Persistent sewer backups plagued a Thiensville neighborhood during heavy rains, with infiltration from aging pipes suspected as the culprit. Learn how the Village teamed up with R/M and MMSD to use innovative techniques to reduce infiltration (PP/II) and address sewer backups at no cost to homeowners.
Facing stricter phosphorus limits, the Stephensville Sanitary District teamed up with R/M and the Wisconsin Water Quality Clearinghouse to find an innovative solution. Through Water Quality Trading, they’re balancing phosphorus levels, reducing chemical use, and saving costs. Discover how this collaboration is setting a new standard for phosphorus reduction.
Wetland mitigation banking offers a promising solution to compensate for the loss of wetlands due to activities like municipal construction, private development, or agriculture. By restoring, creating, or enhancing wetland areas, these mitigation banks provide credits that developers can purchase to offset the environmental impacts of their projects. Instead of individually restoring wetlands for each project—a costly and complex task—developers can buy credits from established banks, streamlining the process and meeting environmental regulations more efficiently.
Maintaining water quality is essential for the health and safety of any community, particularly for those that are classified as Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) communities or are governed by Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs). These designations bring with them a set of stringent requirements to prevent pollution from contaminating local water bodies. Meeting these standards not only ensures compliance with environmental regulations but also contributes to the broader goal of protecting natural resources for current and future generations.
Hub Sites offer a centralized platform for municipalities to share vital community information, from polling locations to complex project data. Learn how these online portals enhance transparency, streamline workflows, and foster collaboration between local government and its residents.
The City of Franklin constructed a new interceptor to address increased development but soon faced severe odor complaints. To combat this niche issue, a multi-phase approach was implemented to effectively mitigate odors, allowing the interceptor to operate efficiently for the community.
R/M is excited to announce the addition of Iowa-based engineering firm Axiom Consultants (Axiom) to our 100% employee-owned organization. This addition brings together two strong engineering organizations, providing numerous opportunities and benefits for both employees and clients. Clients of both firms will benefit from a broader range of services offered under one cohesive team, including civil engineering and building services such as structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing.
Taking place annually on June 23, International Women in Engineering Day celebrates the achievements of women in engineering. R/M is extremely proud of all our women who make community possible with their work every day. Meet a few of our women in engineering at R/M!
Quality observation, documentation, and communication are essential to ensure all project components are balanced, and disruptions to residents are minimized. Learn how R/M’s field services team and technology bridges the gap between client and contractor to ensure project requirements are being met through diligent construction review.
Thinking about a new project but worried it might impact endangered species? This guide will help you navigate the state and federal regulations protecting these vulnerable creatures. Learn about the key steps involved in the review process, from initial screening to permits, and discover how to avoid project delays.
In the constantly evolving world of civil engineering, a new technology is revolutionizing how engineers approach facility renovation and design: the "digital twin". Discover how digital twins can significantly enhance design, visualization, and planning capabilities, proving invaluable in the design and renovation of municipal facilities.
Federal standards for per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) for public drinking water systems were updated on April 10, 2024, including 4.0 ppt for PFOA and PFOS compounds. The upcoming PFAS threshold for municipal action will be significantly lower. Learn what these changes mean for your municipality.
Employee-owned civil engineering firm, Ruekert & Mielke, Inc. (R/M), is excited to announce the addition of Ryan Spackman, P.E. as the Office Manager in charge of leading civil engineering for their Kenosha, Wisconsin location.
Considering rate increases for utilities, such as water, electric, and sewer services, becomes necessary when facing challenges like low cash flow or imminent large capital projects. Implementing gradual rate adjustments can prevent customer shock and facilitate easier budgeting, making it essential for utilities to evaluate their financial health and plan accordingly.
Mobile GIS apps put crucial infrastructure data in your hands, anywhere. Discover how Ruekert & Mielke, Inc.'s mobile GIS applications revolutionize fieldwork by providing instant access to critical infrastructure data.
Forestry grants play a crucial role in helping municipalities fund the development and maintenance of community forestry programs. This includes activities such as tree inventories, plantings, pruning, invasive species control, and other sustainable practices. Additionally, leveraging GIS to maintain accurate tree data keeps tree inventories and forestry management plans accurate and efficient. By combining these two tools, municipalities can effectively maintain the health and resilience of their forest ecosystems.
Securing funds for infrastructure projects can be a challenge for municipalities. The good news? There's a wealth of grant programs available to support a wide range of projects. Whether you're looking to upgrade storm drains, install solar panels, or restore your local stream, there's likely a grant program out there that aligns with your goals. Follow these steps to find the best grant to fit your project!
Unprecedented federal and state funding has led to a surge of municipal right-of-way permit requests from private utility companies looking to install community-wide fiber and rural broadband network infrastructure. However, projects of this magnitude place considerable demand on municipal staff and community resources. We’ve compiled a checklist of duties and best practices to prepare your community and safeguard your existing infrastructure.
Installing filters for phosphorus removal has proven to be an effective way to meet the Water Quality-Based Effluent Limits (WQELS) for effluent total phosphorus. Consideration should be given to identify potential strategies to fit filters in an existing hydraulic profile. Learn more about best practices when considering the addition of pumping equipment.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) required Municipal Separate Storm Sewer (MS4) annual report is coming due on March 31, 2024. Compiling the list of various MS4 compliance items performed throughout 2023 can be a challenge. We’ve created a summary of what to expect on this year’s report.
A new option to fund replacing private lead service lines (LSLs) has just been introduced. This option allows municipalities to create a new program utility that is completely separate from their water utilities. This new utility would loan money to property owners to fund replacing their LSLs.
The defining jurisdictional boundary of the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) has been in contention since the Clean Water Act of 1972. In August of 2023, the jurisdictional boundary of the Waters of the United States were appended to meet the Sackett v. EPA Supreme Court decision. Learn what this ruling means for the future of your projects.
From data management, to hubsites, to ArcGIS, our GIS experts do it all! Get to know our GIS team in celebration of National GIS Day on November 15, 2023.
Before a public utility can change water rates and begin billing those rates, the utility must receive approval from the PSC. For water rate cases, utilities have the option to file either a Conventional Rate Case (CRC) or a Simplified Rate Case (SRC). A CRC is recommended if your utility is making more substantial changes to rates. Learn how we can help you process your next municipal conventional water rate case with the PSC.
Employee-owned civil engineering firm, Ruekert & Mielke, Inc. (R/M), is excited to announce the addition of Cory Horton, PE, CFM, CPESC, EnvSP as a Client Team Leader on their Civil Engineering Team in Madison, Wisconsin.
Titan CEO and headline sponsor Wipfli LLP are pleased to announce Stan Sugden, P.E., CEO and President of Ruekert & Mielke, Inc., as a 2024 Wisconsin Titan 100. The Titan 100 program recognizes Wisconsin’s Top 100 CEO’s & C-level executives. They are the area’s most accomplished business leaders in their industry using criteria that includes demonstrating exceptional leadership, vision, and passion.
Sanitary sewer lift stations are critical to a municipality’s infrastructure to maintain a reliable collection system. There are multiple components for lift stations that should be reviewed and assessed intermittently to make sure a station operates efficiently and effectively with redundant and back-up systems. Learn about the electrical and control components that require intermittent assessments to run efficiently.
Tracking, analyzing, and accessing essential data for a community can be a difficult, tedious task for administrators. By implementing GIS systems, questions regarding cost to manage equipment, inventory, personnel, and assets themselves can easily be answered. Learn how the Villages of Huntley and Allouez achieve their goals by using different, customized GIS solutions to manage their assets.
The Honey Creek Headwaters and Stream Restoration Project is the revitalization of the City of Greenfield’s most commonly used park – Konkel Park. The project area included a 0.92-mile segment of Honey Creek that had been overgrown with buckthorn, filled with sediment, and had no natural inputs. Using natural channel design, the streams are now operating hydraulically like a normal stream.
