Environmental Loans May 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.
Postponed: The DNR’s Environmental Loans Online Systems Switch From WAMS To MyWisconsin ID
The DNR Environmental Loans Section is postponing the transition from the current Web Access Management Systems (WAMS) login platform to the new, advanced MyWisconsin ID login system. The migration was previously scheduled for May 28, 2025.
We will reschedule this migration and provide updated information as soon as it becomes available. The timeline in this message applies only to the Environmental Loans Online Systems, which are used to apply for Clean Water Fund Program and Safe Drinking Water Loan Program financial assistance.
2024 Financial Audit Reminder
This is a friendly reminder regarding your Environmental Improvement Fund loan agreement. As outlined in the agreement, audited financial statements must be submitted within 180 days of the end of each fiscal year. Since the municipal fiscal year ended on Dec. 31, 2024, the deadline to submit your 2024 audit to the Environmental Improvement Fund is June 30, 2025.
If you haven’t already, please email your audited financial statements to DOAEIF@wisconsin.gov. You should also ensure your auditor includes the Environmental Improvement Fund on the distribution list when the audit is finalized.
Note: If your municipality does not conduct an audit, please send your 2024 sewer/water utility financial statements, including the balance sheet and income/expense statements, to the same email address.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this requirement.
DNR Publishes Lead Service Line Replacement Program Final Funding List For State Fiscal Year 2025
The DNR's Environmental Loans Section published the long overdue Lead Service Line Replacement Program final funding list for state fiscal year 2025 to the DNR’s Project Lists and Intended Use Plans webpage on May 8, 2025. You may notice that the loan funding has rolled much further down the list than on the draft funding list published in November 2024.
We had been waiting for the final two state fiscal year 2024 lead service line projects to finalize their budgets, which released some funding that had been held back for the state fiscal year 2024 funding list. In addition, several state fiscal year 2024 projects released some funding during project closeout. These released funds have been added to the state fiscal year 2025 funding list to provide as much of the requested funding as possible.
This final funding list also looks different in some other ways. Two projects that had submitted applications were subsequently withdrawn, and several projects now have final budgets reflected on the list. All of these factors combined allowed us to roll the lower interest rate loan funding from the Lead Service Line capitalization grant further down the list.
Background
Typically, the DNR anticipates that the Lead Service Line Replacement Program draft funding list will be posted in September and the final funding list in November of the same year as the June 30 application deadline. The Lead Service Line Replacement Program final funding list identifies all projects with a valid financial assistance application submittal, in priority score order, for the state fiscal year 2025 funding cycle. The final funding list identifies each project’s requested project costs and allocated amounts of loan and principal forgiveness dollars.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) requires the Lead Service Line Replacement Program principal forgiveness to be awarded to disadvantaged communities and census tracts. All other applicants will be eligible for loan funds only, and all loan funding from the BIL Lead Service Line capitalization grant will be made available at 0.25% interest for all eligible project costs. In a change from the state fiscal year 2024 funding cycle, the lead service line projects are not eligible for general Safe Drinking Water Loan Program principal forgiveness.
Visit the DNR’s BIL-Funded Lead Service Line Replacement Program webpage for the most recent updates.
Please direct questions to Kate Leja-Brennan, Lead Service Line Replacement Program specialist, at Kathryn.Leja@wisconsin.gov or 608-261-7434.
Contact the Construction Management Engineer At Least One Week Before Scheduling Preconstruction Meeting
To aid in the success of any project, it is important for the municipality, engineering consultant, construction contractor and DNR staff to coordinate efforts before and throughout construction.
If Clean Water Fund Program or Safe Drinking Water Loan Program financial assistance will be sought for a project, contact the regional DNR construction management engineer (CME) to confirm their availability at least one week before scheduling a construction-related project meeting. If a meeting is rescheduled or canceled, promptly notify the CME.
Contact the CME for the following:
- Preconstruction meeting
- Construction progress meetings
The preconstruction meeting should provide an understanding of the project plan and timing for the CME. Provide the CME with the construction progress meeting schedule. Ensure the CME has all the conformed construction documents before the preconstruction meeting.
Please Be Considerate Of The CME’s Time And Purpose
Each project receiving funding through the Clean Water Fund or Safe Drinking Water Loan programs is assigned a CME. During the calendar year, each CME is assigned several dozen projects in their region, which spans several counties. View a map showing the Wisconsin counties each CME serves.
The CME conducts on-site interim and final inspections to determine whether construction is proceeding according to DNR-approved plans and specifications and the terms of the financial assistance agreement. The CME keeps the DNR loan project manager informed of all change order approvals and amendment requests to help ensure all financial transactions are legal, appropriate and consistent with the terms of the financial assistance agreement. For more information, read the DNR's Construction Management webpage.
Contact Information
Maintain contact with the CME throughout the project because they can provide insights and answer questions, particularly if an area of concern develops. This will help you ensure timely loan disbursements, payments and construction progress. Contact information for each CME is available on the DNR's Environmental Loans Staff Directory webpage.
Staff Change: Michelle Brietzman Retired
Michelle Brietzman retired from the DNR Environmental Loans Section on May 22, 2025. Michelle served as a loan project manager since March 2022 and took on environmental review responsibilities for the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program in the summer of 2022.
Michelle spent most of her career in IT as a programmer and doing project management and business analyst duties. Michelle provided excellent technical support and customer service.
Michelle had been with the DNR since 2013. Before joining the Environmental Loans Section, Michelle served as the DNR Federal Recreation Trails and Stewardship Grants project manager and data manager for the DNR Grant Programs. Before the DNR Bureau of Community Financial Assistance, Michelle worked at the Wisconsin Department of Revenue and in the DNR Air Program.
Michelle will be missed by DNR staff. We all wish Michelle the best in her retirement, where we know she will keep busy spending more time with her husband and best friend, Robin, watching Wisconsin sports, training for triathlons, doing yoga and enjoying her family of 4 adult children and 8 (+1 on the way) grandkids.
Michelle’s existing active projects have been reassigned to DNR loan project managers, who will be in contact with their newly assigned communities.
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 DNR's Project Lists and Intended Use Plans webpage.
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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 DNR's 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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