Water Master Plan: Water Until 2030

To ensure Janesville residents have enough clean, safe drinking water through the year 2030, the Water Utility has updated its Master Plan. The plan evaluates the adequacy of water distribution facilities and recommends improvements to meet water pressure and volume demands of a city projected to grow to 72,678 in population by 2030.

The Water Utility does not use surface water from the Rock River. It draws water from eight wells found throughout Janesville, which have a total capacity of up to 32 million gallons per day. Four of these wells supply water from sand and gravel deposits 100 to 200 feet below the surface. Four are "deep wells" that extract water from the deep sandstone aquifer (about 1,150 feet deep). Individual customers do not get their water from a specific well; it depends on which wells are actually operating, not how close you are to a well. The Utility treats, stores and delivers drinking water to your tap through an underground system of pressurized pipes 350 miles long called water mains. More than 25 miles of new main would be installed under the plan.
Estimated costs total $16.9 million, $10.5 million of which is for water mains. Actual timing will depend on how fast the city grows.

History of the City of Janesville Water Utility

 Turner, Clark & Rawson installed the original waterworks in 1887 and formed the Janesville Water Company under a franchise agreement with the City. The City of Janesville Water Utility was purchased in 1915 from the Janesville Water Company and had an appraised value of $265,000. The original water system consisted of 15 miles of water mains and a single shallow-dug well. The original well was 26 feet in diameter and 21 feet deep. This well was eventually abandoned in 1983 in accordance with Wisconsin DNR requirements. Below is a short timeline of the history of the Janesville Water Utility.

1887 * Janesville Water Company formed

1915 * City acquires Janesville Water Company through referendum for $265,000

1928 * Original steel standpipe taken out of service; replaced by nine-million-gallon elevated storage reservoir

1936 * First wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) built

1938 * First deep well added to the system (Pumping Station #2)

1946 * First gravel pack well added to the system (Pumping Station #3)

1954 * Beloit Avenue Pumping Station (Pumping Station #4) goes on line

1969 * Janesville Wastewater Utility formed

1970 * New WWTP built on Tripp Road

1980 * First well taken off-line due to elevated nitrates (Pumping Station #5)

1986 * Expansion of WWTP

1991 * First nitrate blending facility constructed (Pumping Station #10)

2004 * Second nitrate blending facility constructed (Pumping Station #12)

2005 * Third nitrate blending facility constructed (Pumping Station #14)

2007 * Water tower constructed for additional pressure

Water Utility Facilities

Today, the City of Janesville is serviced by eight wells. These wells have the capacity to pump 22,000 gallons per minute or 32 million gallons of water per day through the distribution system with the excess water being collected in two earth-covered concrete storage reservoirs. Because of the elevation of these reservoirs, they ensure adequate system pressure throughout the City as well as 14 million gallons of storage capacity.  A half-million-gallon water tower provides an additional 35 psi of pressure to serve the northwest area of the City.  

Four of the wells supply water from the sand and gravel deposits in the pre-glacial Rock River Valley while the other four penetrate the St. Peter Sandstone and are deep wells. The Water Utility continually monitors water quality by performing over 3,000 tests annually.  Water at the pumping facilities is treated with both fluoride and chlorine to maintain high water quality to all consumers.

The Water Utility gives tours of their facilities to interested groups or organizations.

Please contact the Water Utility at (608) 755-3115 to schedule a tour. 

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