PFAS Awareness Week is being observed in Wisconsin from September 21 through September 25, 2026, in coordination with neighboring Midwest states including Michigan and Minnesota. The initiative highlights ongoing efforts to ensure safe, clean water statewide, including the recent release of $125 million from Wisconsin’s PFAS Trust Fund and authorization of $10 million from a separate settlement related to contamination in the Marinette area. Agencies are using the week to draw attention to available resources, new standards, and upcoming grant opportunities intended to help communities address contamination.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are human-made chemicals used for decades in products such as non-stick cookware, fast food packaging, stain-resistant treatments, and certain firefighting foams. These compounds resist degradation and can move through land, air, and water, accumulating in people and wildlife. As a result, they have become a persistent environmental and public health concern.
To support local decision-making, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is encouraging stakeholders to visit its PFAS website and use the PFAS Interactive Data Viewer. The data tools provide location-specific information on detections and sites under review. Throughout the week, the DNR is sharing educational content about how individuals and communities are exposed to PFAS—through drinking water, fish and wildlife, and consumer products—and practical actions to reduce exposure.
Wisconsin has advanced multiple policy measures to manage PFAS in surface water, drinking water, and groundwater. The state enacted its first statewide standards for PFAS in surface and drinking water and has proposed groundwater standards on several occasions. In March 2026, the enforceable drinking water threshold was reduced from 70 parts per trillion (ppt) to 4.0 ppt to align with federal limits, a change intended to significantly improve drinking water protection.
Two measures enacted in 2025—2025 Wisconsin Act 200 and 2025 Wisconsin Act 201—facilitate the release of $125 million previously appropriated to the PFAS Trust Fund. The investment is intended to support projects that reduce environmental exposure and improve access to safe water in communities across the state.
The DNR reports it is implementing the new laws through grant programs designed to assist a range of public health and environmental activities. The first program is scheduled to launch in October and will prioritize PFAS sampling of private wells, wells at schools and childcare facilities, and biosolids. Communities that need additional time to assemble sampling plans will be able to apply in subsequent funding rounds. Additional information and updates will be posted on the DNR’s website.
Separately, approximately $10 million from a June 2026 settlement agreement in State of Wisconsin v. Tyco Fire Products LP—connected to contamination associated with the company’s Fire Technology Center in Marinette—has been authorized for use by state agencies. The funding will be used to provide clean, safe drinking water to affected residents in the Marinette-Peshtigo area, including testing and replacing contaminated wells and installing treatment systems where needed.
