MILWAUKEE — Operator error leads to nearly 10,000 gallons of sanitary sewage spilling into Milwaukee’s Lincoln Creek Tuesday.
The Metropolitan Milwaukee Sewerage District reports workers with Veolia Water Milwaukee, a contractor for MMSD, were sent to dewater a structure related to a siphon gate replacement project on March 11th. The crew sent the 9,600 gallons of sanitary sewage into a storm sewer leading to the creek near North 32nd Street and West Hampton Avenue that they mistakenly believed was a sanitary sewer.
The spill occurred over a three-and-a-half hour window Tuesday. The following day, Veolia crews plugged and cleaned the sewer.
In a letter to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Friday, MMSD Water Quality Protection Director Micki Klappa-Sullivan said there is no concern for any overflow due to inadequate capacity in the District’s system or basement backups related to the incident.
Veolia says they have now implemented a mandatory supervisor verification and approval process, requiring staff to confirm and obtain supervisor approval before decanting vacuum trucks. Veolia has also scheduled a refresher training for its field crews on proper discharge procedures and verification protocols for the week of March 17th. MMSD is waiting to hear from Veolia explaining how the misidentification of the sewer happened.
MMSD serves more than one million people across the Greater Milwaukee Area.
The DNR says they still evaluating an appropriate enforcement response.
TOP STORIES FROM THE WTMJ NEWSROOM:
- Milwaukee police officer faces federal charges for helping street gang
- More Milwaukee Public School closures over lead hazards
- Milwaukee real estate agent charged with running potential sex slave operation
- UPDATE: Police need assistance identifying found child
- Man charged with killing his girlfriend after living with body for 20 days
