Evers promises clean drinking water; what now?

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Tony Evers is pledging to clean up Wisconsin’s drinking water.

Evers dubbed 2019 the year of clean drinking water in Wisconsin in his first State of the State speech.

He plans to name someone within the state Department of Health Services to handle replacing lead pipes across the state and secure federal grants for the work. He also says wants to address contaminated private wells, although he’s yet to offer a plan. A 2013 DHS survey that found nearly 4,000 wells were contaminated beyond water quality standards.

Environmentalists are cheering him on. Farmers are watching to see what specific policies Evers proposes. Legislative Republicans who could block his efforts have appointed their own water quality task force and say they’ll be watching what Evers does.