Sewer and water upgrades prioritized: landfill force main, lift station repairs and SCADA work cited as near‑term needs

Muskego utility staff described a multi‑year water and sewer capital program on Aug. 26 that flagged several near‑term projects the committee should treat as priorities.

Landfill force main and financing

Staff said a new force main is needed to handle leachate from the Emerald Park landfill and to provide capacity to the Ryan Creek interceptor. The project described a roughly 1,100‑linear‑foot force main and associated lift‑station upgrades; staff said the city would use fees charged for landfill wastewater (rec charges) and utility working capital to fund the work rather than general tax levy.

Private‑property lateral replacements (MMSD work plan)

The committee reviewed a next‑phase sanitary lateral program coordinated with the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD). Under that program, the city uses MMSD funds to replace aging private laterals (the pipe from the house to the main) where camera work identifies infiltration or structural failure. Staff noted those funds are work‑plan based and, if unused for Muskego, MMSD may reallocate them to other communities; the Jensen area was listed as the next work plan area.

McShane lift station and critical lining work

Staff flagged McShane as the system’s most critical lift station. Engineers recommended epoxy lining and vault repairs for pipe and chamber corrosion caused by hydrogen sulfide. The work requires extensive bypass pumping during construction, which drives much of the cost. Staff estimated the combined cost for lining, vault rehab and bypassing at roughly $550,000 and said the schedule should occur in low‑flow months to minimize operational risk. Staff emphasized the consequences of a failure: McShane handles the majority of the city’s wastewater flow, and a major failure could lead to service disruptions and basement backups in large portions of the system.

Manhole rehab, SCADA and radios

The capital list included a program to rehab 15 sanitary manholes over three years to address internal corrosion and structural defects. Staff also requested phased upgrades to the SCADA ( supervisory control and data acquisition) radio network that monitors wells, towers and lift stations; the city has many radios and repeaters that are aging and some vendor support will end in coming years. Staff split the cost between sewer and water and said the plan would run 2026–2028 for phased replacement.

Water side work

Water projects called for replacing aging actuator valves on treatment filters (Well 13), an acceleration of meter replacements to meet PSC guidance on meter turnouts, scheduled tower inspections and painting, and a long‑range placeholder for a new water tower in the city’s southeast (a 250,000‑gallon conceptual estimate showed multimillion dollar costs).

Funding and next steps

Staff said many of the sewer items are funded from dedicated utility funds and MMSD work‑plan grants; landfill rec charges would support the new force main. For capital items that may rely on borrowing, staff and the finance adviser previously discussed options during the earlier portion of the meeting. Staff will return with concrete bids, engineering reports and a recommended phasing plan for council review.

Quotes

"If something happened to the McShane lift station, the capacity ends up in your constituents' basement in that area," a staff member warned, describing the operational risk and underlining the priority of the lining and vault work.

Provenance: Utility capital review (sanitary sewer, water mains, lift stations, SCADA) took place during the Aug. 26 capital review session.