NEW Water: Our History at a Glance - Magazine - Page 33
Partnering
for Water
From the earliest days of the District, leadership
recognized that through partnerships, we can better
serve our community, safeguard public health,
and protect our most valuable resource, water.
Many meaningful partnerships have been forged
throughout the decades, including a game changer
in the 2010s: watershed work, which is working
“outside the fence” to collaborate with landowners
and farmers to improve the watershed, and to
more cost effectively meet permit compliance. The
end result is cleaner waters for the community and
future generations.
Additionally, in a unique partnership, NEW Water
and an area industry established a “water reuse”
project whereby wastewater is sent directly to the
Green Bay Facility for treatment, and sent back to the
industry for use again. This sustainable approach
to water resource management also supports
economic development.
COVID-19
When the pandemic struck Wisconsin, NEW
Water began collecting incoming wastewater
samples, called “influent,” knowing there could
be value to the scientific community and public
health officials, even before anyone asked.
NEW Water became one of the leading utilities
in the state, and joined others in the nation in
volunteering to provide samples for research. The
Wisconsin Coronavirus Wastewater Monitoring
Network is used by area health officials to
determine actual levels of infection, which is
considered more accurate than reports of tests.
Regional and national officials also look at this
data for trends and data analysis.
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