CHLORIDE REDUCTION:

The Village needs to greatly decrease our chloride levels in our Effluent discharge.

Why reduce Chloride? 

Chloride is a threat to freshwater ecosystems, and is addressed in wastewater discharge regulations. Chloride cannot be removed using standard wastewater treatment technology; therefore, chloride that arrives in wastewater passes through treatment plants and enters natural water bodies as treated effluent. Stringent discharge limits for chloride entering natural water bodies plus the inability to remove chloride in standard wastewater treatment technology have motivated wastewater utilities to look for source reductions of chloride to wastewater treatment plant influent.  Among the sources of chloride to wastewater are: road salt, industrial processes, and water softeners.

What can you do? 

Soften only the water that needs to be softened. If you are building a new house, remodeling bathrooms or kitchens, replacing old plumbing or installing a new water softener, consider where your water needs to be softened. Work with your plumber to connect your water softener to only those areas that need softened water.

Places to "feed" softened water are:

• hot water heater

• laundry facilities

• dishwashers

• toilets (consider low flush models)

• showers

Places to bypass using the water softener include:

• outside water spigots for yard use

• cold tap drinking water lines.

Please see brochure at bottom of page for additional information.

LEAKS:  

In the year 2000, the village board approved expansion of the present wastewater treatment plant.  The expansion is constructed on the east of the present wastewater treatment plant located in the Business Park.  The expansion did double the present capacity and fulfill the needs of the community for the next twenty years according to projections of growth from Dane County Regional Planning , Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Town & Country Engineering (village engineers).

Leaks are Costly:  Try to discover and repair leaks immediately.  We have provided some illustrated examples of household leaks and their relative costs to our users. 30 days/Month

Type of Leak Gallons| per Month| Water Costs| Sewer Costs
Steady Drip 5,100 gallons $14.99 $34.43
1 gal/5 Min 8,640 $25.40 $58.32
Small Stream 29,100 $85.55 $196.43
1 gal/1 min 43,200 $127.01 $291.60

Here are some tips on how to find leaks:
Take the cover off the toilet tank.  Add enough food coloring to the tank to give a strong color to the tank water.  Let it stand or sit overnight.  If toilet bowl has turned color of the dye, you have a leak.

Look and listen.  Take off tank cover and see if the water is running into the overflow tube and also carefully listen for leaks. Don’t rely completely on this test as only extreme leaks can be seen or heard.

Watch for meter movement.  To test the entire building or house for leaks, try this suggestion.  First, find the water meter and place a toothpick over the meter pointer.  Don’t use any water for 15 minutes.  After that time, if the pointer has moved, there is a leak somewhere in the house (most likely a toilet).