Why did it resist an audit? And why does Mayor Johnson agree it must be done quickly?
By Bruce Murphy – May 20th, 2026 06:33 pm
Jones Island Reclamation Facility. Photo by Urban Milwaukee staff.
There is a stink arising from the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD), and it’s not the smell of sewage.
The advocacy group Common Ground is working with more than two dozen anonymous whistleblowers who allege that the sewerage district’s private contractor, the French company Veolia, is purposely running wastewater systems below capacity during rain events, increasing the risk of sewer overflows into Lake Michigan and backups into basements of area homeowners, and forgoing maintenance to save money, instead allowing equipment to run to a point of failure and be replaced by MMSD.
These were serious accusations by former employees of MMSD, led by Steve Jacquart, a longtime city employee and then MMSD intergovernmental relations coordinator, who is seen as a straight shooter and former fan of the sewerage district.
On the other hand, MMSD’s executive director, Kevin Shafer, is highly regarded by officials in town for the job he has done. But Shafer, in this case, has reacted by trying to kill the messenger.