Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Wastewater Treatment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City urged to plan now for wastewater plant upgrades to meet DNR phosphorus limits
Summary
Board of Public Works and staff reviewed a Preliminary Compliance Alternative Plan and the 2024 Compliance Maintenance Annual Report, and recommended the city begin planning a likely full upgrade of the wastewater treatment plant to meet Department of Natural Resources phosphorus limits by 2029.
The Board of Public Works on June 2 and the Common Council on June 17 were presented with engineering analyses that say New London’s wastewater treatment plant will need upgrades to meet phosphorus limits set by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Board chair Mr. Hass urged council members and the public to review an engineer’s presentation and begin planning now, saying, “Compliance with these future regulations will not be optional.”
Engineers from Donahue and Associates presented a Preliminary Compliance Alternative Plan that outlines plant upgrade options and potential cost ranges and emphasized that meeting the DNR’s phosphorus limits by 2029 will require action. The board reviewed the Compliance Maintenance Annual Report for 2024 (CMAR) and recommended the council approve the CMAR resolution at the next step; the council later approved that resolution unanimously.
Why it matters: The presentation and the board’s summary stressed that the plant’s age and existing technology will not meet incoming regulatory standards and that a full plant upgrade is likely. Mr. Hass said staff has maximized the current facility’s life but new treatment processes and technology will be needed, and he encouraged the public to view the engineer’s presentation on the city’s YouTube channel.
Board and staff described the options as a range — interim fixes, partial upgrades and a potential full upgrade — without selecting a single design or cost. No construction contract or funding plan was adopted at the meeting; the engineer’s report was presented for planning and recommendation only. The Board of Public Works recommended the City pursue one of the upgrade options and “aggressively” move forward with planning, and the board voted to recommend approval of the CMAR to the council.
Next steps noted by staff included further design work, cost estimating and formal budgeting. Council approval of the CMAR was recorded as carried unanimously at the June 17 meeting, which keeps the compliance reporting on schedule but does not authorize construction. The timeline referenced in the engineer’s presentation shows regulatory compliance obligations tied to 2029 phosphorus limits; any implementation will require additional council actions, funding decisions and permits from state agencies.
