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City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Mayor John O. Norquist
Population: 620,000 City Contact:
DESCRIPTION
OF PARTNERSHIP ARRANGEMENT The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) entered into a 10-year
Partnership with United Water Services (UWS) beginning March 1, 1998. The
service agreement calls for United Water to operate, maintain and manage two
large wastewater treatment plants, with a combined throughput of 392-mgd. The
plants serve the City of Milwaukee and 27 other municipalities. United Water is
responsible for managing the Milorganite production and other biosolids
handling, the sewer interceptor system and deep tunnel storage network,
maintenance of specific watercourses, and a 30-Megawatt cogeneration plant. UWS
guarantees that the plants will operate to achieve an effluent quality that is
more stringent than the permit standards. ESTIMATED/ACTUAL COST SAVINGS— Capital
Upgrades, Consumer Rates, and Fees
The District remains responsible for capital improvements. The Partnership is
estimated to achieve $140 million in savings over the life of the service
agreement. The capital value of the existing facility was estimated between $800
million and $1 billion when the Partnership began. The overall agreement over
the 10 years was estimated at $320 million. A first year rate decrease of 16
percent will result from the operating agreement. Rate setting is the
responsibility of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District. No concession fees were paid by UWS to the MMSD.
LABOR
RELATIONS All 233 employees at the two plants are employed by United Water Services.
Every employee retained by UWS receives equal pay and enhanced benefits and
training programs. The employees are represented by one of the following unions:
the public employee's union Local 366 of AFSCME—Council 48, and the Milwaukee
Building and Construction Trades Council, District 10 of the International
Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers of the AFL-CIO, and the
International Union of Operating Engineers—Local 317. |
J. Thomas Cochran, Executive Director
1620 Eye Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006
Telephone (202) 293-7330, FAX (202) 293-2352
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