Milwaukee wastewater plant whistleblower releases allegations report
Wastewater plant whistleblower releases report
A former employee Veolia Water employee described working conditions at both of Milwaukee's wastewater plants as unethical, wrong and wasteful in a new report released Tuesday.
MILWAUKEE - A former Veolia Water employee described working conditions at both of Milwaukee's wastewater plants as unethical, wrong and wasteful in a new report released Tuesday.
Whistleblower's report
What they're saying:
Greg Gryskiewicz, the same whistleblower who held a news conference with the nonprofit Common Ground last week, described unsustainable conditions, like control rooms infested with mice at the Jones Island Water Reclamation Plant.
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Gryskiewicz put his thoughts and first-hand accounts in a 37-page report, accusing Veolia Water of either not fixing or not properly repairing equipment that helps filter wastewater, leading to equipment failures. He also said the company tampered with work orders to make it seem like plants were in better shape than they were.
"MMSD would often bring in brand new equipment, and it would be installed incorrectly or inferior equipment to begin with," he said at last week's news conference. "They would replace equipment that was 20 years old, that was still barely working, with something that would last six to eight months. Then, it became a game of who's gonna pay for that."
The backstory:
The former employee-turned-whistleblower said he spent 14 years climbing the ranks at the Jones Island facility. He said he left two weeks into his machinist apprenticeship because he could not keep working in an environment he said did not set employees up for success.
Common Ground has been conducting an investigation of the management practices of Veolia Water since December 2025. Their investigation was sparked by an anonymous whistleblower letter in 2023. That whistleblower, Steve Jacquart, is a former, high level, 19-year MMSD employee who pointed out that the MMSD wastewater treatment plants are not running at peak efficiency.
Milwaukee wastewater whistleblower alleges plant mismanagement
A former Veolia Water employee accused Veolia and MMSD of mismanaging Milwaukee-area wastewater treatment plants, allegations both companies deny amid contract negotiations.
Veolia Water alleges sabotage
The other side:
Veolia Water accuses Common Ground of sabotaging its attempt to win the next 10-year contract, worth up to $700 million, with the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District to run the area's wastewater plants.
In a statement, a spokesperson said:
"Common Ground has made clear they want to sabotage MMSD’s fair and transparent procurement process for reasons they will not explain. These latest claims are yet another example of these efforts. They aim to bully the Board of Commissioners and obstruct this democratic oversight body — representing 1.1 million people in 29 municipalities — from making an impartial and informed decision. Veolia stands firmly behind the performance and integrity of our team, operating an extremely complex system under rigorous regulatory oversight to meet MMSD, state and federal standards. Veolia encourages all employees to report any workplace concerns, even anonymously, whether directly to their supervisors or through additional channels we’ve established to report issues without fear of retaliation."
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Veolia Water has been the contracted operator of MMSD's Jones Island and South Shore water treatment plants since 2008. It is one of two companies that applied for the next contract, which starts in 2028.
MMSD calls for audit
What's next:
MMSD previously denied the whistleblower's allegations.
But on Monday, MMSD Commission chair Corey Zetts said in a statement that the board will seek an independent, third-party performance audit of Veolia Water's operations at district facilities.
An MMSD spokesperson told FOX6 News on Tuesday that Gryskiewicz's report appears to have documentation for the audit to dig into:
"We have not had time to fully analyze the entire 37-page report that we were made aware of this afternoon. However, at first glance, it looks like it will provide some documentation for the performance audit to address."
The Source: Information in this story is from Gryskiewicz and Common Ground, including the joint news conference and the report, as well as statements from Veolia Water and the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District.