City OKs annexation of sewer ponds

Move will allow Maple Island to discharge into city wastewater system

BY DONALD WATSON

REPORTER

Following a brief question and answer session, the Medford City Common Council at its meeting Tuesday night approved a request from Maple Island to annex its sewer ponds along CTH O to the city.

Public Works director John Fales explained Maple Island will no longer be able to meet Department of Natural Resources (DNR) limits on phosphorus under its discharge permit and wants to use the city’s permit. He said wastewater from Maple Island would still go to the ponds for treatment, but instead of water from the third pond being discharged into the Black River, the water would go through the city’s treatment plant to remove the phosphorus before being discharged into the river. Fales said Maple Island will be installing all the necessary infrastructure to connect to the city’s sewer system, so it won’t cost the city any money. He said since the property has no tax value, the city won’t have to pay any compensation to the town of Little Black for annexing the property.

Fales said the city will monitor and meter the wastewater entering the sewer system to control how much extra water passes through the treatment plant. He said Maple Island and the DNR have

See CITY been working on this for three years and construction is scheduled to begin next summer if the annexation request is approved.

There was no objections from the council and the request passed unanimously.

Leaf pickup

Mayor Mike Wellner said leaf pickup in the city will be October 21-23. He said leaf pickup was earlier this year because the city had received complaints from people about leaves in the gutters while trick-or-treating.