Oneida County committee approves leachate prefiltration system to cut hauling costs

On April 16, 2026, the Oneida County Public Works & Solid Waste Committee approved installation of a leachate pre‑filtration system to lower the cost of treating landfill leachate. Solid Waste Director Lisa Bauknecht reported the system would allow Oneida County to send pretreated leachate to Rhinelander for $250 per load rather than paying Merrill ($550) or Medford ($900), and she estimated the project would pay for itself within about two years.

Bauknecht presented cost estimates of roughly $22,000 for materials, $55,000 for labor and about $18,000 annually for reading and monitoring. She said the county released $40,000 from a long‑term care account and would fund the remainder from the department’s operating budget; she also noted installation and annual costs could be lowered if department staff performed the work.

Committee member Bob Almekinder said the work needed to be done soon; Robb Jensen and Billy Fried said they wanted clearer demonstration of projected savings and, in Fried’s case, sought to inspect the site and flagged a pending County Board resolution to separate Solid Waste from Highway oversight. On a motion by Almekinder, seconded by Chair Ted Cushing, the committee approved the pre‑filtration system. The record notes opposition from Billy Fried and Robb Jensen; the meeting record implies five committee members were present, producing a 3‑2 outcome.

The committee did not record a detailed implementation schedule in the meeting minutes. Bauknecht said staff would evaluate whether in‑house installation could reduce costs and then proceed with procurement and implementation steps.