Consultant Recommends Delay in Sewer Study

The consultant hired to conduct an analysis of the village’s sanitary sewer and storm water issues recommends pushing back the study's deadline until October in order to gather more realistic data.

Steve Stricklen, of consultants Donohue and Associates, told Trustees at a Monday night Village Board meeting that the models used in earlier reports are deficient. He said updating the models would cost an additional $42,500, and the final report would be ready near the end of October instead of April, as originally expected.

Stricklen said the existing model did not include calibration, or a comparison with actual rainfall data. He recommended updating the existing model and linking the storm water and sanitary sewer models. He said storm water and sanitary sewer are so closely related that they should not be studied separately.

“One reason (for the updated model) is we want to evaluate what happens when you take it from one system to another,” he said.

The consultants began work on the study roughly four months ago, and as part of the data collection process, sent surveys to residents. Stricklen said almost 2,500 residents participated in the survey - a roughly 50 percent participation rate.

Trustees and residents voiced concern about the delay in the timetable, especially at the idea of work toward a possible flooding solution being postponed until 2012. The Village Board prepares its budget in October, at which point the board had hoped to move forward with recommended flood control solutions.

Stricklen said he would keep the village's budgeting timetable in mind, and this project is one of his highest priorities.

“We are absolutely confident this is a schedule we can adhere to,” he said.

Stricklen said the data collection process could be finished sooner, as they only need to gather data from three substantial rainfalls before they move forward with analyzing the data and drafting a report.

Several residents suggested the village accelerate the completion of the study by renting meters and beginning the data collection process immediately. Village Engineer Dan Naze said he is in the process of working with the Metropolitan Milwaukee Sewerage District to purchase the meters. Stricklen estimated it would cost the village roughly $3,000 per month to rent the meters, not including labor.

Stricklen recommended the change to the study as an update to the Village Board, and Trustees were not scheduled to make a decision at the meeting. Interim Village Manager Matt Schuenke said the item will be up for consideration at the board's next meeting.

Several Trustees recommended calling a special meeting to consider the feasibility of renting meters or approving the change in the study, in order to start the data collection process as soon as possible.