Section 365.320  Project Plan

a)         Loan applicants shall submit to the Agency a Project Plan, with its initial Funding Nomination Form, that shall consist of plans and studies that are directly related to the construction or implementation of the proposed project. The Project Plan shall provide documentation on the need for the project for which loan assistance is being requested.

b)         Planning previously or collaterally accomplished under local, State or federal programs may be utilized to the extent applicable. If any information required to be furnished as part of a Project Plan has been developed separately, it shall be furnished and incorporated by reference in the Project Plan.

c)         When applicable, the loan applicant shall also submit drafts of any intergovernmental agreements or demonstrations of legal authority necessary for project implementation.

d)         The Project Plan may include more than one construction project. 

e)         The Project Plan shall include the following supporting data:

1)         A complete description of the selected wastewater treatment system or other systems, identification of any existing violations of federal or State regulations, and identification of the needs to be addressed by the proposed project;

2)         A discussion of the technical, financial, managerial, and environmental considerations that form the basis for the loan applicant's selection of the recommended project, including an evaluation regarding the elimination of infiltration and inflow if applicable. When appropriate to the project scope, the following issues shall be addressed:

A)        The relationship of the capacity of the selected alternative to the needs to be served, including reserve capacity;

B)        Identification of current and proposed effluent discharge limitations and water quality standards for the proposed treatment works or facilities, as required by Title IV of the CWA and 35 Ill. Adm. Code: Subtitle C;

C)        A discussion of the operational requirements for the selected alternative and provisions for the ultimate disposal of sludge materials from the wastewater treatment process;

D)        An inventory of the relative environmental impacts of the selected alternative and a discussion of the measures that would be required during design and construction to mitigate or minimize negative environmental impacts; and

E)        Adequate basis of design information for the selected alternative to confirm the reasonability of cost estimates;

3)         A detailed description of the alternative selected for loan assistance, including preliminary engineering data, complete cost estimates for design and construction, one or more 8.5 by 11 inch site map or maps locating areas of construction and indirect impacts, and a projected schedule for completion.  The engineering data shall include, to the extent appropriate, flow diagrams, unit process descriptions, detention times, flow rates, unit capacities, etc., sufficient to demonstrate that the project proposed will be designed in accordance with 35 Ill. Adm. Code 370;

4)         Any required comments or approvals from relevant federal, State, interstate, regional or local agencies;

5)         An implementation plan for the proposed recommendations, including necessary financial arrangements for the operation and maintenance of the project and repayment of the proposed loan amount, as well as the impact of these costs on the system users; and

6)         Information sufficient to support a determination as to whether any portion of the project addresses green infrastructure, energy efficient improvements, or other environmentally innovative activities.

f)         Planning for Individual Systems

1)         Construction involving privately owned residential wastewater treatment works must be part of the cost-effective solution in the approved Project Plan.

2)         Loan applicants must have legal authority to access all such privately owned systems at all reasonable times for such purposes as inspections, monitoring, building, operation, maintenance, rehabilitation, and replacement.

g)         The Project Plan will be reviewed by the Agency under the State environmental review process specified in Section 365.330. If substantial changes are made to the project scope following submittal to the Agency, the Project Plan shall be revised or amended and resubmitted for review and approval.

h)         In the Project Plan, a public loan applicant must certify:

1)         it has studied and evaluated the cost and effectiveness of the processes, materials, techniques, and technologies for carrying out the proposed project or activity for which assistance is sought; and

2)         it has selected, to the maximum extent practicable, a project or activity that maximizes the potential for efficient water use, reuse, recapture, and conservation, and energy conservation, taking into account: 

A)        the cost of constructing the project or activity;

B)        the cost of operating and maintaining the project or activity over the life of the project or activity; and

C)        the cost of replacing the project or activity.