Be Careful What You Flush, Caledonia

A tour of the Racine Wastewater Treatment plant might not be sexy, but it was definitely eye-opening, sometimes eye-watering from the odors.

In short, a lot of pretty cool science goes into treating sewer water so that it's safe to be flushed back into Lake Michigan while also producing nutrient rich fertilizer for area farmers that they can have for free.

Keith Haas, manager of the Racine Wastewater utility, wryly noted that conservation and flow equations don't make much sense.

"On the one hand, we want to conserve water, but if usage goes down, then rates go up to meet budget," he said. "That's the confusing part, but charges and budget are based on flow."