Everyone Deserves Clean Water
Evers, Democrats back a comprehensive agenda. We want to work with Republicans on this.
From the very beginning of Governor Evers’ term, he made his priorities clear by declaring 2019 the Year of Clean Drinking Water. During his State of the State address in January, he promoted investing millions of dollars to address water quality, from replacing lead service lines, to addressing manure contamination in Wisconsin. Many of our communities face challenges that threaten their health and safety due to polluted drinking water. That’s why Democrats are committed to strengthening clean water protections and addressing this public health crisis.
While Governor Evers proposed a bold budget that reflected the voices of the people, who simply want clean and safe drinking water, there is still a long road ahead. Every Wisconsinite should be able to drink water from their tap, but for a lot of people, that is not the reality.
Legislative Democrats recently introduced a list of priorities – “Forward Together.” This agenda includes many of the areas that Democrats will be focusing on this fall, including clean water. Below are the Democrat’s top priorities for clean water:
- Replace lead pipes to ensure clean drinking water
- Promote sustainable water management practices for family farms
- Help homeowners fix contaminated wells
- Limit runoff pollution from large industrial farms
- Prevent toxic PFAS contamination
The 2019-2021 budget invests more than $32.65 million in improving water quality throughout our state. While these investments are essential, there is still more we can do. More than two-thirds of Wisconsin residents use groundwater for drinking water, through a private well or public water system, and it is our job to enact standards and regulations to protect that supply.
One of the ways that the Governor invested in improving water quality around the state was through increasing bonding authority for Soil and Water Resource Management. While Republicans cut his proposal, he was still successful in increasing bonding by $7 million. This program, which is administered by DATCP, provides assistance to farmers to implement conservation practices and reduce pollution from agriculture. This protects our natural resources and increases long-term farm profitability.
Additionally, in July, Governor Evers signed an executive order relating to addressing lead poisoning in Wisconsin. This came after Republicans drastically slashed Governor Evers’ proposal to address lead exposure and prevent poisoning from the budget, by over $21 million and eliminated $40 million to replace lead water lines throughout the entire state. The executive order directs the Department of Health Services (DHS) to address this crisis in a robust and comprehensive way through a multi-pronged approach, and to promote collaboration among departments and community organizations to prevent, treat, remove, abate, and survey lead efforts.
There is not a single, simple solution to address our water quality issues. However, I am confident that we will be able to work across the aisle to protect this basic right. Everyone deserves to have access to clean drinking water, regardless of where they live, or where their tap water comes from. There is still a far way to go, but the important thing is that, under Governor Evers, we are moving forward.
Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, is a member of the Wisconsin state Senate.
More about the Lead Crisis
- New MPS Superintendent Dumps Beleaguered Facilities Director - Jeramey Jannene - Apr 3rd, 2025
- Amidst Lead Crisis, State Reprimands MPS Facilities Director - Evan Casey - Apr 3rd, 2025
- Three MPS Schools Remain Closed Because of Lead Contamination - Evan Casey - Mar 29th, 2025
- MPS Submits Draft Lead Action Plan to Milwaukee Health Department - Milwaukee Public Schools - Mar 21st, 2025
- City Hall: Milwaukee Sees 250% Surge in Lead Lateral Replacements, But It Needs More - Jeramey Jannene - Mar 20th, 2025
- City of Milwaukee Health Department and MPS Provide Updates on Lead Safety Efforts - City of Milwaukee Health Department - Mar 19th, 2025
- MPS Closing Three More Schools Due To Lead Hazards - Jeramey Jannene - Mar 13th, 2025
- MPS Will Reopen School Shuttered Because of Lead Dust - Jeramey Jannene - Mar 12th, 2025
- Trowbridge Street School Won’t Reopen Monday, to Allow More Time for Deep Cleaning of Lead Dust - Milwaukee Public Schools - Mar 7th, 2025
- Health Department Will Investigate 10 More Schools For Lead Issues - Jeramey Jannene - Mar 7th, 2025
Read more about Lead Crisis here
More about the PFAS Problem
- French Island Makes Progress on PFAS Pollution - Richelle Wilson and Trevor Hook - Mar 24th, 2025
- Who Will Pay for PFAS Pollution? - Bennet Goldstein - Feb 27th, 2025
- Gov. Evers’ biennial state budget prioritizes clean water, clean energy, and public lands for Wisconsin - Wisconsin Conservation Voters - Feb 18th, 2025
- Gov. Evers Announces Comprehensive Plan to Ensure Clean Water for Kids and Families in 2025 Year of the Kid - Gov. Tony Evers - Feb 18th, 2025
- GOP Lawmakers Propose School Water Filters to Address PFAS, Lead - Danielle Kaeding - Feb 14th, 2025
- Wisconsin Conservation Voters thank Gov. Evers for prioritizing public health, urges bipartisan prioritization of baseline PFAS groundwater standards - Wisconsin Conservation Voters - Feb 5th, 2025
- Evers Announces $145 Million Plan to Address PFAS - Danielle Kaeding - Feb 4th, 2025
- Senator Jodi Habush Sinykin Praises Governor Evers’ Proactive Plan to Address PFAS in Our Water - State Sen. Jodi Habush Sinykin - Feb 4th, 2025
- Gov. Evers Announces New Plans to Combat PFAS, Protect Kids and Families from Harmful Contaminants, and Expand Access to Clean, Safe Drinking Water - Gov. Tony Evers - Feb 4th, 2025
- Gov. Evers Kicks Off 2025 Year of The Kid with Efforts to Ensure Kids and Families Have Access to Safe, Clean Drinking Water - Gov. Tony Evers - Jan 28th, 2025
Read more about PFAS Problem here
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