The city of Dixon was awarded $2 million in federal funds for the creation of retention ponds to the west of Dixon’s major economic development near Interstate 88.

Each year, members of Congress can submit community project funding requests during the federal budget appropriations process.

This cycle, U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Peoria, got almost $19 million for 11 projects, including Dixon’s, which “strengthen economies, update critical infrastructure, increase public safety and improve the quality of life for families” in Illinois’s 16th district, according to a Tuesday news release from LaHood’s office.

“I was proud to vote today to fund the government and ensure it remains open and functioning for the American people,” LaHood said in the release. “I will continue my work to be a strong voice for my district and to deliver real results for the families, workers, and communities I have the privilege to represent.”

In Dixon, the ponds will be located off Bloody Gulch Road between the economic development along South Galena Avenue, known as the Gateway Project, and a neighborhood called Overlook Gardens. It’s one of the top two areas where water detention or retention was found to be needed during a study the city engaged in more than eight years ago, City Manager Danny Langloss said in a previous interview with Shaw Local.

[ Dixon City Council accepts 40-acre, $1.5M property donation, will become Bloody Gulch Park ]

Detention and/or retention ponds are used to collect stormwater and release it gradually, which prevents flooding, erosion and water contamination, according to stormwater.com.

The pond will be part of the soon-to-be Bloody Gulch Park, the 40-acre property that was donated to the city in October 2024. City officials are planning for the now- empty green space to be complete with a multiuse path, the retention ponds, fishing piers and picnic areas.

The pond would start behind Pirups Landing, an 18-acre rental development off Taylor Court owned by local real estate broker Ted Hvarre, running parallel to the future multiuse path through a 17-acre, city-owned property into Bloody Gulch Park, Langloss said.

That 17-acre property was given to the city through a deal with Hvarre that enabled him to begin constructing Pirups Landing.

Other projects funded

• The city of Peoria was allocated $600,000 for infrastructure updates to its Galena Road Industrial Park, aiming to spark economic growth.
• Peoria County was allocated $1 million to complete the formal preliminary design and planning report required by the National Environmental Policy Act for its project to reconstruct Radnor Road from a rural to an urban cross-section, accommodating increased traffic and supporting economic development.
• Tazwell County was allocated $500,000 for the replacement of the Furrow Road Bridge and address safety concerns for what is currently an outdated and unsafe bridge.
• The city of Streator was allocated $1 million for the replacement of the Park Street and Bilger Street box culvert bridges.
• The Bloomington-Normal Airport Authority was allocated $1.5 million for the design and construction of a new air cargo road.
• Grundy County was allocated $5 million for the design and construction of a new interchange at Minooka Road and Interstate 80.
• The city of Bloomington was allocated $556,000 to acquire technology and software for the region’s only Real Time Information and Crime Center, a facility designed to provide real-time intelligence and support law enforcement across the state.
• The city of South Beloit was allocated $750,000 to replace its lift station and force main that transports sewage to the South Beloit Wastewater Treatment Plant.
• The village of Metamora was allocated $4 million for the construction of a new fire department and EMS facility.
• The Arukah Institute, a mental health service in Princeton, was allocated $2 million for the construction of a behavioral health services and workforce training center in Princeton.