Minimal revenue sources, private sanitary systems, a potentially polluted riverbed, and two governmental entities in one community had all the makings to put the brakes on an important project that could protect the environment and provide a vital service to the citizens. Despite the challenges, the community banded together to forge a unique partnership that leveraged new funding sources to build new community systems to provide drinking water and to treat wastewater, scheduled for completion this summer.

Danbury, Wis, located in the northwestern part of the state, is an unincorporated community made up of two local government entities: the Town of Swiss and the St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin.

The Town of Swiss residents formed a Sanitary District and partnered with the St. Croix Chippewa Indians to create the Joint Water Quality Commission (JWQC) of Danbury. After eight years of planning, the JWQC obtained nearly $10 million in grants to help launch the nearly $14 million infrastructure project.

A land trade with Burnett County provided the land for the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and private lands were purchased for the water tower and well sites. The project was later awarded additional funding from USDA Rural Development and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Clean Water Fund Hardship Program.

SEH conducted the initial studies and reports and provided the Wastewater Facility Plan and Water Engineering Report. SEH also designed the WWTP, sanitary sewer and water distribution systems, wells, and water towers.

The project consists of: 

• A continuous flow Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) WWTP
• An elevated spheroid water tower, two wells and well house
• 25,000 linear feet of gravity sanitary sewer and 6,700 linear feet of sanitary force main
• Two lift stations and three grinder stations
• 34.000 linear feet of water lines, two directional drilled river crossings, SCADA system, and all the associated road and turf restoration