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Waukesha Board accepts 2024 DNR CMAR; wastewater plant reports A grades, discusses reserves and future projects
Summary
The Waukesha City Board of Public Works voted on June 5 to recommend the 2024 Compliance Maintenance Annual Report, or CMAR, to the Common Council after Clean Water Plant manager Zach Eisner reported that the plant earned A grades in all 10 categories.
The Waukesha City Board of Public Works voted on June 5 to recommend the city's 2024 Compliance Maintenance Annual Report, or CMAR, to the Common Council after Clean Water Plant manager Zach Eisner reviewed the plant's performance.
Eisner told the board the plant received an A on all 10 CMAR categories for the ninth consecutive year. He said there were two small issues in 2024: a 50-gallon overflow and one six-month average for phosphorus that did not meet the permit limit.
The CMAR is the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' (DNR) annual report that evaluates treatment performance, biosolids, preventive maintenance, staffing, collection systems and financial management. Eisner said the DNR receives the same report and uses it to confirm permit compliance.
Board members pressed Eisner for context on the plant's equipment replacement fund and near-term capital needs. Eisner said the plant's replacement fund stood at about $3,600,000 and that only roughly $40,000 was used during 2024 because it was a relatively light year for equipment replacements. He said the DNR requires a minimum balance tied to the plant's asset base and described the $3.6 million as the floor the plant must maintain.
Eisner said the plant expects larger draws in 2025 related to a recently awarded project of about $19,000,000 that includes multiple equipment-replacement items. He also described the CMAR's Section 4 as a planning list rather than a commitment: some items will be funded from reserves, while others will be financed through clean water funds or borrowing.
The board asked about a previously discussed biogas purification project. Eisner said biogas purification is not currently planned but will be reconsidered in 2029 if technology or economics change.
On phosphorus, board members asked whether the plant's limits differed by watershed. Eisner said the Root River standard is 0.06 milligrams per liter and confirmed the plant meets that standard most of the time; he said the missed six-month average stemmed from short, unexplained 'spikes' of higher nutrient loads in influent that lasted one to a few days and drove the average above the limit. Eisner said such 'slug loads' are difficult to trace or control.
A board member asked how common an A grade is across DNR-regulated plants; Eisner said he did not have statewide comparative data and would refer that question to the DNR.
After discussion, a board member moved to accept the 2024 CMAR and recommend it to the Common Council. The motion carried.
The board praised plant staff for consistent performance and treatment outcomes.
The accepted CMAR and the board's recommendation will be forwarded to the Common Council for final acceptance as part of the council's regular agenda process.
Ending: The board's action sends the CMAR to the Common Council; the plant manager and staff will continue planning equipment replacements and will revisit longer-term projects such as biogas purification in future CIP cycles.
