Everyone should be able to eat the fish they catch and drink the water flowing from their taps. But in Dane County and dozens of other communities across the state, PFAS contamination is putting our waterways at risk. These chemicals surround us – in carpeting and upholstery, clothes, shoes, firefighting foam, fast food wrappers, ski wax, non-stick pots and pans, and the list goes on…
Clean Wisconsin is pushing for meaningful progress at all levels.
At the local level, communities around Wisconsin, including Madison, are switching away from PFAS-containing firefighting foam and are proactively testing their drinking water supplies.
At the state level, the Natural Resources Board has passed Wisconsin’s first drinking water standards and surface water standards for some of the most dangerous types of PFAS. These standards are desperately needed in Wisconsin and will lead to widespread testing that is overdue. The proposed rules must still be signed by Gov. Evers and make their way through the approval process in the Legislature, and Clean Wisconsin will continue to work with our members, our partners and advocates from across the state to support their approval every step of the way. And we will continue fighting for protections for Wisconsin families who rely on private wells for their drinking water. Those families were left out of the rules passed by NRB.
At the federal level, the Biden Administration is set to send $10 billion to states that are dealing with PFAS contamination as part of the Infrastructure Act. Clean Wisconsin will take an active role to make sure these resources go to communities in Wisconsin that need them the most.
There’s a lot of work to be done, but together, we can ensure every Wisconsinite has access to safe water.
