State May Apply For Federal Disaster Aid To Help With Burst Water Mains

State officials are looking into requesting federal disaster assistance to help local governments pay for a rash of burst water mains during the severe winter.

It’s estimated local governments have shelled out millions of dollars to repair frozen pipes and water main breaks this winter. The state Division of Emergency Management is now looking into possibly seeking federal disaster aid to help offset the costs.

Spokeswoman Lori Getter says they’ve been surveying local governments to come up with a statewide total to see if the state qualifies.

“We’re trying to determine, based on federal guidance, what could possibly be eligible under a federal disaster declaration for local governments for public assistance,” said Getter.

Getter says Wisconsin would only be the second state ever to seek federal help for local governments dealing with frozen pipes.

“This has not been done before since the 1990s in the state of Michigan,” said Getter. “So we need to look at a lot of regulation, a lot of policy, to see even if we would qualify.”

In Eau Claire County, local governments have spent an extra $200,000 to keep water flowing during the winter, but utility crews may not be done yet. Scott Qwick, utilities manager for the city of Eau Claire, says there’s still around 4 feet of frost underground and pipes are still freezing.

“We hope it was a once in a career event because it was really stressful for all of our employees,” said Qwick. “Boy, I hope this is as bad as it gets.”

Wisconsin Emergency Management officials hope to decide on whether to seek a federal disaster declaration within a few weeks.