DNR Awards $6 Million In Grants To Help Restore And Protect Wisconsin’s Surface Water

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR)’s  recently announced approximately $6 million in grant funding to lake organizations, nonprofit organizations and municipal and county governments throughout Wisconsin. Funding, which includes Healthy Lakes and Rivers grants as well as support for the Clean Boats, Clean Waters and Lake Monitoring and Protection Network programs, will be used to help restore and protect the state’s surface water resources in 2024 and beyond.

This year, the program received 428 applications from eligible applicants requesting over $9.1 million in funding. The selected projects are incredibly diverse, including education and outreach activities, management planning, habitat restoration, runoff management, water quality improvement projects and aquatic invasive species control. The projects designated for award leverage a substantial amount of local funding and are sure to make significant contributions to Wisconsin's natural resource legacy.

“The amount of work happening at the local level to support our lakes, rivers and watersheds is incredible. It’s amazing to see the level of communication and coordination between members of these organizations, local government representatives, DNR Biologists and other stakeholders,” says DNR Surface Water Grant Program Manager Jen Jefferson. “The effort it takes to develop such meaningful projects is commendable.”

Each year, the program supports many local and regional partnerships working to improve water quality across counties and watersheds. A few examples of the work recipients will perform include:

• At the county level, Foxhead Regenerative Agriculture Project, a first-time grant recipient, plans to conduct education and outreach to increase soil and water health in Green Lake and Fond du Lac counties.
• Within a specific watershed, the Coon Creek Community Watershed Council Inc. will continue to support the development of a Nine Key Element watershed plan, which will provide a framework for improving water quality in Vernon, La Crosse and Monroe counties.
• Across multiple watersheds, Vilas County used criteria including Healthy Watersheds, High Quality Waters modeling to identify several lakes and streams where they will work with local organizations and volunteers to collect data, build awareness and install shoreline best management practices.

Although the locations and details within each grant differ, the overall objective is similar - to promote and implement watershed and shoreline management practices to improve or preserve the health of waterbodies.

Altogether, Healthy Lakes and Rivers grants were awarded to 24 organizations to implement effective and inexpensive practices that are proven to improve habitat and water quality. These organizations engage private shoreline owners and assist them with the installation of five types of projects: fish sticks, native shoreline plantings, water runoff diversions, stormwater infiltration systems and rain gardens. To learn more about this subprogram, check out Healthy Lakes and Rivers’ website.

Finally, 145 organizations will receive support to participate in the Clean Boats, Clean Waters program and 38 organizations will receive support to participate in the Lake Monitoring and Protection Network. As part of the Clean Boats, Clean Waters program, local advocates focus on education and outreach to empower watercraft users to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species. The Lake Monitoring and Protection Network supports lake monitoring and aquatic invasive species prevention activities on a county basis and is now present in 69 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties.

These projects are only a few of the many receiving funding this year. As this year’s grant projects are beginning, next year’s grant cycle will be here before you know it. If you or a local group you work with could benefit from a surface water grant, reach out now to determine your eligibility and begin developing your ideas in advance of the September pre-application deadline.

For more information or to find a Surface Water Grant project in your community, visit the DNR’s Surface Water webpage.