NEW Water News

Funding helps protect public health and the waters of Wisconsin

Clean Water State Revolving Fund Allotment Formula Under Review

(Washington, DC) – On March 16, members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee heard testimony from public clean water utility members of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) during the Committee’s hearing, “Oversight of the Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund Formula”. Among those called to testify were members of the NACWA Board of Directors -- Tom Sigmund, Executive Director of NEW Water in Green Bay, Wisconsin and NACWA’s Vice President, and Kyle Dreyfuss-Wells, CEO of the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District in Cleveland, Ohio.

Riparian habitat improvements in the watershed of Ashwaubenon and Dutchman Creeks (ACDC)

Silver Creek Project highlighted  

February 2022 Edition - An article in “Insight on Business” featured NEW Water's Silver Creek Project. 

Excerpts from the Insight on Business story are found below. To read their full story, please visit:

How can road salt impact our local waterways 

January 2022- In honor of Wisconsin Salt Awareness Week, NEW Water’s Sarah Bartlett was in the news helping promote how to “salt wisely” to protect area waters.

Excerpts from the WFRV story are found below. To read their full story, please visit:

NEW Water celebrates nine decades of water treatment

December 2021 - The Press Times featured NEW Water, the brand of the Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District, for the celebration of 90 years of service to the community. 

We celebrated the 90th year of protecting our most valuable resource, water. 

As a wastewater utility, NEW Water, the brand of the Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District, is regulated by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), and is committed to meeting permit obligations on behalf of the communities it serves. With the health of area waters being essential for a thriving economy, as well as public health, the WDNR recognized that more meaningful water quality improvements could be made at a lower cost, and more environmental gain, if nonpoint sources and point sources were to partner together. In addition to treatment alternatives, they offer an alternative compliance option known as Adaptive Management, which in some cases, is a more economical approach that can yield greater environmental gain. As stewards of Northeastern Wisconsin’s water and financial resources, NEW Water has selected Adaptive Management as its permit compliance option.

The NEW Water Commission has passed a 2022 budget to ensure continued reliability of essential services to protect public health and the region’s water environment. The budget includes a Facility Plan to ensure future needs are met, and a capital build for long-term rate stability. The 2022 budget reflects a 2.5% increase in total expenses over the 2021 budget. See the 2022 Adopted Budget here.

NEW Water has received a Midwest Region Coastal Program grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to restore at least eight acres of historical wetlands on agricultural land in the watersheds of Ashwaubenon Creek and Dutchman Creek (ACDC). This project sits at the intersection of water quality improvements and habitat restoration benefits, as it proposes to capture sediment and reduce nutrient loading within ACDC, while improving habitat quality for marsh birds and shorebirds. Restored wetlands will be designed with native grasses, pollinator habitat, and extended buffers around each basin. The goal of this effort is not to take agricultural land out of production, but to find the balance of a healthy productive ecosystem from the perspective of water quality, agriculture, and habitat.

Unique circular reclaimed water system online at Green Bay Packaging Paper Mill

Brown County, the City of Green Bay, Green Bay Packaging, and NEW Water are happy to announce that a first-of-its-kind, circular reclaimed water system at the new Green Bay Packaging Paper Mill is now online.