, including streambank stabilization, natural area preservation, and continuous monitoring to quantify flood reduction benefits. For more information, see the links below.

October 7, 2022

The October meeting of the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative was held online on Friday, October 7, from 10 a.m. – noon (CT). This month featured two presentations, first on the extreme heat mitigating co-benefits of green stormwater infrastructure followed by a presentation on overcoming the challenges of GSI adoption. For more information, see the links below.

September 2, 2022

The September meeting of the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative was held online on Friday, September 2, from 10 a.m. – noon (CT). This meeting featured a presentation by the Village of Carol Stream and Geosyntec Consultants on “smart” stormwater management. Following the presentation were meetings of the CSC Work Groups. For more information, see the links below.

August 5, 2022

The August meeting of the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative was held online on Friday, August 5, from 10 a.m. – noon (CT).  This meeting featured a presentation by MPC on stormwater utilities followed by a presentation on DuPage County Stormwater Management grantmaking. For more information, see the links below.

July 8, 2022

The July meeting of the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative was on Friday, July 8 from 10 a.m. – noon (CT). This meeting featured a presentation by MWRD Commissioner Davis on a proposed initiative to lease appropriate MWRD property to developers to retain stormwater. Following the presentation were meetings of the CSC Work Groups. For more information, see the links below.

June 3, 2022

The June meeting of the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative was on Friday, June 3 from 10 a.m. – noon (CT). After a two-year hiatus, the CSC was excited to bring back our Annual Field Trip. This in-person meeting was held at the Ford Calumet Environmental Center (11555 S. Stony Island Ave., Chicago). For more information, see the links below.

May 6, 2022

The May meeting of the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative was held online on Friday, May 6 from 10 a.m. – noon (CT). This meeting featured two presentations: first by ISWS on their Watershed Specific Release Rate Analyses, followed by a look at the new Equity Guide for Green Stormwater Infrastructure Practitioners. 

April 1, 2022

The April meeting of the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative was held online on Friday, April 1 from 10 a.m. – noon (CT). This meeting featured a presentation from Friends of the Chicago River and the Trust for Public Land on the development of the Natural Solutions Tool – a GIS-enabled decision support tool to guide resource investment – followed by meetings of the Work Groups. For more information, see the links below.

March 4, 2022

The March meeting of the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative was held online on Friday, March 4 from 10 a.m. – noon (CT). This meeting featured two presentations: first on the Illinois Emergency Management Agency’s mitigation grant program, followed by an IDNR OWR presentation about the National Flood Insurance Program. For more information, see the links below.

February 4, 2022

The February meeting of the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative was held online on Friday, February 4 from 10 a.m. – noon (CT). This meeting featured a presentation on MWRD’s Green Infrastructure Partnership Opportunity Program, followed by meetings of the Work Groups. For more information, see the links below.

January 7, 2022

In light of the recent Omicron variant surge and other extenuating circumstances, the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative meeting scheduled for January 7 was canceled.

December 3, 2021

The December meeting of the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative was held online on Friday, December 3 from 10 a.m. – noon (CT). This was our Annual Holiday Party, featuring a presentation, trivia, the Perfect Attendance Award, and more! For more information, see the links below.

November 5, 2021

The November meeting of the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative was held online on Friday, November 5 from 10 a.m. – noon (CT). This month featured two presentations, first on scalable solutions for green infrastructure design, followed by an update on CMAP’s capacity building program. For more information, see the links below.

October 1, 2021

The October meeting of the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative was held online on Friday, October 1 from 10 a.m. – noon. This month featured an update on the Calumet Soils & Stormwater Design research project, followed by Work Group meetings. For more information, see the links below.

September 10, 2021

The September meeting of the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative was held online on Friday, September 10 (rescheduled because of Labor Day weekend) from 10 a.m. – noon. Intending to inform the CSC’s 2022 work plan, this month’s meeting featured a panel discussion and presentation on stormwater management efforts by several Calumet-region communities. For more information, see the links below.

August 6, 2021

The August meeting of the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative was held online on Friday, August 6 from 10 a.m. – noon. This month featured a presentation from CNT on the Urban Flooding Baseline, followed by Work Group meetings, including an update on the Green Infrastructure Baseline Inventory. For more information, see the links below.

July 2021

“The CSC will not meet in July. After a year of pandemic uncertainty and loss, racial violence, and protest, and now with Illinois preparing to fully reopen, the CSC is taking a month off. I hope you can find ways to rest and recharge.” -Justin Keller

June 4, 2021

The June meeting of the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative was held online on Friday, June 4 from 10 a.m. – noon. This month featured two presentations, first from BCNUEJ about developing inclusive green amenities followed by Emerald South on their Terra Firma landcare program. For more information, see the links below.

May 7, 2021

The May meeting of the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative was held online on Friday, May 7 from 10 a.m. – noon. This month featured an update on the MWRD Strategic Masterplan process, followed by Work Group meetings. For more information, see the links below.

April 2, 2021

The April meeting of the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative was held online on Friday, April 2 from 10 a.m. – noon. This month featured an update on IEPA’s Green Infrastructure Grant Opportunity followed by a presentation on the Calumet Connect Databook. For more information, see the links below.

March 5, 2021

The March meeting of the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative was held online on Friday, March 5 from 10 a.m. – noon. This month featured a presentation on linking optimization to hydraulic models to develop better stormwater management solutions. For more information, see the links below.

February 5, 2021

The February meeting of the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative was held online on Friday, February 5 from 10 a.m. – noon. This month features two presentations by CNT, first on the impact of green infrastructure on property values followed by an interactive update on the Urban Flooding Baseline. For more information, see the links below.

January 8, 2021

The January meeting of the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative was held online on Friday, January 8 from 10 a.m. – noon. This month featured a presentation about a feasibility study on Illinois floodplains work, followed by Work Group meetings. For more information, see the links below.