Gov. Evers, DNR Announce Nearly $460,000 In Grants Awarded To Small Public Water Systems With PFAS And Manganese Contamination

“Folks and families across our state shouldn’t have to worry about harmful contaminants like PFAS and manganese in their water, but we know that for countless folks across our state every time they turn on their tap, that’s not the case,” said Gov. Evers. “These contaminants can be detrimental to health, especially for our kids, and these funds will help reach water systems that are otherwise left behind and help us continue our work to ensure Wisconsinites have access to clean, safe water at home, at school, at work, and everywhere in between.”

Funded by the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities Grant Program opened in January 2024 for its first grant cycle and reached non-government residential (other-than-municipal community) public water systems, such as apartment complexes, subdivisions, mobile home parks, and nonprofit non-residential (non-transient non-community) public water systems, such as schools, day care centers, and businesses, which historically were ineligible to receive financial assistance through the DNR.

The grant program provides funds for other-than-municipal community and nonprofit non-transient non-community water systems to address PFAS or manganese contamination by drilling new wells, connecting to existing public water systems, or installing treatment to receive a safer water supply. The first application cycle closed July 31, 2024. To date, the DNR has awarded nearly $460,000 for the first cycle and is expecting to award a total of over $2.3 million once all applications are processed. A list of projects that received funding in the first part of the Round 1 grant cycle is available here.

“We received a positive turnout for the first cycle of this program and are excited to offer a second cycle to get funding out the door to systems who need it,” said DNR Public Water Supply Section Manager Adam DeWeese.

The second grant cycle for the grant program opens Oct. 1, 2024. Other-than-municipal community and nonprofit non-transient non-community public water systems with eligible levels of PFAS or manganese may apply to the program.

The DNR expects to issue $5 million in grants to small public water systems in the second grant cycle. The application period closes June 30, 2025. Interested applicants may email questions to DNRECSDCGrants@wisconsin.gov.

In April, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the final PFAS National Primary Drinking Water Regulation for six PFAS. The next grant cycle will offer funding to systems with PFAS levels at half a federal maximum contaminant level or greater.

To learn more about the Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities Grant Program and how to apply visit the program’s webpage here.

Since taking office, identifying and remediating contamination in ground, surface, and drinking water has been a top priority for Gov. Evers and the Evers Administration. Gov. Evers declared 2019 the Year of Clean Drinking Water to highlight the need for meaningful investments to ensure Wisconsinites have clean, safe drinking water that is free of harmful contaminants like PFAS, lead, and nitrate. Additionally, Gov. Evers created the PFAS Action Council to develop a statewide PFAS Action Plan, which has led to key protections such as Wisconsin’s first enforceable statewide standards for PFAS in surface and drinking water.

The 2023-25 biennial budget that was passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Evers in July 2023 included a $125 million investment to address and prevent PFAS contamination statewide—the first real and substantive Republican effort to address PFAS after years of inaction. Now, over 400 days later and despite a memo from the nonpartisan Wisconsin Legislative Council that says they can, Republican legislators have refused to release the funding and have ignored repeated requests from Gov. Evers and the DNR to do so.

A more comprehensive timeline of the Republican-controlled JFC’s continued delays in releasing critical funding to address PFAS contamination is available here.

Additionally, last month, Gov. Tony Evers, together with the DNR, submitted a new proposal to amend the state’s current drinking water standards to reflect the new federal standards for PFAS contaminants. A copy of the scope statement outlining the proposed change is available here. Additional information on efforts of the Evers Administration to address PFAS contamination and invest in clean, safe water statewide is also available here.