MMSD recognized as a '2024 Utility of the Future' Today Program to Honor Innovative Utilities

MMSD is recognized as a premier water reclamation utility in the United States. The Jones Island Water Reclamation Facility became operational in 1926 and piloted the activated sludge treatment process. In 1927, MMSD began production of its biosolids fertilizer, Milorganite®, which is still used on golf courses and sold at garden centers throughout the United States. MMSD operations expanded in 1968 with the addition of a second facility, South Shore.

Since 1994, the MMSD the Inline Storage System, the "Deep Tunnels," reduced overflows from 50 - 60 per year to an average of just over 2 per year. The Deep Tunnel operation has captured and cleaned an average of 98.56% of stormwater and wastewater entering its system.

Building on this foundation of excellence, in the late 1990s, MMSD broadened its vision and directed resources to incorporate a comprehensive watershed approach to meet its charge to protect public health and the region's waterways. With visionary leadership and innovative organizational culture, MMSD integrated watershed-based planning with exemplary operations of facilities and conveyance systems.