MMSD clean-water lab construction; facility to test new technologies

MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) announced plans on Monday, July 22 for a clean-water lab to test new technologies that officials say could revolutionize wastewater treatment and lead to improvements in public health and drinking water supplies worldwide.

A news release says the $13 million research lab will be located at MMSD’s Oak Creek reclamation facility. It is expected to allow water technology businesses, universities, scientists and inventors to partner with the district to test new concepts and ideas on a large scale at a working treatment plant.

Once constructed and operating, officials said the first tests at the research facility will involve two emerging primary filtration technologies that are currently not in operation at a large scale in the United States.

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The two-year pilot study is already receiving federal support with a $3.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, officials said.

Construction on the research facility is expected to begin in 2026. The primary filtration technologies being tested will likely replace the current process used in the second stage of wastewater treatment called primary clarification.