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Madison Metropolitan Sewage District outlines $50–$200M upgrades, warns of 220,000 lbs/day salt in influent
Summary
MMSD executive director Eric Dundee told Middleton committees the district serves about 440,000 people, plans a $50–$70 million liquid-processing upgrade and a roughly $200 million heat-and-bio‑solids project, and urged community action to cut chlorides—"we receive about 220,000 pounds of salt a day," he said.
Eric Dundee, executive director of the Madison Metropolitan Sewage District, told a joint meeting of Middleton’s Public Works Committee and Water Resource Management Commission that the district must pursue major treatment-plant upgrades to keep pace with regional growth.
Dundee said MMSD serves roughly "440,000" people and relies on one main treatment plant. He described two near-term “generational” capital projects: a liquid-processing upgrade the district expects to bid around June 1, with a current cost range estimate of "$50 to $70 million," and a combined heat‑and‑power plus bio‑solids program he estimated at roughly "$200 million" overall, split into about $50–$60 million for heat-and-power and $100–$120 million for bio‑solids work.
Why it matters: the upgrades are intended to address higher pollutant concentrations as the area grows and to improve the plant’s energy and resource recovery. Dundee said pipeline injection of renewable gas could generate "three to five million a year" in revenue, improving the long‑term rate picture if the district proceeds with pipeline‑injection options.
On schedule and scope, Dundee stressed long design and construction timelines. "Design phase could be two years, three years. The building phase can be four years," he said, noting that treatment plants must remain operational during construction, which increases complexity and schedule.
Salt and community solutions
Dundee flagged chlorides as an immediate water‑quality and permit risk: "We receive about 220,000 pounds of salt a day," he told the committee, and said about 57% of that figure comes from residential water softeners. He described a Middleton pilot that installed inexpensive "blending valves" on residential softeners (40 households signed up) and urged broader, community‑scale measures rather than costly treatment options: "We can be violating our permit but for me it's about not building such a big system that has more waste where we can do community solutions here."
He cautioned that treating chlorides by reverse osmosis at plant scale would be impractical and costly, and instead urged municipal outreach, residential rebate programs, and commercial best practices to reduce salt entering sewers.
Non‑flushables, wipes litigation and outreach
Dundee also described continuing problems with non‑flushable items. He said fibrous wipes and fats, oils and grease damage pumps and clog pipes and noted ongoing litigation and a federal conversation about the "Wipes Act." He said MMSD has outreach materials and an education program and invited councilors and commissioners to plant tours and to use district materials in municipal communications.
What’s next
Dundee’s presentation generated questions about project phasing, costs, and the Verona site (which he said is "in litigation" and not currently active). The committees did not take action on MMSD funding; comments and follow‑up requests focused on chloride-reduction strategies, timelines for the liquid‑processing bid, and community outreach to encourage efficient softeners and blending‑valve participation.
Sources: Remarks by Eric Dundee, executive director, Madison Metropolitan Sewage District (presentation to Middleton Public Works Committee & Water Resource Management Commission).
