The nonprofit advocacy group Common Ground is calling for an independent review of the company running the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District's massive wastewater treatment system.
Common Ground is set to launch its campaign for a third-party audit of Veolia North America on April 30 at the Milwaukee County War Memorial Center.
The group says the move comes after it received a whistleblower letter from a former high-level MMSD employee raising concerns about mismanagement by Veolia.
Veolia North America is the private operator of Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District's wastewater treatment system and is one of two firms now competing for a 10‑year contract worth up to roughly $700 million. The company, a subsidiary of the French utility giant Veolia, has run MMSD’s treatment plants under public‑private partnership contracts since 2008.
The whistleblower, Steve Jacquart, previously served as MMSD's intergovernmental coordinator and was a registered lobbyist for the agency. Jacquart said he decided to come forward with his concerns after seeing devastation from flooding and sewer backups.
"I think about the thousands of people who have suffered financially and emotionally from sewage backing up into their basements," Jacquart said in prepared remarks, which were shared with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "I think of the damage to the homes and businesses in our community that have been impacted when it rains."
He added that he believes "taxpayers have the right to...
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