Statutes and Administrative Codes
Clean Water Fund Program and Safe Drinking Water Loan Program
Street Policy Finalized
The Environmental Loans’ Street Reconstruction Cost Policy Paper, which was created to consistently apply the cost eligibility requirements in chs. NR 162.04 and NR 166.07, Wis. Adm. Code, was finalized in May 2024. The response to comments on the draft version is also available.
The Clean Water Fund Program (CWFP) and Safe Drinking Water Loan Program (SDWLP) implementation details are established in the governing statutes and administrative codes: ss. 281.58, 281.59, and 281.61, Wis. Stats., and chs. NR 162 and 166, Wis. Adm. Code.
Wisconsin Administrative Codes (Wis. Adm. Code)
Dept. of Natural Resources (NR)
| Chapter | Title |
|---|---|
| ch. NR 162 | Clean Water Fund Program (CWFP) |
| ch. NR 166 | Safe Drinking Water Loan Program (SDWLP) |
New versions of chs. NR 162 and 166, Wis. Adm. Code, were published in the Wisconsin Administrative Register No. 814B. Both rules became effective on November 1, 2023.
- The revised rules apply only to projects for which municipalities submit complete financial assistance applications after the effective date. The links in the table above go to the newly published rules.
- For any other project, as long as the municipality submitted a complete financial assistance application before the effective date of the new rules (i.e., prior to November 1, 2023), the old rules apply to all elements of that project.
- View PDF versions of the previous codes (rev. 2015): ch. NR 162 (CWFP) and ch. NR 166 (SDWLP).
- All projects submitted prior to November 1, 2023, and included on the corresponding program’s State Fiscal Year 2024 Funding List will be processed under the 2015 versions of the rules.
Other codes relating to environmental protection can be found in the Wisconsin Administrative Code Table of Contents under Department of Natural Resources (NR).
Wisconsin State Statutes (Wis. Stats.)
Chapter 281 water and sewage
| Section | Title |
|---|---|
| s. 281.58 | Clean Water Fund Program; financial assistance |
| s. 281.59 | Environmental Improvement Fund; financial management |
| s. 281.61 | Safe Drinking Water Loan Program; financial assistance |
Other statutes relating to various units of government (i.e. cities, towns, villages); and other public entities (i.e. metropolitan sewerage districts) as well as regulation of public utilities and general municipality law can be found in the Wisconsin Statutes Table of Contents.
The Environmental Loans Policy Paper regarding 2021 Wisconsin Act 112, which removed multiple barriers to streamlining the CWFP and SDWLP application processes, was finalized in March 2022. The response to comments on the draft version is also available.
Note: New language included in the Application Process sections of chs. NR 162 and 166, Wis. Adm. Code (rev. 2023), is flexible enough for DNR to make streamlining changes to the programs without rule changes. The DNR will seek customer input before making any substantive policy changes.
Contact Information
Governing Law Questions
Direct questions about these governing statutes and administrative codes to:
Lisa Bushby, Clean Water Fund Program (CWFP) coordinator
Noah Balgooyen, Safe Drinking Water Loan Program (SDWLP) coordinator
Casey Sweeney, CWFP and Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) policy analyst
Suzy Hasheider, SDWLP and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) policy analyst