Wausau City Council tours wastewater treatment plant ahead of upgrades

City Council members now know what the Wausau Wastewater Treatment Plant looks like ahead of the $80 million worth of upgrades it's getting in the years to come.

The project is part of fixing the city's infrastructure. Although the wastewater treatment facility is well-maintained, many parts and equipment date back to 1939. The facility is aging and in need of full upgrades for everything that the plant does.

"There was a lot of questions about 'I can't believe it's $80 million, I can't believe the cost of this,' but when you really look at the infrastructure that's here and the size of the equipment, I think it puts it in perspective on why some of this equipment is so expensive," said Eric Lindman, the Director of Public Works for Wausau.

"This stuff does not last forever. The longer we wait, the more expensive it's going to be to try and update things. Now's the time to do it, that's the reason why we're moving forward," said Wausau Mayor Robert Mielke.

City council members also went to the water treatment plant, which the city plans to relocate.