The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District has urged residents to limit their water usage to reduce the risk of combined sewer overloads ahead of heavy rains expected to hit the Milwaukee area later this evening.
The sewer district is asking residents to take shorter showers, postpone doing laundry and dishes until another day and empty rain barrels regularly. The sewer district serves 1.1 million customers in 28 communities in the greater Milwaukee area.
The National Weather Service has also issued a beach hazard advisory for Thursday, advising swimmers to avoid Lake Michigan because waves could reach up to 6 feet high and there is a risk of rip currents.
Milwaukee has a combined sewer system in which both stormwater and wastewater from homes and businesses flow through the same pipes before being treated.
When the water reclamation facilities and deep tunnels exceed their capacity limits due to heavy rains, the sewer district must discharge untreated water into Milwaukee’s three rivers and Lake Michigan to prevent sewage from flowing back into homes and businesses.
When a combined sewer overflow occurs, most of it is stormwater that drains away immediately after entering the system, but there is a risk of bacteria affecting local water bodies such as Lake Michigan.
Although Milwaukee residents have had to contend with frequent wet weather this spring and summer, there has only been one overflow this year. That overflow occurred in early April and dumped 357 million gallons of raw sewage into local rivers and Lake Michigan.
By subscribing to water drop alerts, everyone can know when to limit water use and when an overflow has occurred. Residents can receive a water drop alert by texting WATERDROP to 414-296-4422.
More: Milwaukee has had a lot of rain so far this spring. Why haven’t there been more sewer overflows?
More: Milwaukee’s rivers were once open sewers to Lake Michigan. This is how they are cleaned.
Caitlin Looby is a Report for America Corps member who writes about the environment and the Great Lakes. Reach her at [email protected] or follow her on X @caitlooby.
