Milwaukee wastewater whistleblower alleges plant mismanagement
Former Veolia employee alleges MMSD treatment plant problems
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MILWAUKEE - A former Veolia Water employee is accusing the company and its partner, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, of mismanaging Milwaukee-area wastewater treatment plants.
What we know:
Veolia and MMSD deny the allegations, which come as MMSD weighs proposals for a contract that could be worth $700 million.
Greg Gryskiewicz said he spent 14 years climbing the ranks at Veolia Water’s Jones Island treatment plant. 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.
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"I mean, it's my dream job. I had no reason to leave, honestly," Gryskiewicz said. "You can imagine what it's like operating a facility with your main equipment that screens the wastewater out of commission with no way to bypass it because of engineering problems."
Gryskiewicz is the second whistleblower to come forward publicly as part of nonprofit Common Ground’s latest campaign for change.
He accused Veolia and MMSD of passing the bill for expensive repairs to one another, only for the equipment that helps treat wastewater to go unrepaired. Gryskiewicz said the lack of maintenance contributes to flooding.
The allegations come after another major flooding event and in the middle of negotiations over the next operations contract.
Veolia has operated the Jones Island and South Shore water treatment plants since 2008. MMSD owns both plants.
The backstory:
Common Ground has been conducting an investigation of the management practices of Veolia 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.
On April 30, 177 Common Ground leaders heard testimony from a wide range of sources regarding many alleged mismanagement practices on the part of Veolia. The group called on the MMSD Board of Commissioners to authorize an independent, third-party performance audit of Veolia’s management practices.
Veolia is one of two companies that applied for the next contract, which starts in 2028.
The other side:
In a statement to FOX6, Veolia Water accused Common Ground of sabotaging its attempt to secure the contract.
"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," the company said.
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MMSD said it is reviewing a letter Gryskiewicz wrote while he was still employed, outlining the concerns he shared. Beyond that, MMSD said it would not comment on the allegations, citing the need to keep the procurement process fair.
Veolia Water and Jacobs Solutions are the two companies seeking the contract.
What's next:
An MMSD committee is scheduled to host a public hearing next month on both companies’ proposals. MMSD hopes to have its next contractor picked by late September.
What they're saying:
The full statement from MMSD can be found below:
"MMSD is grateful that Common Ground has finally provided the whistleblower letter. It is lengthy and MMSD needs time to review it. MMSD is two years into a public procurement effort to hire a company to operate and maintain the District’s infrastructure for a 10-year period. It’s a time-consuming effort for everyone involved and it must continue to be a fair process. MMSD cannot publicly comment on these accusations until after the procurement process is completed. A final decision on the next 10-year contract is expected this summer."
The full statement from Veolia Water can be found below:
"Common Ground made clear today they want to sabotage MMSD’s fair and transparent procurement process for reasons they will not explain. 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. Today’s press conference brought up allegations from years ago that have no effect on Milwaukee’s waterways, public health or flood protection. 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."
The Source: Common Ground, Veolia Water and the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District provided information in this report.