Sanitary District #4
Sanitary Dist. #4 Staff: Mike, Tony, and Terry
| Terry Heidmann, Superintendent | 262-798-8629 |
| Inge Heidmann, Bookkeeper | 262-798-8631 |
| Helen John, Billing Clerk | 262-798-8631 |
Sanitary District No. 4, the water and sewer utility in the Town of Brookfield, was created in 1988. As of January 1, 2007, we have a customer base of over 2,143. The distribution system consists of a 250,000 gallon water tower and two ground storage reservoirs. Our water comes from the shallow dolomite aquifer. We have six wells which all flow through filters to remove the iron that is predominant in the shallow aquifer. Because of the water quality, we are only required to add a little chlorine for disinfection and the water is ready for the distribution system. On an average day, the Sanitary District provides the Town of Brookfield with 1.2 million gallons of water.
The office staff, which is now located within the town hall, includes a full-time bookkeeper, Inge Heidmann and part-time billing clerk, Helen John. Field operations are manned at our water tower location by Superintendent Terry Heidmann and two operators, Mike Geldon and Tony Skof. The Sanitary District's DNR licensed operators are here to ensure the excellent water quality 24 hours a day, every day of the year. We are committed to ensuring the quality of your water.
Our goal is to provide you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water at a reasonable price. We make continual efforts to improve the water treatment process and protect our water resources.
Water Chemistry & Water Heaters
To answer some questions and comments we often hear, we thought an article on water and water heaters might be helpful. People comment that the water is bad because of the particles on the bottom of ice cube trays or in coffee pots. We can’t fight the fact that there is an enormous amount of calcium in the water. That is because we have shallow wells in the limestone aquifer. We do filter the water to remove the iron but we can’t remove the calcium. That means our water is hard as a brick and needs softening.
There lies the second part of this article. We also hear that “my water heater only lasted, insert any amount of time, because the water around here ate it up.” That now brings us to “Water Heater 101”. Water heaters have steel tanks that are lined with a thin glass coating to prevent corrosion, but the glass coating doesn’t cover the steel inlet and outlet pipes. When installing a new water heater, it is imperative that di-electric connectors are used between the heater and the copper water pipes. These connectors separate the dissimilar metals that can cause corrosion thru electrolysis. Because we know that there will be some sort of corrosion in the tank, water heaters all have “anodes” in them. Anodes, usually made of magnesium, are the sacrificial part of the water heater. Since the anode is consumed easier than the steel tank, they corrode first. If there is too much corrosion or too much time, the anode may go away, and then the tank is next in the corrosion food chain. When salt is added, as in softened water, the anodes corrode more quickly. One more interesting thing, when we heat water as in steam cleaning, the water gets more aggressive. Bear in mind this corrosion should take years to happen.
So where are we going with this is, calcium is not bad, but it makes water hard. Secondly, if the water heater is installed properly, you and your heater should have a long and happy relationship. Thirdly, water is our greatest resource, embrace it.
Now you can impress your friends with your knowledge of anodes, electrolysis and water heaters. Consider this our gift to you.
Hydrant Flushing
This year's fire hydrant flushing will be April 8 through April 26 and October 7 through October 25, 2013.
The flushing accomplishes several tasks from exercising the valves to checking operational status, and removing some trace minerals that can deposit in the distribution system.
New Utility Bills
Sanitary District #4 has instituted new utility bills. Check the Utility Bills here.
There is also a new Utility Bill schedule. The new schedule for utility billings:
1st Qtr January thru March - Due April 25
2nd Qtr April thru June - Due July 25
3rd Qtr July thru September - Due October 25
4th Qtr October thru December - Due January 25
If the 25th lands on a Saturday, the bill will be due Friday, the 24th, and if the 25th lands on a Sunday, the bill will be due Monday, the 26th. To avoid penalties, payments must be received in the town hall office or tower drop box, by 4:30 pm on the due date. DO NOT put payments in the U.S. Mail Box located in the town hall parking lot. The drop box for payments is located just right of the east entrance of the town hall. Also, note the amount due after the due date printed on the utility bill only reflects the first late fee. A late fee is assessed to the account every month on the 26th.
If you make an online bill payment, please provide your account number so your payment will be applied correctly. Be sure to give your bank and the postal service 7 to 10 days to process and deliver your payment by the due date.