Fond du Lac City Council adopts wastewater annual report after superintendent cites perfect DNR score

Cody Shepki, superintendent of the Fond du Lac City wastewater treatment and resource recovery facility, told the council on June 10 that the plant earned a 4.0 out of 4.0 on the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) annual compliance review.

"We received a 4.0 out of four," Shepki said, citing the DNR scoring system used to evaluate categories such as flow capacity, bio solids quality, staffing and energy efficiency. He described recent and near-term capital work at the Lakeside Park treatment plant: installation of a bio solids dryer to make a higher‑quality dried product, a new silo to store roughly a month of dried material, and plans to clean biogas for injection into the natural‑gas pipeline as a revenue and reuse stream. Shepki said construction is on schedule for fall startup and that operations could begin in early 2027.

Shepki also discussed efforts to reduce phosphorus discharges and a planned lower permit limit expected with the plant's next permit. He described a water‑quality trading project with Fond du Lac County Airport that converts agricultural land to native grasses and generates credits the city can use when wet weather challenges treatment limits.

Council members pressed technical questions about the scoring and programs. Shepki said the DNR uses a software system that scores submitted data automatically, confirmed the city’s youth apprenticeship program is in its fourth year and requires 450 hours for participating students, and acknowledged public concerns about per‑ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). "We've done analysis to date; our levels are very low," he said, and added the plant will expand monitoring for PFAS in effluent and bio solids under the next permit.

After the presentation and questions, the council voted unanimously to adopt Resolution 9245, approving the facility's compliance, maintenance and annual report.

The resolution adoption formalizes the city's acceptance of the report and directs continued monitoring and implementation of the projects Shepki described. City staff indicated further updates will be provided as the bio solids dryer and related infrastructure move toward operation.