One Year In: Gov. Evers Highlights Expanded Well Grant Programs Aimed at Improving Clean Drinking Water Access Statewide
Governor encourages private well owners to apply for available funding to address PFAS
MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today highlighted his Well Compensation and Well Abandonment Grant Programs—programs with enhanced and expanded eligibility beyond the existing state program and funded under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)—to help private well owners receive funding to address per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The programs, created and announced by Gov. Evers in 2022, provide $10 million in financial assistance to well owners to address contamination in their wells by awarding grants for the replacement, reconstruction, treatment, or abandonment of impacted wells. Due to the expanded eligibility under the program created by Gov. Evers, many previously ineligible individuals applied over the past year, including some small Wisconsin businesses with a non-community well, including daycare centers, rural restaurants, and churches, among others.
There is still time to apply for a well compensation grant under expanded eligibility criteria through the governor’s ARPA-funded program. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will accept applications until funding runs out or Dec. 6, 2024, whichever happens sooner. Applicants are encouraged to submit as soon as possible to ensure funding remains available. More information is available at the DNR’s Well Compensation Grant webpage and the Well Abandonment Grant webpage.
To date, DNR has awarded more than 46 percent of the $10 million investment to 370 grantees statewide, including the replacement of 207 contaminated wells, the treatment of 43 contaminated wells, and 120 unused, abandoned wells that were properly filled and sealed.
Additionally, DNR is in the process of creating a new grant program to help public water systems with drinking water contaminated by PFAS or other emerging contaminants. This upcoming program will be designed to help small and disadvantaged public water systems not currently eligible for the ARPA well compensation grants, including privately owned community water systems such as mobile home parks and condominium associations and nonprofit, non-community water systems such as public schools. The grant program is expected to be ready to accept applications in early 2024. Questions about this grant program can be addressed to DNRECSDCGrants@wisconsin.gov.
An online version of this release is available here.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
More about the PFAS Problem
- Wisconsin Supreme Court Backs State Regulators of PFAS Pollution - Danielle Kaeding and Rich Kremer - Jun 24th, 2025
- Gov. Evers Releases Statement on Wisconsin Supreme Court Decision in WMC Inc v. DNR - Gov. Tony Evers - Jun 24th, 2025
- Rep. Shelia Stubbs Elected Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Legislative Caucus Vice Chair of the Task Force on Emerging Contaminants - State Rep. Shelia Stubbs - Jun 16th, 2025
- Legislature’s Budget Committee Unanimously Boosts Clean Water Funding By $732 Million - Danielle Kaeding - Jun 6th, 2025
- Trump Administration moves to weaken standards for toxic ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water - Clean Wisconsin - May 14th, 2025
- Wisconsin Officials Unhappy With EPA Plan To Weaken PFAS Standards - Danielle Kaeding - May 14th, 2025
- Wisconsin Could Lose $55 Million Under Proposed EPA Budget Cuts - Danielle Kaeding - May 7th, 2025
- 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
Read more about PFAS Problem here