It’s every treatment plant’s worst nightmare: the people you serve getting sick from your plant’s water. The most potent example of this is the Milwaukee Cryptosporidium outbreak of 1993. Over 400,000 people were affected and more than 100 died.
Coming back from such a disaster takes fortitude and commitment — and for the city of Milwaukee, over $90 million in immediate treatment upgrades. To date, the city has spent $508 million in water infrastructure upgrades, not all related specifically to Cryptosporidium, but all in an effort to ensure their citizens are protected.
The outbreak
This April marked 25 years
