The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) announced on July 22, 2024, plans for a clean-water lab to test new technologies that could improve wastewater treatment, leading to improvements in public health and drinking water supplies worldwide.
The $13 million research lab will be located at MMSD’s Oak Creek reclamation facility, allowing water technology businesses, universities, scientists, and inventors to partner with the district to test new concepts and ideas on a large scale at a working treatment plant.
Once constructed and operating, the first tests at the research facility will involve two emerging primary filtration technologies that are currently not in operation at a large scale in the U.S.
Based on research and experience, industry experts believe the new concepts, installed at just one of two regional treatment plants in Milwaukee could lead to many new benefits including:
- $90 million in savings over 20 years
- Increased waste-to-energy production
- A decrease in chemical use
- Further reductions in sewer overflows and basement backups
The two-year pilot study is already receiving federal support with a $3.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin and Congresswoman Gwen Moore helped secure an additional $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Construction on the research facility is expected to begin in 2026. The primary filtration technologies being tested will likely replace the current process used in the second stage of wastewater treatment called primary clarification.
At MMSD’s South Shore Water Reclamation Facility, the primary clarifiers went into service in 1968, with most supporting equipment being replaced nearly 20 years ago. The supporting equipment is nearing the end of its useful life.
