Water Infrastructure Intelligence — WI

The clearest movement this cycle sits with two wastewater projects that entered the fundable range. PORTAGE, CITY OF shows a request of $55.5M tied to phosphorus removal, equipment upgrades, and biosolids drying work at its treatment plant, and OAK CREEK, CITY OF1 shows a request of $52.3M for a new chlorine contact tank, UV disinfection, and pumps. Both moved onto the funding list, the closest signal to imminent procurement, though the documents themselves stop short of construction language.

On the new-listing side, KAUKAUNA, CITY OF appeared on the priority list for the first time with an estimated cost of $18.6M to install engine generators at four wells, and SISTER BAY, VILLAGE OF was added to the list at an estimated $15.0M for a biosolids management facility. Smaller movement showed up too: STANLEY, CITY OF and IRON RIDGE, VILLAGE OF both climbed in priority rank, at estimated costs of $326K and $1.5M respectively, for well rehabilitation and headworks upgrades.

Across the category rollup, wastewater treatment and collection-sewer work dominate by dollar value, at $1.9B and $922.3M against 210 and 307 projects. Watermain and distribution work spans the most individual projects among the smaller categories, 215, at $373.9M, while wells and source projects total $430.4M across 141 entries. PFAS and emerging-contaminant work remains the smallest category by count, 38 projects, but carries $385.8M, a value that stands out relative to its project count.

The list itself offers no explanation for why 675 projects dropped off, and no context is provided beyond the counts. What the SFY2026 documents do show is a funding list that shrank in total projects year over year while the dollar figures tied to new and fundable-range projects stayed substantial, a combination worth watching as the next cycle's lists are adopted.