June 2025 - NEW Water was featured in the Press Times, highlighting the construction that will be starting on the Downtown Interceptors Renewal Project in downtown Green Bay to replace aging infrastructure, see article below. To read their full publication, please visit: NEW Water replaces sewer infrastructure dating to FDR era | gopresstimes.com >>
NEW Water replaces sewer infrastructure dating to FDR era
By: Kris Leonhardt
NEW Water — the brand of the Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District — recently announced that construction is starting on a sanitary sewer project in downtown Green Bay that will replace aging infrastructure, as the utility works on the Downtown Interceptors Renewal Project in collaboration with the City of Green Bay.
“Contractors will be seen in areas downtown to renew pipes that have been in operation since Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) was president,” a release from NEW Water stated.
Back in 1930, a special committee was appointed to investigate the possibility of remedying the “stench at the East River.”
“It is the belief of the committee, after consulting with the city engineer, that the stench from the river cannot be eliminated until some means is found for keeping the sewage out of the river,” a report from the committee stated.
A report released in May 1929 recommended the installation of a system of intercepting sewers.
“These sewers would run at right angles to the sewers now emptying into the East River and would pick up the waste before it enters the river and carry it out into the Bay,” the report added.
The committee also recommended the creation of a Metropolitan Sewer District.
“The formation of such a district would eventually result in cleaning up the lower portion of the Fox and East Rivers. Insomuch, as it will be some years in the future before all the necessary intercepting sewers and treatment works can be installed, it is essential that immediate action be taken on the proposition so that work may be started on the preparation of plans for the necessary sewerage works,” the report added.
The Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District held its first organizational meeting in December 1931.
With the help of FDR’s Works Progress Administration (WPA) District 2 funding, the city was able to install a storm and sanitary sewer network, and in February 1935, a sewage disposal plant opened.
“More than 400 men, most of them from the city relief lists, have been employed on the project and a large part of the total cost of the job has been paid out to them in wages and salaries or for materials purchased here,” a Feb. 18 1935 Press-Gazette article stated.
“It represents another step in civic progress and at the same time corrects an annoying sanitation problem that has vexed city officials and residents in the East River area for many years.”
The system used two clarifiers and chlorination for treatment.
The city’s growth led to future expansions to the treatment plant, until a second treatment system was added in 1955, using biological treatment methods, as federal guidelines soon began to provide stricter regulations.
“Our underground wastewater infrastructure may be hidden from view, but it’s the backbone of vital services we depend on every day.
By renewing these aging pipes, we’re not just maintaining our systems – we’re investing in public health, supporting business operations, and serving those who live, work, and play in our community,” said NEW Water Executive Director Nathan Qualls.
NEW Water said that contractors and construction crews are starting site preparations for the project.
“NEW Water owns and operates many miles of underground pipes, including a series of larger, deeper pipes called an interceptor system, located throughout our service area. In downtown Green Bay, portions of this system have been in operation since the 1930s, and are in need of improvements in order to continue to function efficiently. The cost of this project is expected to be about $29 million, which is funded through NEW Water wholesale rates to its 15 municipal customers. The improvements are needed to revitalize aging infrastructure to protect public health and the environment,” a NEW Water release stated.
Today, NEW Water serves 239,000 residents and businesses, providing wastewater collection and treatment services.
To learn more about the project, visit www.newwater.us/downtown.