Press Releases

Celebrate Pollution Prevention Week and help put our streams, rivers and lakes on a reduced-salt diet

Join Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District for a special hard hat tour of the District treatment plant Friday, Sept. 21 MADISON, WIS. – Too much salt in our diets is a bad thing. Too much salt in our streams, rivers, lakes and groundwater is a really bad thing. This year, during Pollution Prevention Week from Sept. 17-23, Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District will highlight ways businesses and consumers can protect water and keep sewer bills low by reducing chloride and other pollutants.

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Public input sought on noise variance for sanitary sewer lining projects on Madison’s East and West sides

Hearings set for Wednesday, Sept. 5 at Madison’s City-County Building MADISON, Wis. – Two sanitary sewer lining projects – one on the west side along Lake Mendota Drive and one on the east side near Stoughton Road – will be the subject of public hearings Sept. 5 starting at 5 p.m. in room 108 of the City-County Building to discuss noise variances for the projects. In both cases, the capacity of the existing sanitary lines is sufficient,

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Sanitary sewer overflows reported in wake of overnight storm

MADISON, WIS. – Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District crews are responding to numerous reports of sanitary sewer overflows Tuesday in the wake of Monday evening’s storm. Although the District’s regional wastewater collection system operates separately from municipal storm water sewers, heavy rains infiltrate the wastewater system through multiple ways including basement floor drains. In many areas, flooding and basement backups are resulting from excess stormwater. Sanitary backups are currently being reported in areas of Fitchburg, on Madison’s far West Side near the Madison Marriott West and in the Spring Harbor neighborhood.

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Sewerage District crews document overflows

MADISON, WIS. – Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District crews have documented six sanitary overflow locations in Madison and neighboring communities following the record-breaking storm overnight Monday. Stormwater flooding throughout the area contributed to the sanitary overflows. Although the District’s regional wastewater collection system operates separately from municipal stormwater sewers, heavy rains infiltrate the wastewater system through multiple paths including basement floor drains when stormwater enters basements. Working in coordination with crews from the City of Madison, City of Middleton and the District’s other customer communities,

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Yahara WINS partnership awarded 2018 U.S. Water Prize by U.S. Water Alliance

MADISON, Wis. – The Yahara Watershed Improvement Network has been awarded the prestigious U.S. Water Prize by the U.S. Water Alliance in recognition of the southcentral Wisconsin group’s groundbreaking approach to improving water quality. Awarded on an annual basis, the U.S. Water Prize celebrates outstanding achievement in the advancement of sustainable, integrated and inclusive solutions to our nation’s water challenges. Yahara WINS earned the U.S. Water Prize in the U.S. Water Alliance’s cross-sector partnership or coalition category for its collaborative approach to improving water quality.

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Inspection identifies sewer overflow that occurred in conjunction with recent flooding on Madison’s near west side

MADISON, WIS. – A Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District crew conducting inspections in the wake of heavy precipitation during the weekend of June 16-17 late Wednesday documented a manhole on Madison’s near west side that produced an overflow of diluted wastewater into Lake Wingra. The manhole, in the UW–Madison Arboretum southwest of Arbor Drive, had its cover tilted slightly and evidence of flow exiting the manhole included bent grass and debris extending to the elevated shoreline of the lake approximately 30 feet away.

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