Restoring native wetland ecosystems, protecting endangered regional habitats, and advancing large-scale environmental stewardship across northeastern Illinois, HGS LLC has been awarded a $12,268,037 firm-fixed-price contract. The civil works ecosystem restoration action finances the ecological restoration of approximately 429 acres of historically significant natural communities in Antioch, Illinois.

Contract Details: At A Glance

District Context & Mission Impact

This long-term environmental restoration project is administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chicago District. The Chicago District leads major civil works, urban flood risk management, and ecosystem restoration initiatives across the southern Lake Michigan watershed, upper Illinois River basin, and surrounding wetlands. Decades of land development, agricultural drainage, and invasive species proliferation have degraded native prairie, oak savanna, and wetland systems throughout northern Lake County. Restoring 429 acres of natural habitat involves re-establishing natural hydrology, eradicating invasive vegetation, planting native prairie and wetland species, and enhancing biodiversity to preserve vital ecological corridors through late 2031.

Contractor Spotlight & Industry Context

Headquartered in Bellaire, Texas, HGS LLC is an environmental engineering and ecological restoration firm specializing in wetland mitigation, habitat creation, stream restoration, and heavy civil earthwork for public and private sector clients. Bids were solicited via the internet with four competitive proposals received. Executing multi-year ecosystem restoration across hundreds of acres requires specialized low-impact earthmoving equipment, native seed and plant installation, hydrological monitoring, erosion control, and multi-season invasive species management. Partnering specialized ecological restoration firms with USACE biological sciences teams ensures resilient, self-sustaining ecosystems are re-established for future generations.