Gov. Tony Evers has approved Wisconsin’s first-ever enforceable groundwater standard for PFAS “forever chemicals,” establishing a mandatory regulatory limit of 4.0 parts per trillion alongside new state grant programs and a $3.48 million federal study focusing on heavily impacted northern Wisconsin communities.

The new groundwater threshold protects a critical water supply in a state where roughly 70% of residents and 95% of municipal water systems rely on groundwater for drinking tap water.

“Groundwater is the primary source for Wisconsinites’ drinking water across our state, which is why having enforceable groundwater standards for PFAS is so critically important,” Evers said. “Ensuring Wisconsinites have access to clean water has been a top priority for me and my administration from the get-go, and today is a historic step in our efforts.”

The administrative approval coincides with the launch of two new testing grant initiatives funded through a $125 million PFAS Trust Fund, unlocked under 2025 Wisconsin Acts 200 and 201. The $79 million PFAS Community Grants Sampling Program enables local municipalities — including cities, towns, counties, sewerage districts, lake protection districts, and tribal governing bodies — to design customized sampling plans for private wells, schools, childcare centers, and wastewater infrastructure.

For residents in areas without municipal grant coverage, the $10 million Wisconsin PFAS Private Well Testing Program provides eligible homeowners with home sampling kits analyzed by the Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene.

Wisconsin DNR Secretary Karen Hyun noted that the grant framework incorporates extensive feedback from statewide listening sessions and public surveys.

“DNR staff considered the requirements of the law and the public input we received while working to develop these programs,” Hyun said. “We wanted these programs to efficiently support municipalities pursuing funding.”

Center of research

The regulatory standards and funding rollout come as northern Wisconsin communities face some of the nation’s most severe PFAS contamination challenges.

In the rural Northwoods town of Stella, where groundwater tests revealed some of the highest PFAS concentrations recorded in the United States, the NIH has awarded a five-year, $3.48 million grant to UW-Madison researchers. Led by UW–Madison epidemiologist Dr. Amy Schultz, the study will evaluate exposure pathways and health impacts for up to 450 local residents aged 6 and older.

“We anticipate finding some novel PFAS compounds that aren’t typically looked at,” Schultz told the Northwoods Star Journal, adding that researchers suspect certain precursor chemicals in soil break down into hazardous compounds like PFOA and PFOS. Schultz noted the team will also test whether PFAS exposure alters how the human body metabolizes lipids and cholesterol.

The study will analyze blood, urine, household drinking water, indoor dust, garden soil, produce, deer meat, and local fish. The contamination in Stella is also the focus of an ongoing federal class-action lawsuit alleging that land-spreading of paper mill sludge from the Rhinelander paper mill polluted local groundwater.

Further east in Marinette, state budget leaders recently released $10 million from a settlement with Tyco Fire Products LP following widespread pollution linked to its Fire Technology Center. The funds are earmarked to deliver clean drinking water, test private wells, and install filtration systems across the affected area. Additionally, sovereign tribal nations across northern Wisconsin can directly access the state’s new community sampling grants.

To assist property owners whose wells test positive for contamination, recent state legislation added $35 million to Wisconsin’s Well Compensation Grant Program while expanding income eligibility thresholds. The DNR plans to introduce additional grant cycles in 2027 targeting agricultural irrigation, landfill leachate, and public airports.

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are human-made compounds used since the 1940s in nonstick cookware, waterproof apparel, food packaging, and firefighting foam. Because their strong carbon-fluorine bonds prevent natural degradation, the chemicals persist indefinitely in water and soil and accumulate in the human body, posing long-term health risks.