Environmental Loans April 2025 Newsletter
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR)’s Environmental Loans programs provide affordable financial assistance to Wisconsin communities for water infrastructure projects that protect and improve public health and water quality for current and future generations.
EIF May 1 Debt Service Invoices
As part of the Environmental Improvement Fund (EIF)’s ongoing commitment to providing quality customer service, we want to remind you that the May 1 semi-annual debt service invoices were sent via email on March 18, 2025. If you have not received your invoice, we ask you to reach out to DOAEIF@wisconsin.gov and update your contact information.
We continue to strive to make positive improvements to our payment process to make it more seamless and user friendly. We want to sincerely thank the municipalities that have returned their payment response to our mailbox as we continue to track the payments. If you have not yet returned the “Loan Payment Notice and Instruction” sheet, we ask that you do so before April 14, 2025.
Convenient And Proactive
To simplify your EIF May 1 invoice payment, you may access the eBill website to schedule your debt service payment before the due date. The link to eBill will be available on your invoice and the following websites:
The EIF’s commitment to our planet is to be as environmentally friendly as possible from start to finish. The EIF prefers electronic payment options as they are timely, safe and secure.
If you have questions or concerns about the eBill portal, invoice process or your scheduled loan repayments, please reach out to DOAEIF@wisconsin.gov or call Andrea Ceron at 608-267-0374.
Learn about Clean Water Fund Program and Safe Drinking Water Loan Program loan repayments on the DNR's Loan Repayment webpage.
Requirement Reminder: Identify Green Project Reserve Costs
For readers that are familiar with the Clean Water Fund Program or Safe Drinking Water Loan Program, the Green Project Reserve (GPR) is not a new initiative. Still, let’s revisit why GPR is important, what the approval process entails and share a few common examples.
Projects with GPR components offer environmental, economic and social benefits that can help utilities save money over time by reducing water losses and energy consumption. Green projects can help enhance the quality of life for communities through natural beauty and public open spaces, habitat and enriched ecosystems for plants, animals and people, improved air quality and reduced heat island effect, as reported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Green Infrastructure Projects and State Activities: CWSRF Innovations.
Federal legislation requires the Clean Water Fund Program to use a portion of its Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) capitalization grants to fund projects or portions of projects that meet the GPR requirements. The GPR requirement no longer exists for the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program, but we still encourage consulting engineers and municipalities to identify GPR costs for drinking water projects. Addressing this requirement allows federal funding to properly flow to the Clean Water Fund Program, not to mention the environmental and other local benefits of GPR projects.
Your Participation Matters
Fully capturing the amount of GPR costs within the state will allow Wisconsin to obtain future federal funds. The DNR reports the GPR costs to the EPA. To identify estimated or known GPR costs, municipalities must upload Form 8700-357 to the Clean Water Fund Program online application when submitting an application. This form is optional but encouraged for the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program projects.
The GPR costs will fall into one of four categories: green infrastructure, water efficiency, energy efficiency or environmentally innovative. The categories are defined on Form 8700-357. The Green Project Reserve: Guidance for Determining Project Eligibility document explains the types of projects eligible for funding under the GPR and details which types of projects are considered categorically eligible and which types of projects require a business case:
- Page 3 – Clean Water SRF GPR-specific guidance.
- Page 15 – Drinking Water SRF GPR-specific guidance.
It is our hope that the time and effort required to complete this task is minimal, and that engineers will be able to use previously available data in most cases. If you are having trouble identifying the proper category, contact the DNR Environmental Loans Section staff for assistance.
Approval Process
After you submit Form 8700-357 to the DNR, we will review for the costs’ eligibility and accuracy according to the aforementioned guidance document. The eligible GPR costs are shown on the Clean Water Fund Program’s corresponding state fiscal year funding list. After the project is bid, the assigned DNR loan project manager contacts the consulting engineer to ask for updated GPR costs based on the bid. The GPR costs are identified in the project manager summary page of the financial assistance agreement (AKA loan) along with a description of the green aspects of the project.
Common Examples
Most commonly, GPR costs will fit into the water efficiency or energy efficiency categories. Most green infrastructure storm water costs meet the GPR requirements. Some examples include:
- Replacing lighting with energy efficient alternatives.
- Upgrading pumps, blowers or ultra-violet systems with energy efficient components, including variable frequency drives on pumps.
- Green infrastructure projects for wet weather management.
- Infiltration and inflow reduction projects that save energy from pumping.
Update New Municipal Officials' Contact Information
We need to have the correct contact information on file for the people in your municipality involved with a Clean Water Fund Program or Safe Drinking Water Loan Program project, regardless of where you are in the funding process. Please inform your DNR loan project manager of any newly elected officials and provide any new or updated contact information:
- Name
- Municipal title
- Mailing address
- Phone number
- Email address (required)
New Noon Submittal Deadline For Disbursement Requests
As of March 28, 2025, complete requests for disbursement must be submitted by noon on Friday to be paid on the corresponding disbursement date.
Loan disbursements are electronically transferred to municipalities on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month. Disbursement requests are due at the DNR by noon two (2) Fridays before the date of disbursement. Adjustments to this deadline will be made for Federal holidays.
Please note that if requests for disbursement are not complete or accurate, they may be delayed to the next disbursement cycle. We encourage you to submit your requests for disbursement early to allow time for any discrepancies to be resolved.
Contact DNR staff prior to the deadline if there are any questions.
Resources:
Upcoming Deadlines And Events
The deadlines for the notice of intent to apply, application and loan closing are set in the corresponding program's annual intended use plan, see the Project Lists and Intended Use Plans webpage.
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Spring 2025: The DNR intends to publish the state fiscal year 2025 Lead Service Line Replacement Program final funding list.
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April 2025: The DNR intends to publish the state fiscal year 2026 Safe Drinking Water Loan Program project priority list.
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April 23: At 10 a.m., the DNR will host a webinar to discuss changes in the state fiscal year 2026 Safe Drinking Water Loan Program draft intended use plan and respond to questions from attendees.
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April 30: The last recommended date for opening bids for the state fiscal year 2025 Clean Water Fund Program and Safe Drinking Water Loan Program projects.
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May 15: Requests for disbursements are due to the DNR at noon on Thursday, May 15 to be paid on the disbursement date of Wednesday, May 28 (schedule adjusted for Memorial Day).
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May 23: The last date to submit written comments on the state fiscal year 2026 Safe Drinking Water Loan Program draft intended use plan to Suzan.Hasheider@wisconsin.gov.
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May 2025: The DNR intends to publish the state fiscal year 2026 Clean Water Fund Program draft intended use plan for a public comment period. The DNR will host a webinar during the public comment period to discuss changes in the draft intended use plan and respond to questions from attendees.
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May 31: Executed construction contracts due to the DNR loan project manager for the state fiscal year 2025 Safe Drinking Water Loan Program projects (earlier submittal is encouraged).
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June 15: Public Service Commission-approved rate case orders due to the DNR loan project manager for the state fiscal year 2025 Safe Drinking Water Loan Program projects.
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June 26: Requests for disbursements are due to the DNR at noon on Thursday, June 26 to be paid on the disbursement date of Wednesday, July 9 (schedule adjusted for Independence Day).
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June 30: Application deadline if competing for principal forgiveness for the state fiscal year 2026 Safe Drinking Water Loan Program funding cycle. The DNR recommends that all applicants (even those not competing for principal forgiveness) submit an application by the June 30 deadline due to potential limitations on loan capacity. See the Loan Capacity webpage for more information. Note the following reminders:
- Plans and specifications must be uploaded to the online application and submitted to the DNR Bureau of Drinking Water and Groundwater through the public water system plan review process by the application deadline.
- The period to submit either an appeal to an eligibility determination or a priority score reevaluation request opens the day after the application deadline and runs for a period of 30 days (July 1 through July 30).
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June 30: Readiness-to-proceed deadline for the state fiscal year 2025 Clean Water Fund Program principal forgiveness projects. All required bid documentation, including executed construction contracts, are due. Failure to meet this deadline will result in principal forgiveness funds being forfeited.
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Aug. 28: Requests for disbursements are due to the DNR at noon on Thursday, Aug. 28 to be paid on the disbursement date of Wednesday, Sept. 10 (schedule adjusted for Labor Day).
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Sept. 24: Final loan closing date for the state fiscal year 2025 Safe Drinking Water Loan Program projects.
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Sept. 30: Application deadline if competing for principal forgiveness for the state fiscal year 2026 Clean Water Fund Program funding cycle. The DNR recommends that all applicants (even those not competing for principal forgiveness) submit an application by the Sept. 30 deadline due to potential limitations on loan capacity. See the Loan Capacity webpage for more information. Note the following reminders:
- A facility plan approval letter must be uploaded to the online application for all projects.
- Plans and specifications must be uploaded to the online application and submitted to the DNR Bureau of Water Quality through the wastewater plan review process by the application deadline.
- The period to submit a priority score reevaluation request opens the day after the application deadline and runs for a period of 30 days (Oct. 1 through Oct. 30).
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