Calls for an audit of the region’s wastewater treatment operations continue to grow.
Two whistleblowers have come forward this spring, alleging wrongdoing by Veolia, the company that runs the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District’s two treatment plants.
On Tuesday, the advocacy group Common Ground released what it called a “detailed and devastating” 37-page report from Greg Gryskiewicz, the second whistleblower to go public with complaints about Veolia’s operations.
Gryskiewicz worked at the MMSD’s Jones Island water treatment plant 14 years. In that time, he says equipment was chronically improperly maintained, impairing the plants’ ability to properly treat wastewater. He also was concerned about how equipment and employees were treated.
Previously, Steve Jacquardt, who served as the MMSD’s intergovernmental coordinator from 1994-2023, came forward with his concerns about Veolia’s operations. He says the treatment plants aren’t being maintained to operate at full capacity, which means the water being returned to Lake Michigan contains higher levels of bacteria. And when storms strike, there’s an increased risk of sewage overflows and basement backups.
Half of the Milwaukee County Board didn’t need Gryskiewicz’s detailed list to act. The previous day, nine county supervisors urged the state’s Legislative Audit Bureau to intervene. Jack Eckblad was among them.
“It’s a proven solution and the problem could not be any more directly foundational. We are talking about our water. We are talking about our community health. We have an established mechanism for verifying that the public is being served well or not in terms of our community health, in terms of the quality of our water. We should use that mechanism. Period,” Eckblad says.
Also on Monday, MMSD Commission Chair Cory Zetts announced she will initiate a third party performance audit of Veolia at the commission’s meeting next month. That’s something members of the advocacy group Common Ground have been calling for. On Tuesday evening, Zetts sent WUWM this statement:
The Commission is responsible for overseeing MMSD operations, policy, finance, and personnel, including oversight of the operator of its treatment and conveyance systems. I am committed to carrying out that responsibility as the Commission's audit unfolds.
Last month, Zetts released a statement questioning the claims of Common Ground and the whistleblowers, saying she hadn’t seen “credible evidence of mismanagement of billions of dollars of our public infrastructure.” At that time, MMSD executive director Kevin Shafer called one whistleblower’s accusations "hearsay." Veolia accused Common Ground of publicizing “a mix of false, unsubstantiated and overstated claims” about the company.
The allegations of wrongdoing by Veolia come as MMSD weighs whether to sign another 10-year contract with the company after the current contract ends in 2028. Veolia has accused Common Ground of trying to sabotage MMSD’s selection process by bringing forward the complaints.
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