As part of the State Revolving Fund (SRF) loan application process, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency uses a “loan priority scoring” methodology to determine the ranking of a lead service line replacement (LSLR) loan application on the “Project Priority List” for funding consideration.
The SRF scoring map below can guide public water suppliers on which census tracts to include in an application. The map shows the scores for Illinois census tracts based on the scoring methodology defined in 35 Illinois Administrative Code section 663.345. The higher the census tract loan priority score, the more likely a project is to secure funding.
New in Fiscal Year 2027: Principal Forgiveness Distributed on a Sliding Scale
The updated map below shows the principal forgiveness percentage eligibility and the overall census tract application score. As of July 1, 2026, the Illinois SRF Public Water Supply Loan Program (PWSLP) assigns principal forgiveness (PF) for LSLR on a sliding scale based on median household income (MHI). For example, census tracts that fall below 50% of the state MHI of $83,390 will be eligible for 100% principal forgiveness up to $4,500,000 for an LSLR project, while census tracts at or above the state MHI will receive 0% forgiveness. See the Illinois EPA PWSLP FY2027 Intended Use Plan (page 11) for more information on the PF sliding scale for LSLR.
To use the map: Zoom in to see your census tracts. Click on your census tract to view its score across multiple categories plus the principal forgiveness eligibility percentage. You can toggle features on and off in the upper right corner and insert an address in the "search for an address" field to see the corresponding census tract.