Taking the Initiative – City of Janesville, Wisconsin's Comprehensive Collection System Master Planning Provides a Roadmap for the Future

The City of Janesville is located in south central Wisconsin along the Rock River. Its proximity to the river and major transportation corridors, combined with a stable local economy, has fueled population growth in the area.In recent years, internal engineering studies have indicated a potential need for collection system improvements, particularly downstream of areas with high development potential. During this time, the State of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) was evaluating options to implement a Capacity, Management, Operation & Maintenance (CMOM) program within the state. Additionally, the City had experienced several major sewer failures resulting in a significant infusion of maintenance and rehabilitation funds. The City wanted assurance that these maintenance and rehabilitation efforts were making optimal use of these funds. These factors pointed to a need for an overall collection system master planning effort. The master plan would show not only where the collection system needed reinforcement, but would also provide an overall management plan (incorporating necessary elements of the CMOM program) for the future.This paper is intended to present not only the technical information associated with the project, but is primarily intended to provide the reader with insight relative to the overall master planning process, from both the municipal and consultant side of the project.