Environmental Impact Assessment
UW Milwaukee Pumphouse Modifications
University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
DFD #21K1P
The State of Wisconsin Department of Administration, Division of Facilities Development (DFD) has retained Cornerstone Environmental Group, a Tetra Tech company (Tetra Tech), on behalf of the Universities of Wisconsin (UoW) to prepare an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the proposed University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee (UWM) Central Plant Chiller #1 Replacement, Plant & Pumphouse Modifications. The EIA will be prepared in accordance with the Wisconsin Environmental Policy Act (WEPA), Wisconsin Statutes 1.11, and UoW guidelines. An initial component of this EIA is the scoping process to identify at an early stage any potential impacts of the project on the physical, biological, social, and economic environments. Because you, your agency, or your group may have an interest in the project or are representing neighbors near the project vicinity, we are inviting you to participate in the scoping process.
Known project components and identification of potential impacts to be studied in the EIA will be collected at this early phase of design development. All identified stakeholders will be afforded a reasonable opportunity to identify in writing any support, issues, or concerns they believe should be addressed during the EIA process for this proposed project.
This project replaces the current lake water pump #2, within the lakeshore Pumphouse built in 1970. The lakeshore Pumphouse is located just north (approximately 400 feet) of the City of Milwaukee Water Works’ Linnwood Water Treatment Plant (3000 N Lincoln Memorial Drive, Milwaukee, WI 53211). The existing pump is late-70’s vintage and needs to be upsized to provide additional lake water condenser flow to the chiller plant to maximize plan chilling output as the UWM campus southwest quadrant is expanded with science and engineering facilities. The existing Pumphouse will be expanded to accommodate the new lake water pump #2. Further, the existing lake water pumps #3 through #5 do not deliver maximum performance due to plant condenser strainer cleaning frequency, excessive pressure drop at the inlet of condenser pump #3 (within the plant) and due to the pressure control point being located down in the lake water pumphouse (it needs to be relocated to the central plant for more accurate system feedback control).
The project furnishes and installs a new 6,000 gallons per minute (gpm), approximately 160 feet head, vertical multistage centrifugal pump (new lake water pump #2) with a new 480-volt, 300 horsepower motor and variable frequency drive to match the duty and capability of lake water pumps #3 through #5. Along with a new electrical service to support the larger motor size, this project will include new upsized discharge piping, valving, insulation, concrete supports, and miscellaneous local control work along with the plant control monitoring integration with existing program logic controller (PLC) system in plant. The lake water pumping upgrade will include replacement and relocation of the pressure control transmitter from the pumphouse discharge manifold to the central plant main and work on the plant condenser pump strainers to reduce the pressure drop in normal operation.
One item to note is that the lake water intake, which is roughly three-quarters of a mile offshore and thirty-six feet below the lake water surface, will be enlarged to accommodate current WDNR regulations. This modification to the intake will be documented and reviewed as part of the lake water permit modification application process with the WDNR.
The project adds 1,078 gross square feet (GSF) to the lakeshore Pumphouse facility, which is currently 1,205 GSF.
The Central Chilling Plant structure, chilled water systems, and chilled water equipment will also be upgraded to replace outdated equipment and provide reliable chilled water on the campus, which is a critical need.
The project total cost is anticipated to be $24,128,000 and will start construction in February 2025, reaching substantial completion the following year.
Impacts that are identified during this scoping process will be incorporated into a draft EIA report which will be made available to the public for a minimum of 15 days as a review period and will be circulated to appropriate federal, state, and local agencies. Comments and inquiries of the draft EIA document and a recommendation on the findings of the EIA will be developed for release by the UW System as either the project does not significantly affect the quality of the human environment or as a Major and Significant Action thereby requiring the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
If you are interested in this project or have any information relevant to it, we welcome your comments, suggestions, or other input by December 13, 2024, to be considered in the draft EIA. Comments received after that date will be considered in preparation of the final EIA. The Draft EIA is anticipated to be released in late December 2024. Send your comments to:
If no comments are received from you or your agency, we will assume there are no project issues that negatively impact you. You will have additional opportunities to provide comments during the upcoming public comment period and public meeting. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this process, please contact Austin Yeast at (608) 621-1316.
Available for download below is the Scoping Letter, Site Map, and Comment Form demonstrating continued compliance with WEPA requirements throughout the EIA process.
Please contact Austin Yeast ([email protected]) with any further questions.