$773,278 in preliminary lead-line aid listed for Mellen

Mellen is preliminarily approved for $773,278 to help replace 70 lead service lines, according to a Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and Department of Natural Resources announcement dated Oct. 22, 2026. The project is listed under the state’s State Fiscal Year 2027 Lead Service Line Replacement Program.

The full Mellen allocation is principal forgiveness, meaning it is not repayable as a loan. The announcement says the funding is expected to facilitate replacements throughout the city. It identifies Mellen, in Ashland County, as a preliminarily approved project, not a completed award or payment.

Dividing the listed amount by the 70 expected replacements gives an average of about $11,047 per line. That is a simple calculation from the total allocation and projected count, not a stated payment or replacement cost for any individual property.

Mellen’s grant-like share in a statewide funding mix i

The statewide list covers 18 projects in 12 cities and utilities, with about $102.86 million in allocations, according to Underground Construction’s account of the funding. About $56.76 million is principal forgiveness and $46.11 million is loans, or roughly 55% and 45% of the total, respectively. The figures are rounded. Mellen’s entire listed allocation is on the principal-forgiveness side of that mix.

The statewide list also includes 42 applications with $286.66 million in project costs. That figure describes costs across the applications, not assistance awarded, so it is not directly comparable to the $102.86 million allocation total.

The announcement gives no construction start date and does not identify which properties are included. It also does not establish that work has begun or that the funds have been disbursed.