The Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) operates under the regulations of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). WWTP employees are state licensed wastewater operators.
The DNR issues the Utility a wastewater discharge permit. The permit is updated and reissued every five years and contains water quality requirements that the Utility must meet to protect our lakes and streams.
The Utility (effective January 1, 2019) is responsible for sewer main and the direct connection of laterals from structures throughout the city. The "direct connection' is defined as the coupling resulting in the connection of a privately owned sewer lateral to the city sewer main. Sewer lateral maintenance and repair is the responsibility of the property owner.
Sewer Main Cleaning
We're committed to providing our customers with uninterrupted sewer service. To accomplish this, we must periodically clean the sewer main that is located deep below the street.
The sewer main transports the wastewater from your home to the treatment facility where it is treated and eventually discharged to Maunesha River. Our Vacuum Cleaning Truck will periodically block city streets to accomplish this task.
How it Works
To clean the sewer main, we use a combination high pressure/vacuum cleaning truck. A hose is fed through a manhole until it reaches the upstream manhole. The water pressure is increased as the hose is reeled back towards the truck.
The nozzle located on front of the hose, scours the inside of the pipe effectively removing grease and debris from the main. The debris that is cleaned from the main is vacuumed out at the downstream manhole.
The Utility Commission voted on September 6, 2022 to recommend to the City Council the following Sewer rate changes to take effect January 1, 2023. The City Council confirmed the recommended rate increases on September 15, 2022. Note that fixed rates are not changing.