GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – A facility in Green Bay is playing a big role in Governor Evers’ clean drinking water initiative.
NEW Water in Green Bay played host to DNR Secretary Preston Cole Monday morning as he got a tour of the campus and spoke about the clean water initiatives involved in Governor Evers’ recent budget proposal.
“Communities around the state of Wisconsin aren’t all thriving when it comes to drinking water,” he explains. “However, help is on the way.”
The initiatives take form in multiple ways to first address and then act on issues all across the state.
“There’s around $70 million dollars worth of work,” says Cole. “That includes bondings, that includes science, this budget includes five additional researchers.”
He described gathering the funds and allocating them to areas of need as step one in the fight to ensure clean water.
“That’s the act of getting work done is funding it,” he says. “And recognizing that it’s science and technology.”
NEW Water was highlighted as a hi-tech facility, which brings together both the components of science and technology to accomplish important work in a number of different ways.
Some of the initiatives that have been undertaken at the facility have helped with monitoring water quality and also improving water quality.
To do that, it’s taken a collaborative effort between NEW Water and a number of partners.
According to Cole, that’s the exact type of mindset that will be important in order to accomplish the various clean water initiatives contained in the proposed budget.
“The farming community stands ready to work with all those individuals [and] organizations that want to solve some of our dire issues around drinking water,” he explains.
More than anything, he’s pleased that the conversation around water has changed with the recognition of a problem.
“It begins to challenge us if we’re not thoughtful,” says Cole. “And that first recognition is that there is an issue.”
According to the organization, NEW Water cleans around 38-million gallons of water each day.
