Environmental Loans July 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.
State Fiscal Year 2026 Principal Forgiveness Data Finalized
The DNR downloads the state and county unemployment data from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development webpage in early July to have the most recent data for the state fiscal year 2026 projects.
Once we have the unemployment numbers, we finalize the data sources document that the Clean Water Fund Program and the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program will use to determine the state fiscal year 2026 principal forgiveness points. This final document has been uploaded to the DNR’s Data Sources webpage and replaces the document being used for estimates.
Emerging Contaminants Funding For Clean Water Fund Program Projects
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), provides five years of funding for emerging contaminants during state fiscal years 2023 through 2027 (note that any unused funding can be “rolled forward” beyond state fiscal year 2027). The Wisconsin Clean Water Fund Program is focusing this funding on the reduction of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the waters of the state.
The Clean Water Emerging Contaminants Program funding is provided in the form of principal forgiveness. Up to 70% of emerging contaminants-specific project costs can be awarded as principal forgiveness, up to a cap of $3,500,000 per municipality per state fiscal year.
The following two eligible project types may be of interest to municipalities in areas of high PFAS concentrations and that have sanitary sewer projects planned in the near future.
Sanitary Sewer Replacement And Rehabilitation Projects
Sanitary sewer replacement or rehabilitation projects in areas with high PFAS concentrations may be eligible for Clean Water Emerging Contaminants funding. The project would need to reduce inflow and infiltration of groundwater and/or stormwater contaminated with PFAS at concentrations that either exceed the applicable surface water standard for POTWs (publicly owned treatment works, also known as municipal sewage treatment plants) with a surface water discharge or exceed the recommended groundwater PFAS standards published by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) for POTWs with a groundwater discharge. To determine eligibility for the Clean Water Emerging Contaminants funding, groundwater samples should be taken at locations along the project footprint, no more than 500 feet apart. The PFAS concentration data should be provided with the facility plan, if possible. Only portions of the replacement or rehabilitation project that are in areas with PFAS exceeding surface water standards or DHS-recommended groundwater standards (as applicable) will be eligible for the Clean Water Emerging Contaminants funding.
Treatment To Remove PFAS From Groundwater Dewatering Discharges
If an eligible Clean Water Fund Program project is required to treat groundwater dewatering discharges to surface water or groundwater to remove PFAS, then the rental of that treatment system can be eligible for the Clean Water Emerging Contaminants funding.
Note: All projects receiving IIJA/BIL Clean Water Emerging Contaminants funds are automatically designated as federal equivalency projects, therefore the entire project will be required to comply with the Build America, Buy America (BABA) Act procurement requirements and the other requirements detailed on the DNR’s Federal Equivalency webpage, as applicable.
Please see the Clean Water Fund Program State Fiscal Year 2026 Intended Use Plan for a full list of eligible project types and for more information on the Clean Water Emerging Contaminants Program.
Contact Ryan Atkinson, Clean Water Emerging Contaminants Program specialist, with questions at 608-640-0510 or Ryan.Atkinson@wisconsin.gov.
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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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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Sept. 30: Last recommended date for submitting rate case applications to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin for the state fiscal year 2026 Safe Drinking Water Loan Program projects.
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September 2025: The DNR intends to publish the state fiscal year 2026 Safe Drinking Water Loan Program draft funding list.
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Oct. 30: Requests for disbursements are due to the DNR at noon on Thursday, Oct. 30 to be paid on the disbursement date of Wednesday, Nov. 12 (schedule adjusted for Veterans Day).
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Oct. 31: Notice of intent to apply deadline for the state fiscal year 2027 Clean Water Fund Program and Safe Drinking Water Loan Program funding cycles. Note: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), also known as Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), is meant to provide additional funding in state fiscal years 2023-2027. For details, see the DNR’s BIL Funding webpage.
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November 2025: The DNR intends to publish the state fiscal year 2026 Safe Drinking Water Loan Program final funding list.
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December 2025: The DNR intends to publish the state fiscal year 2026 Clean Water Fund Program funding list.
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Dec. 11: Requests for disbursements are due to the DNR at noon on Thursday, Dec. 11 to be paid on the disbursement date of Tuesday, Dec. 23 (schedule adjusted for Christmas Day). Note: No loan closings will occur on Dec. 23.
Newsletter Sign Up
For timely delivery of future newsletters and bulletins, please send an email request with your contact information to Kay Christensen, DNR Environmental Loans Section outreach coordinator, at Kay.Christensen@Wisconsin.gov. She will add you to the email distribution list. If you want, she can also remove you from this list.
The DNR Environmental Loans Section tries to publish a newsletter every 1-2 months. Previous newsletters and bulletins are available on our News webpage.
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