Muskego Homeowners May Be Subject to Inspection of Water Hook Ups

During the Public Works meeting on Monday, City Utilities Superintendent Scott Kloskowski explained the need for Muskego to begin inspecting homes connected to the city's municipal water system to make sure no contamination exists for cross connections.

If you aren't sure what that means, you're not alone.  Public Works Committee Chairman and Alderman Noah Fiedler needed more clarification as well as others on .

A cross connection is defined as any connection between two separate systems, one containing potable water from the city's public water and another from a private source.  In other words, if you have a hose that is hooked up to a jug of fertilizer to 'weed and feed' the lawn, it can't stay hooked up.  Similarly, stationary tubs that have hoses attached to the spigots to take up water from the tub in the process of washing clothes are also likely to be flagged.

The issue is that should negative pressure occur, the contaminants from the private source could enter the city's water system, for example if the fire department uses water from a hydrant.

The DNR's mandate says that 10 percent of applicable homes have to be physically inspected every year so over a 10-year period all homes are covered.

While the committee wrestled with how the city might muster the manpower to comply, they requested that Kloskowski have the city's attorney review the language of the program and the state's code to determine how to proceed.