Sanitary Sewer Utility

Sanitary & Storm Sewer Maintenance

The Village maintains a regular sewer maintenance program. Sewers are flushed on a regular schedule and sewer lines are checked/sealed on a rotating schedule and as-needed basis.

Brown Deer is among the leading communities in southeastern Wisconsin over the past 20 years in inspecting and repairing its sanitary sewer system. The Village periodically inspects its system by closed circuit television, and has exhaustively redressed the problems that have been found. The Village has sealed its sewer mains and manholes, and in the past has ordered downspouts and sump pump discharges disconnected from the sanitary system. The result is a local sanitary sewer system that has a low wet weather/dry weather flow ratio.

Sanitary Sewer Backups

Unfortunately, sewer backups occur from time to time. In most cases the backups are due to foreign objects in the sewer lines, such as tree roots or paper products improperly flushed into the sewer system. This is why the sewer system is regularly maintained and checked on a specific schedule by Village crews. However, if you happen to notice a sewer backup at your residence it is important to notify the Village quickly. Contact the Department of Public Works between the hours of 7 am and 4 pm, or contact the Brown Deer Police Department at any other time.

Lateral Infiltration & Inflow

Private lateral infiltration and inflow (INI) is another household flooding problem which has been determined to be a major cause of sanitary sewers backing up into basements in Brown Deer. The Village applied for and was awarded $200,000 from the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) to conduct an INI pilot project to control the impact on sanitary sewer systems. The Village used these funds to repair leaky private laterals that connect home sanitary sewer systems to the main sewer lines. The project focused on 354 single-family homes west of N 60th Street and north of Bradley Road in the Bradley Estates Number 2 subdivision.

Other Sewer-Related Resources