A sewer district official in Milwaukee is promising a closer look at improved sewage treatment, after the release of a study showing pharmaceuticals flushed through Milwaukee’s sewer system aren’t being sufficiently diluted by Lake Michigan.
The website Environmental Health News is reporting on a study from the UW-Milwaukee showing 27 chemicals were found in Lake Michigan near Milwaukee. None of the prescription drugs have been found in Milwaukee drinking water, which comes from the lake, but the drugs could harm creatures near shore, like fish and smaller organisms.
Michael West chairs the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District board. He says the board will discuss whether sewage treatment could capture more of the pollution, “but it will be in the context of other priorities as well, and the responsibility of the commission.”
News with a little more humanity
WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” newsletter keeps you connected to the state you love without feeling overwhelmed. No paywall. No agenda. No corporate filter.
West says the district is also trying to replace aging sewers, keep more rain out of sanitary sewers and prepare to reduce phosphorus pollution. There is some uncertainty as to whether better treatment technology for pharmaceuticals can work in large systems like Milwaukee’s. So, West says the district will continue with efforts to get people to drop off unused pharmaceuticals at collection sites, instead of putting them down a toilet.
Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2025, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.
