NORTHEAST WIS. – Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), announced that more than $282 million has been allocated for financial assistance through the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program to 74 municipalities across the state to improve drinking water quality for Wisconsinites.
The funding will help municipalities construct needed water infrastructure projects, including those that address contaminants such as per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and nitrates, with a special focus on small and disadvantaged communities.
“Over the last six years, my administration and I have worked to ensure every Wisconsinite has access to clean, safe drinking water that is free of lead, PFAS and other contaminants that have long been known to harm our kids and families, farmers and industries, and communities across our state,” said Gov. Evers.
“[This] announcement is thanks in part to the bipartisan, pro-kid 2025-27 Biennial Budget I signed earlier this year, in which we were able to increase borrowing for the Environmental Improvement Fund by over $730 million to help meet statewide demand for low-interest financing for clean water and safe drinking water loans.”
He continued, “While there is still more work to do, I am incredibly proud of our work to fight PFAS, help private well owners replace their contaminated wells and replace lead service lines statewide, and these funds bring us one step closer to meeting our goal of ensuring every Wisconsinite has access to clean, safe water.”
The Safe Drinking Water Loan Program provides affordable financial assistance to municipalities throughout Wisconsin for drinking water infrastructure projects that protect and improve public health for current and future generations.
Since the program began in 1998, the DNR and the Wisconsin Department of Administration have provided nearly $1.5 billion in financial assistance to Wisconsin municipalities.
Locally, the village of Suring in Oconto County has been allocated $1,299,829 in Safe Drinking Water Loan Program funding, of which $779,898 will be offered through principal forgiveness and the remaining $519,931 will be available at a subsidized interest rate. The funding will be used to construct a second water main river crossing to connect Wells #1 and #3 to the village, which will offer redundancy and increase the reliability of the water system.
Other local towns that are set to receive funding are the City of Oconto Falls to replace watermains on Colombia Street — estimated $324,314 loan amount — and the Village of Pound to replace the watermain on Colburn Street — estimated $257,528 loan amount.
The funding will be awarded to municipalities over the next year and disbursed as eligible costs are incurred. A portion of the funding comes from federal capitalization grants, including:
The 2026 Safe Drinking Water Loan Program funding list will be finalized later this month, following a 30-day window for municipalities to request a reevaluation of their priority score.
Gov. Evers also maintains that replacing lead service lines and ensuring Wisconsinites have access to clean and safe water is essential.
Earlier this year, Gov. Evers announced the Wisconsin Department of Health Services finalized a new rule, making permanent an emergency rule that the governor approved in January, to combat lead poisoning statewide by lowering the lead poisoning threshold to 3.5 µg/dL.
By lowering the lead poisoning threshold, more kids and families will be eligible for lead poisoning and intervention resources, including education programming, screening, care coordination or follow-up services for kids not covered by a third-party payer and other activities related to poisoning or exposure.
The Lead Service Line Replacement funding list will be made available at a later date.
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