MILWAUKEE – Following recent whistleblower allegations and public reporting regarding operations at Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) wastewater treatment facilities managed by Veolia, Milwaukee County Supervisors are calling for greater transparency, accountability, and independent oversight.
The Supervisors issued the following joint statement, urging an independent audit before MMSD proceeds with a proposed long-term contract extension with Veolia:
“As County Supervisors concerned with the health, safety, and wellbeing of all residents of Milwaukee County, we are troubled by the serious concerns raised by two whistleblowers regarding Veolia and MMSD’s management of our wastewater treatment facilities. We understand that 24 other sources have reached out to Common Ground, as well.
“These concerns should be taken with the utmost seriousness. It is in Milwaukee County’s best interest to ensure our wastewater operations are conducted safely and transparently, and to maximize protection of our Lake, our water, and our basements.
“Furthermore, we believe that the management-side HR attorney-led ‘investigation’ proposed by MMSD leadership would be entirely insufficient to address the scope and nature of these concerns with the transparency and accountability that Milwaukee residents deserve.
“Concerns this severe and systemic require a more robust, third-party audit of Veolia’s management of Milwaukee’s wastewater plants, and luckily, the Wisconsin State Legislative Audit Bureau’s 2002 audit of MMSD can serve as a blueprint.
“That is why today we are calling for the Legislative Audit Bureau to conduct a similar audit and for MMSD leadership to fully cooperate prior to awarding Veolia another 10-year contract to manage those plants.
“In partnership with the LAB, MMSD has the power to address concerns that impact every resident of Southeastern Wisconsin. They must work immediately and transparently investigate what needs to change, and solutions that will lead to those changes.”
