Legislation will Enhance Water Quality, Protect from Contamination
Madison, Wis. — At a press conference in the State Capitol, Wisconsin Democratic legislators unveiled three bills as part of the “Clean Water for Wisconsin” Package, which will help individuals, families, and communities protect their drinking water, address contamination, and strengthen long-term water quality around the state.
Following the press conference, Rep. Lori Palmeri (D-Oshkosh) and Sen. Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) released the following statement:
“Too many communities across Wisconsin don’t have access to clean, safe drinking water. From lead lateral pipes to contaminated private wells, action is overdue. That’s why we’re introducing three bills specifically designed to help all communities, rural and urban, improve water quality. Together, we’re building towards a long-term, sustainable approach that ensures this irreplaceable resource remains safe for future generations.”
The three bills announced in today’s package are:
LRB-5401: Grants for Testing Privately Owned Wells
The bill creates two types of grants: 1) grants up to $10,000 to municipalities or counties to test and map privately owned wells to assess groundwater quality, and 2) grants up to $10,000 to county health or conservation departments to provide education and outreach related to well testing.
LRB-5243: Bonding for Lead Lateral Replacements
Our bill increases the bonding authority under the Safe Drinking Water loan program by $200,000,000 and requires the Department of Administration to allocate up to $200,000,000 of the authorized public debt to projects involving forgivable loans to private users of public water systems to cover not more than 50% of the cost to replace lead service lines.
LRB-5480: Water Fund for Our Future
This bill would create a new $250 million trust fund, the “Water Fund For Our Future,” to help address contamination of groundwater, surface water, and drinking water. The fund will invest in remediation, prevention, and enforcement as well as rapid response in the event of an emergency or natural disaster.
