Major Sewer Improvements Could Start This Summer

Officials approve bidding out for $4.4 million in projects for the western portion of Shorewood.

As officials begin to execute their plan to fix Shorewood's faulty sewer system in the backdrop of the torrential rains of July 2010, the Village Board approved seeking bids for sewer work in the western part of the village. Unanimously approving bidding out for $4.4 million in projects slated to start this summer, trustees say they hope their actions send a message to homeowners that they are ready to make good on their promise to address the aging sewer system. "This design, I think, takes into account the characteristics of neighborhoods, landscape, particular problems that some pipes have versus others," Trustee Patrick Linnane said. "I think it recognizes that throughout the village, the problem is not the same everywhere," he added…

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Shorewood Residents Show Strong Support for Sewer Plan, Survey Says

Survey of nearly 1,300 property owners shows that 78 percent back $34 million plan.

By a wide margin, the majority of Shorewood residents support the village’s comprehensive approach to faulty sewers, a new survey shows. The survey conducted by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Urban Initiative and Research on behalf of the village revealed that 78 percent of Shorewood property owners who responded approve of the village's large-scale sewer improvement plan. A total of 1,295 property owners responded to the survey sent out in July, or 39.5 percent of those who received it. The survey has a 2.2 percent margin of error. Shorewood approved its $34.4 million sewer program in May, which calls for separating combined sanitary and stormwater sewers in much of Shorewood east of North Oakland Avenue, directing rain runoff on …

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The Shorewood Insider

Keeping Flood Anxiety on a High Shelf

Local residents share their flood fixes with fingers crossed that this year's rains will just grow flowers.

It is storm season again -- last year’s July flooding caused tremendous damage and has residents worried it could happen again. There were videos and photographs of dramatic swells of water in Shorewood, and locally, that were captured here.  The village has a fix in the works, but won't have anything significant in place for this year's storm season, so how are homeowners feeling and preparing for the potential repeat of the damage? One resident, who chose to remain anonymous, summed it up this way. “I have tons of anxiety, mainly because the only thing we've done is buy insurance," the resident said. Buying insurance is one safeguard residents are encouraged to take, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) , which …

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Village Board OKs $34 Million Plan to Fix Sewers

After months of debate and several changes, Shorewood moves forward with plan to address faulty sewers.

Saying they need to send a message to residents that they are serious about addressing Shorewood’s sewer woes, village trustees Monday approved a comprehensive sewer plan with a $34.1 million price tag. "It really makes sense to do this," Village President Guy Johnson said. "This is the board going on record saying, 'We're ready for the next step.' " However, the village will nail down the finances and construction schedule at a future meeting. Officials also agreed to add information to the plan that addresses why certain areas of the village are not being included in the sewer project. Trustee Michael Maher said the board just wants to document that those areas haven't been forgotten and its investigation shows these areas haven't shown …

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Addressing Shorewood's Sewer Woes Could Cost $71 Million

A newly proposed comprehensive plan charts several sewer projects out over more than two decades and focuses on separating combined sewers.

The village has rolled out a new $71.5 million comprehensive plan focusing on combined sewers in the area, which would have work start in May and stretch several projects over 25 years. The projects addressing the whole village would be funded over 15 to 25 years and would wrap up in 2035. "This isn't a $100 solution," Village Manager Chris Swartz said. The village is working with the engineering firm Bonestroo on determining a solution. Mustafa Emir, Bonestroo engineer, said the key is to have a sanitary sewer system that doesn't take in storm water. Shorewood's current sewer system can't handle more than 1 inch of rainfall in an hour without affecting homes in the area with sewer backups. This plan comes after the area was saturated by …

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