Paul Haugen had a mystery on his hands. The six wells supplying water to Germantown Waterworks’ customers were supposed to be inspected every 10 years, but some ran barely half as long.
For example, Wells 4 and 11 lasted two and four years. In February 2021, Well 5 went down after eight years. A cheese manufacturer exacerbated the situation by requiring the capacity of one well — 1 mgd.
“With the utility two wells deficient, we’re at the threshold of not meeting peak demand,” says Haugen, superintendent of the utility in Southeast Wisconsin. “If a water main ruptures or we have a major fire, the
