The Village of Sister Bay retained Robert E. Lee & Associates to prepare a facility plan, drawings, and specifications for significant modifications to the WWTP.

• A significant addition to the garage was completed
• Additional offices and a conference room were added to the Service Building
• RAS/WAS pump replacement
• NPW system upgrades
• Replacement of the orbal drives and motors
• Thickened sludge pump replacement
• Final clarifier rebuilds
• Added a dual pod fine bubble aeration to a sludge storage tank
• Sludge thickening equipment replacement and upgrades
• Upgrade disinfection system from chlorination/dechlorination to UV
• Additional parking stalls added to the WWTP
• Complete site asphalt replacement
• Conversion of the a phone-based SCADA system to a radio-based SCADA system.

In response to the growing demand from the rapidly developing Centennial Centre development, the Village of Hobart identified the need to increase its water supply capacity. This involved conducting thorough assessments of current water resources and infrastructure, exploring options for expansion or enhancement of existing supply systems, and potentially incorporating new water source developments to ensure that the increasing needs of the community are met efficiently and sustainably. The initiative aimed to support both current residents and future growth, facilitating the development’s success while maintaining reliable water service for the users.

A 500,000-gallon composite elevated storage tank was successfully constructed to enhance water supply for the Village of Hobart, accompanied by upgrades to the SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system that ensured operational continuity during power outages.

REL undertook the critical task of securing approvals from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), and the Wisconsin Public Service Commission, which involved meticulous adherence to regulations and safety standards. This project not only improved water storage capacity but also bolstered the resilience of the water supply system, effectively supporting the needs of the Centennial Centre development and the broader community.

Robert E. Lee & Associates assisted the Village of Little Chute in obtaining funding for the Urban Non-point Source and Storm Water Program Planning Grant through the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Grants reimburse costs of planning for urban non-point source and storm water runoff pollution. Grant amount $64,260 of the $91,800 total project costs.

Wisconsin DNR concurred with an engineering report detailing the need for a large-scale water system improvement project in the small community of Elcho, Wisconsin. The water system, operated by Elcho Sanitary District, had twelve significant deficiencies and very little revenue to implement the necessary improvements. Projects costs were approximately at $1.8 million. Robert E. Lee & Associates, the Town of Elcho and Elcho Sanitary District coordinated with three different funding agencies to secure funding that would allow the Sanitary District to construct the majority of recommended work. Elcho’s water system improvements would ultimately utilize grant and loan money from Community Development Block Grant for Public Facilities (CDBG-PF), Safe Drinking Water Loan Program (SDWLP), US Department of Agriculture-Rural Development (USDA-RD) loan and grant. CDBG-PF grant for $522,000; SDWLP loan for $188,000; USDA-RD loan for $596,000; and a USDA-RD grant for $571,000. Work included an elevated storage tank, water main looping and new pipe installation of larger diameter pipe.

The Village needed to upgrade their existing undersized and deteriorating 12-inch asbestos cement interceptor sewer and fiberglass manhole structures. These facilities contributed a significant amount of inflow/infiltration (I/I) to Hilbert’s system. In addition, the interceptor was located downstream of a junction of two 12-inch pipes. Because of this bottleneck and I/I upstream, basement flooding had become a frequent occurrence. The existing interceptor system was replaced in a new location with 3,400 lineal feet of 24-inch HDPE pipe and new RCP manholes. The project was constructed in easements through existing fields and crossed a navigable waterway and an active railroad. The stream crossing, roadway crossing, and the railroad crossing were all accomplished by boring and jacking steel casing pipes; additionally, two laterals were directionally bored under the creek. Wetlands were identified during the planning process and protected throughout the construction process, and NES Ecological Services delineated the wetlands. High groundwater with high levels of silt necessitated the installation of a groundwater removal system to allow for excavation and installation of the pipeline. REL was able to work with Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to accomplish this work within WDNR permit requirements. Railroad permitting was also required to allow for boring under the active railroad. Since the interceptor replacement, the Village of Hilbert has recorded a significant decrease in the I/I issues of their wastewater treatment plant.

Due to low pumpage and sand issues with Well No. 1, the Village of Hilbert decided to construct a new well instead of completing the 10-year inspection on Well No. 1. The Village of Hilbert retained Robert E. Lee & Associates to prepare plans and specifications to construct Well Station No. 4. A 106-foot-deep bore hole was drilled for Well No. 4. A deep well turbine pump was installed to pump the groundwater to the surface where gas chlorination was used for meeting the residual chlorine concentration. A new building was constructed to contain the well and chlorination system.

The Village of Hilbert retained Robert E. Lee & Associates to prepare plans and specifications for modifications to the existing wastewater treatment plant. The project included a dissolved air flotation unit to address the buildup of large clumps of fats, oils, and grease throughout the WWTP process. A new Dewatering Building was constructed to house the relocated sludge belt press. The existing incline screen was relocated to the new septage receiving tank and a new vertical screen was added before the RAW pumps. The RAW pumps, RAS/WAS pumps, orbal aeration motors and drives, and a majority of the electrical was replaced and upgraded with the project. A submersible mixer was added to the inner channel of the orbal in place of disc aerators to assist with the bio-P removal process. The final clarifier was taken out of service to repaint and replace the drive. A new 50,000-gallon septage receiving tank with coarse bubble aeration was constructed to replace the aging septage receiving tank, with no aeration and limited capacity. SCADA system was modified for the new equipment and process controls. The entire site was relandscaped to alter the storm water drainage. The deteriorated metal lab cabinets and counter tops were replaced with wood cabinets and epoxy resin counter tops. REL provided full-time construction observation during underground work and part-time construction observation for the remainder of the construction work. Wetlands were identified during the planning process and protected throughout the construction process. The project was the first major upgrade project at the WWTP since the last upgrade in 1996.

Due to significant growth, the Village of Wrightstown needed to increase their long-term reliable water supply. After investigating the option of a new well, and finding high levels of radium after several test wells had been evaluated, REL evaluated the installation of a pipeline from either the Central Brown County Water Authority or the Village of Ashwaubenon with cooperation from the City of Green Bay. Additionally, working with the Village’s financial consultants, Ehlers and Associates & Schenk SC, it was determined that the best option for a long-term and cost-effective source for water was to connect to the Village of Ashwaubenon water system. REL worked with the financial consultants reviewing and studying funding options, and it was determined that funding for the project was best served with a WDNR Safe Drinking Water Loan. A project consisting of approximately 62,000 lineal feet of 18-inch water transmission pipeline was installed between the Village of Wrightstown and the Village of Ashwaubenon. The project also included two meter stations, one located at the Village of Ashwaubenon end of the project and one at the Village of Wrightstown end of the project. The stations provide constant monitoring through an integrated SCADA system that allows each community to monitor and control system operation. The project was constructed in public rights-of-way owned by Brown County, Wisconsin Department of Transportation, the Village of Wrightstown, the Town of Wrightstown, the Town of Lawrence, and the Village of Ashwaubenon. As part of the permitting process, REL worked to identify archaeological, environmental, and ecological sensitive areas, and propose methods to minimize disruption to or avoid those affected areas. REL also worked to acquire Wisconsin Public Service Commission approval along with WDNR, county, and various municipal permits to allow for construction of the project.