Planning Commission approves site plan to upgrade Portage wastewater treatment plant

The Portage City Planning Commission voted to approve a site plan for a major upgrade to the city's wastewater treatment plant at 600 East Wisconsin Street.

City staff described the project as a substantial replacement and modernization: demolition of existing domed rotating biological contactors, removal and replacement of site piping and asphalt driving surfaces, construction of new concrete structures including final clarifiers and an oxidation ditch, a new return activated sludge (RAS) pumping building, a preliminary treatment building and a dried biosolids storage silo. The submission included a site‑specific stormwater management plan that staff said meets city code requirements.

Staff said the city has worked on the project since about 2021 and that the plan addresses forthcoming regulatory requirements and anticipated growth. A staff speaker summarized the technical change by saying the domes will be replaced by a large concrete oxidation ditch system that provides continuous flow and updated clarifiers and pumping equipment.

A commissioner moved and the commission approved the site plan by roll call (Feeney: Aye; Egan: Aye; Voss: Aye; Paul: Aye; Snyder: Aye; Sulik: Aye). Staff will proceed with permitting and construction contracting per city procurement procedures.