Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), announced in a press release today that more than $402 million has been allocated for financial assistance through the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program (SDWLP) to 106 municipalities to improve drinking water quality for Wisconsinites.
The funding will help municipalities across the state construct needed water infrastructure projects, including replacing lead service lines and addressing emerging contaminants such as per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), with a special focus on small and disadvantaged communities.
There are more than 167,000 known lead service lines throughout the state, and this funding will help municipalities continue their efforts toward the goal of replacing the remaining lead service lines. Wisconsin has been a national leader in providing funding to replace lead service lines and was the first state to utilize SDWLP funds for this purpose.
The money will be awarded to municipalities over the next year and disbursed as eligible costs are incurred. The funding comes from a combination of the DNR’s SDWLP ($276.7 million), Supplemental Drinking Water Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding ($24.9 million), Emerging Contaminant (PFAS) Drinking Water BIL funding ($26.6 million), and the Lead Service Line Replacement BIL Funding ($74.1 million).
A preliminary funding list that will be finalized following a 30-day window for municipalities to request a reevaluation of their priority score is available here.
