Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, along with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), on Jan. 8 announced a new round of funding through the state’s Clean Water Fund Program (CWFP), totaling $484 million. The funds are designed to improve stormwater and wastewater infrastructure statewide.
The state CWFP funds are distributed in the form of subsidized loans and principal forgiveness. For this particular round of funding, the DNR is distributing subsidized loans totaling $438 million and a principal forgiveness of $46 million.
The CWFP helps make financing more accessible for small communities and municipalities by covering a portion of the interest costs on program loans. The fund steps in to help buy down the market rate, lowering the overall borrowing costs for community projects. Because municipalities aren’t required to pay back this subsidy, the state views it as functioning much like a grant.
There are several notable projects included in the most recent funding round, including the city of Portage receiving $55.5 million for a major overhaul of its wastewater treatment plant and a small sanitary district in Pepin County getting a $3.4 million boost to regionalize its wastewater services.
Other top funded projects include:
City of Oshkosh ($44.3 million) – Constructing tertiary filtration at its wastewater treatment plant for phosphorus removal.
City of Horicon ($39.8 million) – Upgrading its wastewater treatment facility.
City of Sheboygan ($31.7 million) – Building phases 1 and 2 of the Southside Sanitary Interceptor Sewer System.
Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MSD) ($27.4 million) – Installing capacity improvements along the Oklahoma Avenue Metropolitan Interceptor Sewer.
City of Sparta ($14.6 million) – Upgrading its wastewater treatment plant for phosphorus compliance.
Green Bay MSD ($14.3 million) – Upgrading the East River Lift Station and force main.
Milwaukee MSD ($13.7 million) – Upgrading the Greenfield Park and Underwood Creek pump stations.
City of Milwaukee ($13.3 million) – Replacing and rehabilitating sanitary and combined sewers throughout the city in 2025.
Freedom SD #1 ($11.2 million) – Upgrading its wastewater treatment plant for total suspended solids compliance and improved sludge handling.
Village of Hammond ($8.7 million) – Upgrading its wastewater treatment plant.
The CWFP has distributed more than $6.5 billion in financial assistance to Wisconsin municipalities since its inception in 1991. The program is administered jointly by the DNR and the Wisconsin Department of Administration as part of the state’s Environmental Improvement Fund.
A portion of this funding round comes from federal capitalization grants, including $42.9 million from the base Clean Water State Revolving Fund and $66.6 million in supplemental Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funding. The funds will be awarded to municipalities over the next year and disbursed as eligible costs are incurred.
The program appears positioned for continued growth, as the 2025-27 biennial budget signed by Gov. Evers increases borrowing authority for the Environmental Improvement Fund by more than $730 million to secure additional federal clean water and safe drinking water capitalization grants over the next four years.
Photo by Joseph Russo from Pexels
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