Wisconsin Awarded $142 Million to Address PFAS, Lead Pipes
Federal funding comes from bipartisan infrastructure bill.

A worker who identified himself only as Nate flares copper tubing as a crew swaps out a lea.d water service line for copper pipes in Milwaukee on June 29, 2021. Since 2017, Milwaukee Water Works says it has replaced 3,881 pipelines made of potentially hazardous lead. Eliminating the city’s remaining 70,000 lead pipes at that pace would take more than 70 years and cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Isaac Wasserman/Wisconsin Watch
Federal environmental regulators have announced Wisconsin will receive $142.7 million to target removal of lead pipes, harmful forever chemicals and water challenges in underserved communities as part of the first allocation under the bipartisan infrastructure law.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan announced the funding Thursday as part of $7.4 billion awarded to states and tribes under the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill signed into law by President Joe Biden on Nov. 15.
Around half of the funding will be made available as grants or loans to provide to rural and urban communities.
“Billions of dollars are about to start flowing to states and it is critical that EPA partners with states, Tribes, and territories to ensure the benefits of these investments are delivered in the most equitable way,” said Regan in a news release.
In a letter to Gov. Tony Evers, Regan urged prioritizing grants for disadvantaged communities.
“To further aid states, tribes, local governments and water systems, the EPA will also provide technical assistance to help disadvantaged communities overcome barriers in applying for and receiving loans and grants through the (state revolving loan funds),” wrote Regan.
State revolving loan fund programs offer low-cost financing to help communities repair or upgrade water and wastewater infrastructure.
Assistant Administrator of the EPA’s Office of Water Radhika Fox will soon issue guidance to state agencies on how they should use the funding provided under the law. In his letter, Regan urged states to correct disparities with funding, make progress on replacing lead service lines and provide relief to communities struggling with contamination from harmful perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
As for PFAS, state environmental regulators have detected 51 sites within 25 communities that have PFAS polluted groundwater. However, less than 1 percent of the state’s more than 11,000 public water supplies have been tested for the chemicals. PFAS has been found in public and private wells in communities across the state, including Peshtigo, Campbell, Marinette, La Crosse, Eau Claire, Rhinelander and Madison.
The funding under the infrastructure bill represents the single largest investment in water infrastructure in decades, but the needs are great. The American Society of Civil Engineers estimates Wisconsin water and wastewater systems need around $15 billion over the next two decades to address aging infrastructure.
Wisconsin receives $142M to combat water challenges under bipartisan infrastructure law was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
More about the Lead Crisis
- City Hall: Milwaukee Must Replace 100 Lead Laterals Per Week To Meet 2025 Goal - Jeramey Jannene - Oct 1st, 2025
- MPS Clears Lead Risks from all Pre-1950 Elementary Buildings - Milwaukee Public Schools - Sep 5th, 2025
- MPS Issues Update on Lead Remediation Progress as New School Year Nears - Milwaukee Public Schools - Jul 31st, 2025
- Gov. Evers Approves Bill to Support Lead Service Line Replacement in Superior - Gov. Tony Evers - Jul 1st, 2025
- MPS’s Westside Academy Cleared of Lead Risks After Stabilization Work - Milwaukee Public Schools - Jul 1st, 2025
- MPS Plans Lead Remediation at 40 Schools This Summer - Evan Casey - Jun 27th, 2025
- Baldwin, Reed Demand Written Answers from RFK, Jr. on Firings of Childhood Lead Poisoning Experts at CDC - U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin - Jun 11th, 2025
- MPS’s LaFollette School Cleared of Lead Risks After Stabilization Work - Milwaukee Public Schools - Jun 11th, 2025
- Sen. Baldwin Hears From Parents About MPS Lead Crisis, Chides RFK Jr. - Evan Casey - Jun 9th, 2025
- Reps. Margaret Arney and Darrin Madison Urge Joint Finance Committee to Reinstate Essential Lead Abatement Funding - State Rep. Margaret Arney - Jun 5th, 2025
Read more about Lead Crisis here
More about the PFAS Problem
- Wisconsin Lawmakers, DNR Clash Over PFAS Protections in GOP Bills - Danielle Kaeding - Oct 8th, 2025
- Wisconsin Moves to Bring PFAS Limits In Line with Contested Federal Standards - Danielle Kaeding - Oct 3rd, 2025
- DNR Names Companies Responsible for PFAS Contamination In Northern Wisconsin Community - Danielle Kaeding - Sep 30th, 2025
- Green Bay Area Ducks Contaminated with ‘Forever Chemicals’ - Isiah Holmes - Sep 8th, 2025
- DNR and DHS Issue New PFAS-based Consumption Advisory for Ducks Harvested on Green Bay - Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources - Sep 4th, 2025
- DNR and DHS Issue New PFAS-based Consumption Advisories for Fish and Deer Near town of Stella and Surrounding Waterbodies in Oneida County - Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources - Sep 4th, 2025
- Groundwater Coordinating Council Releases 2025 Report to the Legislature - Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources - Sep 2nd, 2025
- Environmental Groups, Community Advocates Push for PFAS Deal - Henry Redman - Jul 14th, 2025
- Environmental Advocates Hail Wisconsin Supreme Court Decision in Evers v Marklein - Midwest Environmental Advocates - Jul 8th, 2025
- Wisconsin Supreme Court Backs State Regulators of PFAS Pollution - Danielle Kaeding and Rich Kremer - Jun 24th, 2025
Read more about PFAS Problem here