Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced that $444 million has been allocated for financial assistance through the Clean Water Fund Program (CWFP) to 50 Wisconsin municipalities to improve their wastewater infrastructure. The funding will focus on supporting small and disadvantaged communities.
The CWFP provides financial assistance to municipalities throughout Wisconsin for wastewater and water quality-related urban stormwater infrastructure projects that protect and improve public health and water quality for current and future generations. The DNR and the Wisconsin Department of Administration have administered the CWFP since 1991, providing over $6.1 billion in financial assistance to Wisconsin municipalities. Additional information about the CWFP can be found online here.
Through this round of funding, the DNR is allocating $399.9 million in subsidized loans and $44.1 million in principal forgiveness funding to support wastewater improvement projects. The CWFP subsidizes municipalities to buy down the market rate on program loans (reduced-interest rate loans). The principal forgiveness funding is comparable to a grant because the municipality will not have to repay those funds.
A full list of preliminarily approved projects by municipality for state FY25 is available here.
