It’s the MMSD policy for rainy days. The sewage district started dumping “combined” sewers into the rivers and Lake Michigan about 6:00 pm. You can keep up with the crap in Milwaukee’s waterways on MMSD’s advisory site.
The east half of Brookfield dumps into this system. We all weren’t paying attention at the time, but sewer wars, the decision to make Brookfield residents pay for sewage by PROPERTY VALUES instead of usage, cost Brookfield millions.
It will be interesting to watch Brookfield Mayor Jeff Speaker negotiate the waters as he heads to Milwaukee to buy some.
After all, the bigger bureaucracy did such a good job with all that other, uh, stuff.
9 responses so far ↓
1 Cheri M. // Apr 10, 2008 at 8:43 pm
The East half of Brookfiled sanitary sewers?
Or the East half of Brookfield stormwater sewers?
The stormwater sewer project which ran through our subdivision in 2006 empties into the pond behind B’East.
2 Dan Harland // Apr 10, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Makes me wonder why people want to get water from Lake Poopagin
3 Shawn Matson // Apr 10, 2008 at 8:53 pm
Shouldn’t the titled be “Flush, Don’t Tell”
Becuase “Don’t Flush” implies they aren’t flushing?
4 Cindy Kilkenny // Apr 10, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Sanitary. I’m stretching myself here, (and goodness knows a certain alderman will jump) but it’s the east part of Brookfield in general as it wiggles along the sub-continental divide.
I’ve read that the combined sewers dump because that sewage is already diluted with rainwater. It leaves room for the sanitary sewer only stuff, which I believe is the type that comes from Brookfield, to stay in the system to be treated.
So - while Brookfield dumps into MMSD, it’s more than likely not Brookfield poo finding it’s way to the rivers and lake.
Any better?
5 Cindy Kilkenny // Apr 10, 2008 at 9:02 pm
Shawn, I was thinking more along the lines of what MMSD would prefer - which is that you don’t flush, and you wouldn’t want to tell about that, would you?
6 Shawn Matson // Apr 10, 2008 at 9:20 pm
I would prefer MMSD not to flush, that’s what i was thinking Cindy!
7 Cindy Kilkenny // Apr 10, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Got it. I agree, it’s not a great outcome, so to speak.
8 Dave Frank // Apr 10, 2008 at 10:16 pm
The combined sewers in Milwaukee flow to the Deep Tunnel. When the tunnel begins to fill they shut off the access to tunnel and begin a CSO (Combined Sewer Overflow). That water is both stormwater and sewage.
What should make you all feel better is that the Deep Tunnel is only paritally lined with concrete so MMSD can’t fill it all the way. Because if they did the sewage would “exfiltrate” into the groundwater. Yup, that means bad stuff in the groundwater. That is the same groundwater that many wells are connected to. Good stuff, for only about a billion dollars….
9 Dan Harland // Apr 10, 2008 at 11:09 pm
If it makes anyone feel better, NASA astronauts drink filtered, recycled urine!
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