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A Critical Upgrade for Your Drinking Water:

As a resident of Oak Creek, you rely on us for safe, clean drinking water. To ensure we can continue to provide this essential service, the Oak Creek Water and Sewer Utility is undertaking a crucial upgrade. We're launching a $52 million Underground Facilities Rehabilitation project to modernize our treatment plant and meet current and future water quality standards.

This project is not an option—it's a necessity. The existing chlorine tank and pump station are over 50 years old and have been identified by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) as not meeting current safety and operational standards. We've been working on this for years, and this upgrade is the best long-term solution to ensure the integrity and reliability of your drinking water supply.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is this Project so Important

Our current system has several critical issues that pose risks to both public health and service reliability. This project will directly address them by:

Protecting Your Health: The current underground tank is below the groundwater table, which creates a potential risk of contamination. The new system will eliminate this risk and also add Ultraviolet (UV) light disinfection as an extra layer of protection against pathogens.
Ensuring Reliable Service: The existing system has "single points of failure." This means that if just one piece of equipment breaks—like our 50-year-old high-lift pumps—it could disrupt drinking water service for over 72,000 people in Oak Creek, Franklin, and Caledonia. The new plant design includes redundancy to prevent widespread outages.
Meeting DNR Requirements: Our existing system does not comply with several Wisconsin DNR regulations. This project is required to bring our facilities up to code, addressing issues with the chlorine tank, piping, and other equipment. The new tank can be taken offline for required inspections without shutting down the entire plant.

What This Means for You: The Cost

We know you may be concerned about the cost of this project. While a project of this scale comes at a price, we have taken proactive steps to minimize the financial impact on our customers.

We anticipate a 7.6% water rate increase, which translates to approximately a $28 per year increase for the average residential customer, effective in 2030. This is significantly lower than the Public Service Commission’s (PSC) initial estimate of a 56.5% rate increase ($208/year). This reduction is thanks to the Water and Sewer Utility's careful planning, use of reserves intended for the project, and securing a low-interest loan. However, all water rates are set by the PSC. Oak Creek does not control what the rate increase might be in the future. The water system rates have not changed since 2016.

Your Feedback Matters

We want to hear from you. Your input is valuable and helps us serve the community better.

Have a question or comment about the project, the process, or the rate increase?

Please contact the Water and Sewer Utility’s General Manager Mike Sullivan, at mjsullivan@oakcreekwi.gov or (414) 766-6619.

For detailed documentation, including the Public Service Commission’s electronic records system, you can visit: https://go.ocwi.org/OakCreekWaterProject

Thank you for your time and input. Providing you with reliable, clean, and safe drinking water is our top priority.