$5.6M treatment plant project nears completion

A $5.6 million renovation of the Saukville Wastewater Treatment Facility is “nearing completion,” according to Wastewater Utility Supt. Ray Hartmann.

The upgrades bring the plant into compliance with Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources regulations established in 2010 that significantly reduce allowed levels of phosphorous discharged into the Milwaukee River.

These regulations will be safely met by the facility’s newly-installed filter system, Hartmann said.

“The village considered several compliance alternatives in detail over the course of 10 years of planning to reach the lower phosphorous levels,” he said. “It chose to install an innovative filter system.

“The main advantage of this approach is that the village has direct control of their margin of safety for reaching the required phosphorous limits.”

High phosphorous levels can cause algae bloom in rivers and  lakes, making reducing it in water discharge the target of the 2010 regulation and the 2018 Milwaukee River Total Maximum Daily Load rule.

In 2021, the environmental organization Milwaukee Riverkeeper rated the Milwaukee River Watershed “F” for phosphorus levels, citing the varied ways it enters the water from agriculture, sewage and flooding.

The organization did note, however, that progress is being  made by non-governmental organizations, counties and the state in addressing the issue.

In addition to bringing the facility into compliance with the regulations, the overhaul also future-proofs it, Hartmann said.

The plant could be easily expanded to handle up to 5.1 million gallons a day, from the present capacity of 3.8 million gallons a day.

“These upgrades position the village to provide effective and efficient wastewater treatment into the future,” he said.

Renovations included replacing equipment, repainting, upgrading HVAC and plumbing inside the building, replacing pumps and replacing a below-ground chemical tank with an above-ground one.

The Village Board approved $6.4 million for the project in 2020.

That money came from a 20-year low-interest loan from the DNR as a part of their Clean Water Fund.

The village also received a $1.7 million grant from that program.

Construction started March 2022 and is scheduled to be completed this summer “as planned,” Hartmann said.