Welcome to the
Island View Sanitary District Webpage
Here's how the Island View Sanitary District looks from satellite. The three lift stations are described in the legend at the bottom right of the photo.
Here's how the Island View Sanitary District looks from satellite. The three lift stations are described in the legend at the bottom right of the photo.
President
Ron Harrell
Email Ron
Phone: (920) 420-4861
Secretary
Vicky Rowe
Email Vicky
Phone: (920) 740-7624
Lead Lift Station Operator
Jim Latta
Email Jim
Phone: (920) 216-6421
Ad Hoc Commissioner
Cassie Yustus
Email Cassie
Phone: (920) 420-3101
Treasurer
Tom Konrad
Email Tom
Phone: (920) 233-0504
Ad Hoc Commissioner
Melanie Krawiec
Email Melanie
Phone: (920) 379-1023
Business Secretary
Julie Rosenau
Email Julie
(Please email her during normal working hours.)
Phone: (920) 236-9440
Address: PO Box 82, Winnebago, WI 54985
(or) 625 E. Snell Rd, Oshkosh, WI 54901
Looking for approved minutes and agendas of previous meetings? Click HERE.
Instructions to lot owners, buyers 2024 who want to build a house
Instructions for Lateral Contractor 2024
2024 Lateral Inspection Permit
Revised Sewer Backup Policy 2024
Looking for the IVSD Ordinance? Here's the link: Sewer Use Ordinance - Updated April 10, 2024
Looking for information regarding lift station operator and commissioner positions? Here's a link: Commissioner and Lift Station Operator positions
TITLE SEARCH COMPANIES: Title search letters for Island View Sanitary District are $40.00 per parcel. Please send a self-addressed, stamped envelope with your inquiries to:
Island View Sanitary District
C/O Julie Rosenau
PO Box 82
Winnebago, WI 54985
On the night of January 31, 2024, the Island View Sanitary District was forced to call a sanitary contractor because of a main line plug caused by a wad of flushable wipes and some construction grade gravel.
The Contractor bill for the plugged main on Chesapeake Court was $888. Having to call the contractor is expensive and certainly can be eliminated if everyone in the area would not flush wipes down the toilet.
Please heed this message so we don’t have to deal with this in the future. Rather than flushing the wipes, place a plastic lined waste container, with a lid, near your toilet for proper disposal.
The City of Oshkosh Waste Water Utility webpage has informative documents and videos revealing the hazards of flushing wipes.
Remember, we all pay for these blockages.
We appreciate your cooperation in this matter.
The Island View Sanitary District commissioners
Do you ever have overnight guests?
Renters, Pet sitters, friends and family may not be as diligent regarding proper care of your plumbing/sewer system.
We are aware of homeowners in our district who were socked with large plumbing bills due to the negligence of overnight guests.
Most people are not purposely causing damage, but instead, may be unaware of proper use of your sinks and toilets.
To protect your investment, please consider posting simple instructions in your kitchen and bathrooms for guests.
Below are two examples of instructions. These examples cover the most common causes of damage.
Thank you,
Island View Sanitary District
After months of discussion, the IVSD Board of Commissioners unanimously voted September 8, 2021 to increase the sewer user quarterly fees for its customers from $120.00 to $150.00, effective January 1, 2022. The increase, the first since 2015, when fees went from $100.00 to $120.00, will be used to address several issues facing the IVSD in the upcoming years.
Maintaining aging infrastructure, televising miles of pipe and laterals to find leaks that increase the amount of ground and stormwater (I&I) that gets processed by the City and paid for by IVSD, paying for legal counsel as a new agreement with the City approaches, and a host of other items are contributing to this increase.
We can all do our part to keep expenses down by flushing only what is acceptable, running sump pumps to the lake or ditches, and maintaining the plumbing in our homes.
Sincerely,
IVSD Board of Commissioners
Ron Harrell, President
Thomas Konrad, Treasurer
Vicky Rowe, Secretary
Dan Cowling, Ad-Hoc Commissioner
Melanie Krawiec, Ad-Hoc Commissioner
Note to Residents of the Island View Sanitary District
Any customer who is having trouble making payments is asked to contact IVSD business secretary Julie Rosenau (email Julie) or (920) 236-9440 to make payment arrangements. (June 2021)
With the COVID-19 virus upon us, Here are some important tips for keeping our IVSD performing smoothly and efficiently. We need each other's cooperation!
Julie Rosenau has replaced Trish Marks as IVSD Business Secretary as of February 12, 2020.
Originally from Monroe, WI, Julie moved to the Fox Valley in 1998. She worked briefly at Bergstrom Automotive and then spent five years in the Finance Department for Winnebago County. She left Winnebago County to work for Neenah Utilities at the City of Neenah. After 19 years, she has recently left the City of Neenah and has been fortunate enough to get her original job back in the Finance Department at Winnebago County.
Julie lives in Oshkosh and has a son, Jordan, who lives in Monroe; and a grandson, Carson James, who "has Grandma Julie wrapped around his little finger!"
Julie said, "I am an avid bowler, bowling sometimes four nights a week and bowling in fun tournaments on the weekends. I also enjoy golfing, going home to see my family, quilting and reading.
I look forward to working with everyone in the District!"
It was a long morning February 5, 2020 as a crew of individuals under the leadership of head lift station operator Roger Brey helped remove, then install a new isolation valve at Lift Station 1. The repairs were caused by some individual discarding an object which found its way to Lift Station 1 and jammed up a valve. The entire operation took nearly five hours.
A City of Oshkosh water department employee came out, tried to turn the tops on both valves that could shut off the flow from the pressurized line, but found he couldn't make any progress so the crew decided to go another route.
Roger Brey and Jacob Hofman watch as Oshkosh City Water Department employee tries to close a valve.
Winnebago Liquid Waste pumps out Lift Station 1 so Energenecs employee Jacob Hofman can replace an isolation valve.
Lift station operators Jim Latta, Jerry Tribbey and Jim Merten pumped the sewage from Lift Stations #3 and #2 into Lift Station #1, then Winnebago Liquid Waste pumped out Lift Station #1 so that Jacob Hofman from Energenecs could remove the damaged valve and install a new one.
The repair, which cost around $4,000, includes the new valve, labor for Energenecs and IVSD maintenance men, and Winnebago Liquid Waste's bill for labor and two tankerloads of sewage, one of which was deposited at the City site. The other went back into the wet well and got run through our system.
We can't stress enough that each individual in the district needs to be diligent about what goes into the system. Repairs as expensive as these, coupled with sump pumps that are hooked up to the main lines, lead to increased quarterly bills for all of us.
Wipes and cloths led this valve to be replaced at Lift Station 1
This new check valve replaced the damaged one at a cost of $1,200
A jammed check valve, packed with wipes and old cloths, shut down one of the pumps for over a month until we could secure and purchase a replacement valve. Had any kind of an emergency affected the lift station during this time, we would have been in trouble. Thanks to Jacob Hofman of Energenecs, the new check valve was installed in early April, and things are back to normal. Credit also goes to our lift station operators who kept tabs on the station while it ran on one pump. Once again, please don't flush send any kind of wipes or cloths into the sewer.
The IVSD recently hired a new lift station operator, Jerry Tribbey. Jerry grew up in a small town in midwestern Illinois. He moved to Waterloo, IA after college to work for John Deere. After eight years he and his wife Denise transferred to Horicon, WI with JD in 1987 and retired from there in 2016. Jerry worked in a variety of areas, most recently in IT. Denise is a retired business education teacher.
The couple has two sons and two grandchildren. One son, his wife and their twins live in Neenah which is part of the reason Jerry and Denise relocated to Oshkosh. The couple says they really like the Fox Valley and proximity to their family.
The truck, purchased in 2017, was outfitted with a plow for keeping the lift stations cleared of snow.
Former head lift station operator Sel Micka stands with salesman Ryan Schieble of Sheboygan Dodge after the purchase.
The IVSD has purchased a different truck for the district. Because the 1995 Dodge Ram was nearing the end, we scoured the area for a replacement and came up with a 2014 Dodge Tradesman from Sheboygan Chrysler Dodge for $21,913. It's a one-owner, Ram 1500, 5.7 V8, 4-wheel drive truck, 27,000 miles, with new Goodyear tires, a ¼ fold hard bed cover, and several extras, including a backup camera. We added a used Western plow and Ultramount, and purchased a new ball and pin for the hitch. Total cost was $25,715.
The 1995 truck, with 50,858 miles on it, was purchased in 1997 for $15,025. The district added a plow and chains a year later, making the total cost $17,720.
Once the district purchased the 2014 truck in late 2017, we advertised the '95 truck on Craig's List and sold it in less than two weeks. It had 90,860 miles on it when it was sold.
Money from two new hookups in 2017 ($18,000) and the sale of the old truck ($4,700) nearly paid for the newer vehicle. We thought this was a wise investment for the future.
A Wally Schmid employee remediates a broken lateral by connecting and adding some new PVC pipe.
In October 2017, after televising part of the IVSD, the district finished up remediation of several homes along Island View Drive that were allowing ground water infiltration into the system. With cooperation from the owners, the district corrected an improper sump pump hookup, a cracked collar on a lateral, a leaking toilet, a cracked Y in a yard, and a "squished pipe" connection between a home and a lateral. Televising also revealed an improperly installed saddle connecting the main and a lateral, and that was repaired. In the future, wherever and whenever our lift station operators detect unusual water flow, we will televise that area to pinpoint the problems and act on them immediately. Every time we correct a problem we're saving the district money.
Note to Residents of the Island View Sanitary District
Any customer who is having trouble making payments is asked to contact IVSD business secretary Julie Rosenau (email Julie) or (920) 236-9440 to make payment arrangements. (June 2021)
Speedy Clean Drain and Sewer of Menasha televised 2,793 feet of pipe April 28, 2017 in parts of Island View Drive and I Ah May Tah Rd.. Using a self-propelled camera, the company probed the mains, laterals, and manholes looking for groundwater infiltration that was entering the system and being pumped through Lift Station 1, leading to unnecessary expense to district customers. Homeowners whose laterals were carrying larger than normal amounts of water were notified by Speedy Clean/IVSD and have been asked to contact the company to remediate their laterals as soon as possible.
Often the cause of the leakage is a crack in the lateral running from the home to the sewer main. Cleanout pipes that have been run over or broken off can also lead to infiltration, and sump pumps that are illegally hooked up to the lateral are also heavy contributors.
The district plans to continue televising in the future as they become aware of infiltration problems.
Here is a chart calculated by commissioner Tom Konrad explaining the costs to district customers associated with water infiltration.
Flow Rates and IVSD Cost for Leaks into the Sanitary Sewer
0.25 gallons per minute = 15 gallons per hour, 360 gallons per day 131,400 gallons per year which costs $352.15.
0.5 gallons per minute = 30 gallons per hour, 720 gallons per day, 262,800 gallons per year which costs $704.30.
1 gallon per minute = 60 gallons per hour, 1440 gallons per day, 525,600 gallons per year which costs $1,408.61.
2 gallons per minute = 120 gallons per hour, 2880 gallons per day, 1,051,200 gallons per year which costs $2,814.54.
3 gallons per minute = 180 gallons per hour, 4320 gallons per day, 1,576,800 gallons per year which costs $4,225.84.
4 gallons per minute = 240 gallons per hour, 5760 gallons per day, 2,102,400 gallons per year which costs $5,634.43.
5 gallons per minute = 300 gallons per hour, 7200 gallons per day, 2,628,000 gallons per year which costs $7,043.04.
Here's a quick update on what's been happening with the IVSD in the past few years:
Over the summer of 2016 the Island View Sanitary District rehabbed six manholes. Great Lakes did the rehabbing, and at the moment the district seems to have addressed the most serious groundwater leakage problems. The City of Oshkosh and IVSD split the bill on the rehabbing of Manhole 11 which is located in front of Lift Station 1 at 4585 Island View Drive. Lift Station 1 takes in wastewater from both the City of Oshkosh and IVSD, then sends it to the City for processing.
Make sure sump pumps are operating properly
Please make sure your sump pumps are operating properly and are discharging ground and surface water to the lake, ditches or yards. This water must not be pumped into the sanitary laterals and mains as each home owner/resident/renter will end up paying for processing fees from the City of Oshkosh for water that doesn't need to be processed. If you are unsure about whether your sump pump is hooked up properly, please contact Jim Latta: Lead Lift Station Operator ([email protected]) (920) 216-6421 or Jerry Tribbey: Assistant Head Lift Station Operator ([email protected]) (920) 344-5723 .
What to Do During a Power Outage
During an outage, very limited use of flushing toilets and draining sinks will help prevent sewer backups. As soon as the power returns you can return to normal use. Please remember our new on-site generators will kick in at Lift Stations 1 and 2, but we have to hook up the portable generator to Lift Station 3 to keep the pumps in operation until power is restored.
Commissioners welcome resident input
IVSD welcomes resident input either by e-mail, phone or attendance at our meetings (7:00 PM on the second Wednesday of the month at the town hall). If you have a concern or suggestion feel free to contact us.
Beginning in late July 2015, Great Lakes began rehabilitating several manholes along Island View Drive. Most of the manholes had deteriorated to the point that groundwater was leaking into them, weakening the concrete, and putting us in danger of spending hundreds of dollars each month processing water that should never have entered our system. Although expensive, Great Lakes is the leader in manhole rehabilitation in the state, serving communities of all sizes. Manhole #26 had been repaired in an emergency situation earlier in July, but the repairs were temporary and stopgap at best. We hope with a yearly manhole rehabilitation plan, we will be able to catch problems before they begin. (July 2015)
Great Lakes adds concrete to manhole #26 to help stop the massive groundwater leak.
Mike Anderson lowers the Generac generator onto its concrete base in late September. The generator provides immediate emergency power to the pumps at Lift Station 1. Nearby residents within hearing range of the lift station can expect the generator to test run for 20 to 25 minutes at noon every Saturday.
The new on-site Generac generator went online Monday, December 22. IVSD commissioners voted 3-0 to purchase the generator at its July 9, 2014 meeting. The generator has been placed at Lift Station 1 and will provide immediate power to the pumps during power outages. In the past, IVSD lift station operators had no more than 30 minutes to drive to the IVSD garage, hook up the trailer, drive back to Lift Station 1 and hook up the generator. Having the on-site generator will allow lift station operators to use the portable generator at Lift Stations 2 and 3 in case of an outage.
The district applied for and was granted a variance July 9, 2014 by the City's Board of Appeals to allow for the new generator. After considerable discussion at the August 6, 2014 meeting, commissioners decided to pay for the generator from existing funds, rather than from a loan from either the state or a local bank. A rate increase of $20 per quarter beginning January 2015 will help replenish the spent funds, pay the City of Oshkosh for sewage disposal and maintain the manhole rehabilitation plan developed last year.
Public Service installed a gas line to the generator on October 13, 2014.
Head lift station operator Sel Micka begins testing the new on-site generator at Lift Station 1.
The generator went online December 22, 2016 and will kick in if the power supply is cut off.
Varnish or stain causes alarm at Lift Station #3
Lift Station #3 experienced a High Level Alarm August 4. A cracked sight glass was the problem, but inside the sight glass was a large amount of what appears to be varnish or stain. Anyone pouring these chemicals into the sewage system should stop immediately before further damage occurs to the pumps at the station. Any person with knowledge regarding this situation is encouraged to call one of the commissioners or Sel Micka, the head lift station operator. (August 4, 2014)
Note to Residents of the Island View Sanitary District
Any customer who is having trouble making payments is asked to contact IVSD business secretary Julie Rosenau (email Julie) or (920) 236-9440 to make payment arrangements. (June 2021)
Energenecs service technician Chris Bales takes the repaired pump off the IVSD truck to reinstall it inside Lift Station 2.
One of the pumps in Lift Station #2 on Channel View Road had been making so much noise that Head Lift Station Operator Sel Micka decided it was time to replace the bearings and clean up the pump. Energenecs service technician Chris Bales pulled the pump July 30, Micka had the bearings replaced and the wiring redone at Oshkosh Electric the same day, and Bales reinstalled the pump July 31. Because there are two pumps at each lift station, Micka switched pump operations to the working pump while this one was being repaired. As Micka said, "It's better to get these things taken care of before they completely break down. It's hard to get two entities to work in tandem within two days, and both these firms did their jobs well. The pump is purring beautifully after the repair."
A mouse had chewed on the wires sometime in the past, so Micka also checked the wiring and found more chewing on the other pump. Unfortunately for the mouse, he chewed a wire while the pump was operating and is now history. Micka is now putting mothballs near the wiring in all three lift stations to keep the mice out. (July 31, 2014)
Diapers, clear water infiltration causes problems
Please do not throw diapers, Depends or sanitary pads down the toilet. In the past few weeks these articles have been showing up in the main sewer line from 5186-5066 Island View Drive. If these objects make it to Lift Station 2, we could be in some trouble and would have to spend several hundred dollars to repair the pumps.
Below is information from the IVSD Ordinance.
Section 1. No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any storm water, surface water, groundwater, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, uncontaminated cooling water, or unpolluted industrial process waters to any sanitary sewer.
Section 2. Storm water and all other unpolluted drainage shall be discharged to such sewers as are specifically designed as storm sewers, or to a natural outlet approved by the District. Industrial cooling water or unpolluted process waters may be discharged, on approval of the District, to a storm sewer or natural outlet.
ARTICLE XI. PENALTIES
Amendment #9
Section 1. Any person found to be violating any provision of this Ordinance shall be served by the District with written notice stating the nature of the violation and providing the person in violation a thirty(30) day period for the satisfactory correction thereof The Commission may extend the period of time for satisfactory correction of the violation upon application for an extension of the thirty (30) day correction period by the offender and upon good cause shown or upon the Commission's discretion based upon considerations for weather or other good cause. The offender shall, within the period of time stated in such notice, or upon the time period as extended by the Commission, permanently cease all violations and make all corrections specified in such notice. There shall be no "time limit" before violation of Article VIII shall be enforced.
Section 2. Any person who shall continue any violation beyond the time limit provided for in Article XI, Section 1, may be charged with such violation under the laws of the State of Wisconsin, the Town of Oshkosh or the Island View Sanitary District, and if convicted thereof, shall forfeit an amount not exceeding $200.00 for each violation. Each day in which any such violation shall continue shall be deemed a separate offense. Any person violating any provision of this Ordinance may be prosecuted for said violation before the Municipal Court of the community where such violation occurred or in the Circuit Court of the County where such violation occurred.
In addition to the penalties set forth in Article XI, Sections 2-5 of this Ordinance, the court shall require that the offender pay court costs of the proceeding and may further require payment of all actual costs necessary to return the drainage status to acceptable working order.
Jim Merten and Rick Siemann exercise the portable generator at Lift Station #2 for events that occur like the one described below. The generator is tested once a month.
It was Christmas Eve Day 2013, 12 degrees below zero... COLD!!!! At 5:30 AM, the lift station operators received an emergency call from Lift Stations 2 and 3 (located on Channel View and I Ah May Tah) indicating the stations were running on battery backup and that the power was out.
Lift Station Operator John Ross was on call so he surveyed the situation and called Head Lift Station Operator Sel Micka to tell him that a power phase had been lost and that Stations 2 and 3 were down. The two pumps in each lift station run on three phases so the phase that was out did not affect the power to the rest of the homes in the area. (To further explain this, each home needs a primary wire"top wire" and a ground. All residences use single phase "one top" wire and a ground. The top wire that was out did not feed the homes in the area. The lift station needs all three top wires and a ground because it is three phase---Micka)
Shortly after Ross called Micka, lift station operator Jim Merten called to ask what was happening. Merten was plowing snow so he agreed to meet Ross and Micka at the IVSD shop next to the firehouse on County Trunk Y to pick up the district's portable generator and help pull it to the lift stations. On the way to the shop, Ross notified Wisconsin Public Service of the power outage.
While Ross and Micka readied the generator, Merten took his own truck to #2 to plow the snow and make way for the generator's arrival.
One of the main problems a winter power outage presents in a lift station is loss of power to the heaters which keep the equipment inside the station running. The equipment doesn't perform well below 50 degrees. It's also difficult for the lift station operators to work in the early morning hours because of the low light and the bitter cold.
Upon arriving at #2, the men pumped down the station, with the help of the portable generator, sending the effluent to #1, located on Island View Drive. Lift Station #1 was the only lift station not affected by the outage. While Ross and Micka worked at #2, Merten went ahead and plowed out #3.
After pumping down #2, Micka and Ross joined Merten at #3. Because of the extreme cold, the padlocks on the power control board would not open. The crew used warm WD40 from inside the station to thaw out the locks. At this time lift station operator Mark Sellers arrived, so Merten was able to go back to his plowing. Because the heat needed to be maintained inside the two lift stations, Sellers went back home, got his personal generator, and came back to #3 where he connected it to the heater. He would stay at #3 until the power was restored.
Micka and Ross went back to #2 and maintained the station's power with the district's portable generator. Fortunately, power was restored before #3 reached a high level and would need to have been pumped, necessitating a trip back to #3 with the district's generator. Power came back on around 8:15 a.m. so the men returned both lift stations to automatic operation and went back to the shop to park the truck and generator, then head home. Hours later the men found out that a car had hit a power pole, causing the outage. Many residents were unaware that the power had gone out, and few knew the drama that had played out in the early morning hours.
Updated: Nov 26, 2013 4:46 PM CST
Broadcast on WBAY-TV Green Bay, WI on the 6:00 PM news
By Patrick Nelson
Green Bay -
Every Thanksgiving in kitchens across northeast Wisconsin turkey grease and other foods are dumped down kitchen sinks, and cause major problems for the people responsible for our sewer systems.
The problem is getting so bad, it may soon cost municipalities more money to carry waste water services because of the expense for these companies to clear pipes that are clogged.
Families are getting ready to spend hours in the kitchen preparing Thanksgiving dinner. They'll have important decisions to make, like what sides to make with their turkey, but the water treatment plant says they'll have an even more important decision to make and that's deciding what to put down their drain.
"What happens is the products will solidify in the pipes and accumulate on the inside of the pipe walls, and as it does so it will start to collect other constitutions in the sewer system and create blockages," said NEW Water Field Service Manager Brian VanderLoop.
Pipes become clogged, causing sewage to back up into residential homes, costing thousands of dollars in maintenance for both homeowners and sewage treatment crews, as they try to clear the pipes.
The grease causing this problem is seen by the people monitoring our sewer system on a daily basis.
This year, they're asking people to keep turkey grease and food products out of their drains.
"Find a container, drain those materials off into a container and let them solidify and over time once that container is full dispose of it in your garbage," said VanderLoop.
If grease and food continue flowing through our waste water pipes causing these problems, it may start to cost municipalities more money to carry the service, which means you'll pay higher rates on your utility bills.
So, think before you pour it down the sink.
For more information on what to do with grease and fat, go to: LINK
Note to Residents of the Island View Sanitary District
Any customer who is having trouble making payments is asked to contact IVSD business secretary Julie Rosenau (email Julie) or (920) 236-9440 to make payment arrangements. (June 2021)
Great Lakes TV and Seal rehabilitated six manholes in October 2013. The manholes were deteriorating rapidly because of the formation of sulfuric acid which attacks the concrete and produces holes in the manholes which allow groundwater to enter the system. The groundwater gets sent to the treatment plant to be processed along with the regular sewage from all homes in the IVSD. This influx of ground water adds more costs to our treatment bills. The district will be rehabbing several manholes each year until all problem manholes have been repaired.
The above photos, provided by Great Lakes TV and Seal, show the rehabilitation of Manhole 50A, located near Lift Station 2 on Channel View Drive. Each manhole was pressure-washed to remove all loose cement, then after several other steps, was painted with epoxy to prevent future damage and maintain the integrity of the manhole. The district rehabilitated six more manholes in 2016.