Aid_Content Page_Water and wastewater funding sources

Water and wastewater funding sources

The following is intended to assist municipalities, individuals, and other entities in locating available sources of:

  • Grant or loan funds for drinking water and wastewater projects.
  • Technical assistance related to drinking water and wastewater.

Contact the individual programs to obtain current information. Note that many of the program provider’s sites have resource webpages that are worth exploring. The information and links below are provided as an information service only. It is the responsibility of the user to evaluate the content and usefulness of information obtained from non-DNR sites.

Funding programs for municipalities and other entities

Clean Water Fund Program (CWFP) - This program provides subsidized loans to municipalities and federally recognized American Indian tribes or bands in Wisconsin for wastewater and water quality-related storm water infrastructure projects.

Community Development Block Grant - Public Facilities (CDBG-PF) Program - This program provides grants to communities for infrastructure and facility projects. Examples of eligible projects include improvements, repairs, or expansions of streets, drainage systems, water and sewer systems, sidewalks, and community centers. The grants are limited to projects that, if implemented, meet a CDBG National Objective.

Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program - This program provides funding to municipalities, community-based non-profit corporations, and federally recognized tribes to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. The funds can be used to purchase, construct, and improve essential community facilities, purchase equipment, and pay related project expenses.

Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities (EC-SDC) Grant Program – This program provides financial assistance to Other-Than-Municipal Community (OTM) and non-profit Non-Transient Non-Community (NN) public water systems serving small or disadvantaged communities. This program focuses on PFAS and manganese as emerging contaminants.

Energy Efficiency for Water and Wastewater Facilities - Focus On Energy provides financial incentives, rebates, and technical assistance to municipalities to improve energy efficiency at water and wastewater utilities through equipment upgrades, operational modifications, and facility improvements.

Federal Funding for Water and Wastewater Utilities in National Disasters (Fed FUNDS) - This website provides searchable information tailored to water and wastewater utilities regarding federal disaster and mitigation funding programs.

Lead Service Line Replacement (LSLR) Community Outreach Grant Program – This program provides financial assistance for outreach to municipal community public water systems carrying out lead service line replacements. This grant program focuses on community outreach efforts in support of an ongoing or upcoming lead service line replacement project.

Safe Drinking Water Loan Program (SDWLP) - This program provides subsidized loans to municipalities for drinking water infrastructure projects.

State Trust Fund (STF) Loan Program - The Board of Commissioners of Public Lands (BCPL) provides loans to Wisconsin municipalities and school districts for public purpose projects including local infrastructure projects for roads, sewer systems and wastewater facilities.

Underserved Drinking Water System (UDWS) Grant Program - This program provides financial assistance to Other-Than-Municipal Community (OTM) and nonprofit Non-Transient Non-Community (NN) public water systems serving underserved and small communities. OTMs and nonprofit NNs with active violations (e.g. Maximum Contaminant Level [MCL] and Treatment Technique [TT]) or active action level exceedances (e.g. lead ALEs) may receive funding to help the systems return to compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Water and Environmental Programs (WEP) - These programs provide loans, grants and loan guarantees to municipalities, non-profit organizations, and federally recognized tribes for drinking water, sanitary sewer, solid waste, and storm drainage facilities in rural communities of 10,000 or less. The WEP also provides funding to organizations that provide technical assistance and training to rural communities in relation to their water, wastewater and solid waste activities and problems.

Water and Waste Disposal Loans and Grants - This program provides funding to local governments, private nonprofits, and federally recognized tribes for clean and reliable drinking water systems, sanitary sewage disposal, sanitary solid waste disposal, and storm water drainage to households and businesses in eligible rural areas.

Water Finance Clearinghouse Portal - Search the Funds database that contains potential funding sources for water and wastewater infrastructure.

Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) - This program provides loans to public entities, private entities, and public-private partnerships for regionally and nationally significant drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater projects. View a comparison of the WIFIA Program to Wisconsin’s Clean Water Fund Program and Safe Drinking Water Loan Program (PUB-CF-057).

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Funding programs for individuals

Section 504 Home Repair Program - Also known as the Single-Family Housing Repair Loans and Grants program, this program provides loans to very-low-income homeowners to repair, improve or modernize their homes or provides grants to elderly very-low-income homeowners to remove health and safety hazards such as lead plumbing.

Water Well Trust (WWT) - The Water Systems Council provides funding for wells to low‐income families living primarily in rural, unincorporated areas or minority communities that may be isolated and difficult to reach that need safe drinking water.

Well Abandonment Grants - This program provides funding assistance to properly fill and seal abandoned or unused private wells.

Well Compensation Grant Program - This program provides funding to eligible landowners or renters to replace, reconstruct or treat contaminated private water supplies that serve a residence or provide water to livestock.

Wisconsin Fund for Private Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems (POWTS) - The Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) provides grants to homeowners and small commercial businesses to help offset a portion of the cost for the repair, rehabilitation, or replacement of existing failing POWTS.

Technical assistance

Rural Community Assistance Program (RCAP) - This program provides technical assistance and training to small communities with problems related to water and wastewater. Services include assistance with facility project development; building technical, financial, and managerial capacity; and training in project funding, asset management, utility costs and more.

Rural Water Assistance Programs - The Wisconsin Rural Water Association (WRWA) provides onsite technical assistance and training to rural communities with problems related to water, wastewater and wellheads, and has a wide variety of loaner equipment.

Water and Wastewater Industry Energy Best Practices Guidebook - Focus On Energy

Water Finance Clearinghouse Portal - Search the Resources database that contains resources such as reports, case studies, and webinars about financing mechanisms and approaches that can help communities access capital to meet their water infrastructure needs.

wellcare Hotline - This hotline is staffed by the Water Systems Council, a national non-profit organization solely focused on private wells and small well-based drinking water systems.

Wisconsin Partnership - The State of Wisconsin government assists its local (county, municipal and school district) and tribal governments by providing access to procurement contracts, technologies, grants and other resources that can either reduce costs or expand the range of available options. The Wisconsin Partnership website offers concise information about state programs and how to access them.

Contact information

Contact the individual programs to obtain current information.

Direct content update requests for this webpage to Kay Christensen, Environmental Loans Section outreach coordinator, at Kay.Christensen@wisconsin.gov.

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