Environmental Loans April 2026 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.
Market Rate Decrease Effective April 1
The market rates decreased for Clean Water Fund Program and Safe Drinking Water Loan Program loans with municipal meetings (resolutions approving the municipal obligations and the financial assistance agreements) on or after April 1, 2026.
The market rates are as follows:
- The market rate for tax-exempt loans with loan terms of 20 years or less decreased from 4.500% to 4.300%, and with loan terms of 21-30 years decreased from 4.700% to 4.500%.
- The market rate for taxable loans with loan terms of 20 years or less decreased from 5.357% to 5.119%, and with loan terms of 21-30 years decreased from 5.595% to 5.357%.
The Lead Service Line Replacement Program interest rate is not tied to the current market rate and is instead set at 0.25%. Learn about market rates and program-subsidized interest rates on the DNR’s Interest Rates webpage.
As always, the Environmental Improvement Fund encourages applicants to diligently move forward toward closing loans as quickly as possible.
Please direct any market or interest rate questions or concerns to the Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) Capital Finance Office at DOAEIF@wisconsin.gov.
Discount Rate For Cost-Effective Analysis
All wastewater facility plans require a cost-effectiveness analysis to ensure that only the minimum required resources (monetary, environmental and social) are expended over the 20-year planning period. Present worth factors must be based on the current discount rate provided by the DNR in accordance with s. NR 110.09(1)(a), Wis. Adm. Code. The DNR will be using the 20-year real discount rate provided annually by the Office of Management and Budget in OMB Circular No. A-94 Appendix C.
- The 20-year real discount rate for the 2026 calendar year is 2.0%.
Read about the cost-effectiveness analysis on the Municipal Wastewater Facility Planning webpage.
If you have any questions about a facility plan cost-effectiveness analysis, contact DNR municipal wastewater plan review staff.
New Construction Management Engineer, Alex Jaromin
We are pleased to share the news that Alex Jaromin is the new construction management engineer for the West Central Region (WCR) in the Environmental Loans Section. He fills the position held by Charlie Cameron, who recently retired. On April 6, 2026, Alex started his new position out of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Service Center in La Crosse, WI.
Contact Alex at Alexander.Jaromin@wisconsin.gov. Once his work phone is set up within the next week or so it will be added to the Environmental Loans Staff Directory webpage.
Please join us in welcoming and congratulating Alex on his new position!
The following is a short bio to help you get to know him better.
Hello all, my name is Alex Jaromin. I live in West Salem with my wife Lauren, two children Mia (3 years) and Mason (11 months) along with our two dogs, Ruby and Chief. I have lived in western Wisconsin my whole life. I enjoy walks/hikes with the family, fishing and waterfowl hunting.
I graduated with a Civil Engineering Degree from University of Wisconsin-Platteville. I started my career in consulting in the Eau Claire area and later moved to the La Crosse area where I have been working in consulting for the last 7 years. My focus has typically been water and wastewater projects. The WCR is a familiar place to me and I truly enjoy the people and communities in this region.
I look forward to joining the DNR team and working with municipalities and engineering consultants on vital water and wastewater infrastructure projects.
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Upcoming Deadlines And Events
The deadlines for the notice of intent to apply submittal, financial assistance application submittal and loan closing are set in the corresponding program's annual intended use plan that is available on the DNR’s Project Lists and Intended Use Plans webpage.
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Spring 2026: The DNR intends to publish the state fiscal year 2027 Safe Drinking Water Loan Program project priority list and the fiscal year 2027 Lead Service Line Replacement Program intent to apply list.
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April 2026: The DNR intends to publish the state fiscal year 2027 Safe Drinking Water Loan Program draft intended use plan for public comment. The DNR intends to 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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April 30: The last recommended date for opening bids for the state fiscal year 2026 Clean Water Fund Program principal forgiveness projects and for all state fiscal year 2026 Safe Drinking Water Loan Program projects.
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May 14: Requests for disbursements are due to the DNR at noon on Thursday, May 14, to be paid on the disbursement date of Wednesday, May 27 (schedule adjusted for Memorial Day).
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May 31: It is strongly recommended that executed construction contracts be submitted to the DNR loan project manager for the state fiscal year 2026 Safe Drinking Water Loan Program projects by this date (earlier submittal is encouraged).
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June 2026: The DNR intends to publish the state fiscal year 2027 Clean Water Fund Program draft intended use plan for public comment. The DNR intends to 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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June 15: Public Service Commission-approved water rate case orders due to the DNR loan project manager for the state fiscal year 2026 Safe Drinking Water Loan Program projects.
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June 30: Application deadline if competing for principal forgiveness for the state fiscal year 2027 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 with loan capacity. Information on the application process is available on the DNR's Online Systems webpage.
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June 30: Readiness-to-proceed deadline for the state fiscal year 2026 Clean Water Fund Program principal forgiveness projects. All required bid documentation, including executed construction contracts, is due for wastewater and stormwater projects. Failure to meet this deadline will result in forfeiture of principal forgiveness funds.
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Aug. 27: Requests for disbursements are due to the DNR at noon on Thursday, Aug. 27 to be paid on the disbursement date of Wednesday, Sept. 9 (schedule adjusted for Labor Day).
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Sept. 23: Final loan closing date for the state fiscal year 2026 Safe Drinking Water Loan Program projects.
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Sept. 30: Application deadline if competing for principal forgiveness for the state fiscal year 2027 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. Information on this application process is available on the DNR’s Online Systems webpage.
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Sept. 30: Last recommended date for submitting Application to Increase Water Rates to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin for the state fiscal year 2027 Safe Drinking Water Loan Program projects.
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 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.
Note: You can also sign up to receive updates from the Wisconsin DNR on diverse topics.
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