Section 369.130  Definitions

a)         Unless specified otherwise, all terms shall have the meanings set forth in the Environmental Protection Act (Act) [415 ILCS 5] and the regulations adopted under that Act (35 Ill. Adm. Code:  Subtitle C) and the Clean Water Act (CWA), as amended (33 USC 1251 et seq.).

b)         For the purposes of this Part, the following definitions apply:

Addenda – Documents, issued by the loan applicant after advertisement for bids, that modify or interpret the contract documents, drawings, and specifications, by additions, deletions, clarifications or corrections.

Agency – Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

ARRA − American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).

Binding Commitment – A legal obligation between the Agency and a local government unit to provide financial assistance from the WPCLP to that local government unit, specifying the terms and schedules under which assistance is provided.  The loan agreement will be considered a binding commitment.

Building Cost – The cost of erection of construction contract line items.  Building costs do not include preliminary planning, engineering, architectural, legal, fiscal, administrative or contingency costs.

Capitalization Grant – The actual federal funds received by the Agency for deposit into the WPCLP as a result of the capitalization grant agreement with the USEPA.

Capitalization Grant Agreement – The agreement entered into each federal fiscal year between the Agency and the USEPA for the purpose of providing a grant to capitalize the WPCLP and enable the Agency to provide assistance for construction of wastewater treatment works.

Change Order – A written order by the loan recipient to the contractor authorizing an addition, deletion or revision in the work within the general scope of the contract documents, or authorizing an adjustment in the contract price or contract time.

Compliance Project – A project that consists of construction, expansion or upgrading of a wastewater treatment works necessary to meet State and federal requirements, as specified in 35 Ill. Adm. Code:  Subtitle C and the CWA, respectively.

Construction – Any one or more of the following which is undertaken for a public purpose:  preliminary planning to determine the feasibility of the wastewater treatment works, engineering, architectural, legal, fiscal or economic investigations, or studies, surveys, designs, plans, working drawings, specifications, procedures or other necessary actions, erection, building, acquisition, alteration, remodeling, improvement or extension of wastewater treatment works, or the inspection or supervision of any of the foregoing items. [415 ILCS 5/19.2(d)]

Contract Documents – The contract, including but not limited to advertisement for bids, information for bidders, bid, bid bond, agreement, payment bond, performance bond, notice of award, notice to proceed, change order, drawings, specifications and addenda.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis – An analysis of the feasible wastewater treatment works, processes and techniques capable of meeting the applicable effluent, water quality and public health requirements over the design life of the facility while recognizing environmental and other non-monetary considerations.

CWA – Clean Water Act, as amended (33 USC 1251 et seq.).

Dedicated Source of Revenue – The type of security and the basis of legal authorization that are dedicated by legislative enactment or other appropriate authority along with the applicable revenue source pledged for repayment and recorded in an account for the purpose of loan repayment to the WPCLP, which is sufficient to repay the principal and interest on the loan.

Design – All administrative, legal and engineering tasks, subsequent to facilities plan approval but prior to advertisement for bid proposal, associated with receiving approval of a loan application.  This shall include the following:  surveys, designs, plans, working drawings, specifications, soil investigations and any other tests or process determinations required to establish design criteria, and development of user charge systems and sewer use ordinances.

Director – Director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

Energy Efficiency − The use of improved technologies and practices to reduce the energy consumption of water quality projects, including projects to reduce energy consumption or produce clean energy used by a treatment works.

Environmentally Innovative Projects − Projects that demonstrate new and/or innovative approaches to managing water resources in a more sustainable way, including projects that achieve pollution prevention or pollutant removal with reduced cost and projects that foster adaptation of water protection programs and practices to climate change.

Fixed Loan Rate – The fixed loan rate shall be 0.00% for loans issued from the funds provided by the ARRA.

Fund – The Water Revolving Fund as authorized by [415 ILCS 5/19.3], consisting of the Water Pollution Control Loan Program, the Public Water Supply Loan Program, and the Loan Support Program.

Green Infrastructure − Includes a wide array of practices at multiple scales that manage and treat stormwater and that maintain and restore natural hydrology by infiltrating, evapotranspiring and capturing and using stormwater.  On a regional scale, green infrastructure is the preservation and restoration of natural landscape features, such as forests, floodplains and wetlands, coupled with policies such as infill and redevelopment that reduce overall imperviousness in a watershed.  On the local scale, green infrastructure consist of site- and neighborhood-specific practices, such as bioretention, trees, green roofs, porous pavements and cisterns.

Infiltration – Water other than wastewater that enters a sewer system (including sewer service connections and foundation drains) from the ground through such means as defective pipes, pipe joints, connection or manholes.

Inflow – Water other than wastewater that enters a sewer system (including sewer service connections) from sources such as, but not limited to, roof leaders, cellar drains, yard drains, area drains, drains from springs and swampy areas, manhole covers, cross connections between storm sewers and sanitary sewers, catch basins, cooling towers, storm waters, surface runoff, street wash water, or drainage.

Initiation of Loan Repayment Period – The date in a loan agreement or amendment that establishes the beginning point of the loan repayment period.

Initiation of Operation – The date specified by the loan agreement on which use of the project began operation for the purposes that it was planned, designed and constructed.

Intended Use Plan – A plan which includes a description of the short and long term goals and objectives of the Fund, project categories, discharge requirements, terms of financial assistance and the communities to be served. [415 ILCS 5/19.2(e)]

Loan Agreement – The contractual agreement between the Agency and the local government unit that contains the terms and conditions governing the loan issued from the WPCLP.

Loan Applicant – The local government unit that has applied for a loan from the WPCLP for construction of wastewater treatment works.

Loan Commitment Letter – The letter that is sent by the Agency to the loan applicant which reserves loan funds and identifies the requirements that must be satisfied prior to the execution of the loan agreement.

Loan Procedures – The Procedures for Providing Financial Assistance from the Water Pollution Control Loan Program under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Loan Recipient – A local government unit that has been provided a loan for construction of a wastewater treatment works from the WPCLP and that will own and be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the wastewater facilities.

Local Government Unit − A county, municipality, township, municipal or county sewerage or utility authority, sanitary district, public water district, improvement authority or any other political subdivision whose primary purpose is to construct, operate and maintain wastewater treatment facilities or public water supply facilities or both. [415 ILCS 5/19.2(g)]

Operating Agreement – The agreement between the Agency and the USEPA that establishes the policies, procedures and activities for the application and receipt of federal capitalization grant funds for capitalization of the WPCLP.

Principal – All disbursements that will be financed at the time the repayment schedule period begins.

Principal Forgiveness − A portion of the loan amount that does not have to be repaid (is forgiven) upon execution of the loan.

Project – The activities or tasks the Agency identifies in the loan agreement for which the loan recipient may expend loan funds.

Project Priority List – An ordered listing of projects developed in accordance with the priority system described in 35 Ill. Adm. Code 366 (Procedures and Requirements for Determining Loan Priorities for Municipal Wastewater Treatment Works) that the Agency has determined are eligible to receive financial assistance from the WPCLP.

Responsible Bid – A bid that demonstrates the apparent ability of the bidder to successfully meet all the requirements specified in the contract documents. Information required to demonstrate responsibility may be corrected or submitted after bid opening.

Responsive Bid – A bid that complies with all meaningful or material aspects of the contract documents.  The bid must constitute a definite and unqualified offer to meet the material requirements of the contract documents, including any terms that affect price, quality, quantity or time of delivery, or are clearly identified in the contract documents to be complied with at the risk of bid rejection for non-responsiveness.  Bid defects resulting in a non-responsive bid may not be corrected after the bid opening.

Source of Revenue − The revenues of the system, including accounts receivable and the proceeds that are sufficient to repay the principal on the loan.

Subagreement – A written agreement between the loan recipient and another party and any tier of agreement thereunder to furnish services, supplies or equipment necessary to complete the project for which a loan is provided, including construction contracts, contracts for personal and professional services and purchase orders.

Title VI – Title VI of the federal Clean Water Act (33 USC 1251 et seq.).

Treatment Works − Any devices and systems owned by a local government unit and used in the storage, treatment, recycling, and reclamation of sewerage or industrial wastes of a liquid nature, including intercepting sewers, outfall sewers, sewage collection systems, pumping power and other equipment, and appurtenances; extensions, improvements, remodeling, additions, and alterations thereof; elements essential to provide a reliable recycled supply, such as standby treatment units and clear well facilities; and any works, including site acquisition of the land that will be an integral part of the treatment process for wastewater facilities.  [415 ILCS 5/19.2(f)]

Useful Life – The estimated period during which a wastewater treatment works is intended to be operable.

USEPA –United States Environmental Protection Agency.

User Charge – A charge levied on the users of a treatment works to produce adequate revenues for the operation, maintenance and replacement of the treatment works.

Water Efficiency − use of improved technologies and practices to deliver equal or better services with less water.

WPCLP − Water Pollution Control Loan Program as authorized by Section 19.2 of the Environmental Protection Act [415 ILCS 5/19.2].