Doors Open 2023 - Jones Island

In-Person Jones Island Tour on Saturday, September 23, 2023, from 9 am - 4:30 pm

Visitors will need to pre-register for a FREE 90-minute slot to visit Jones Island. Jones Island Tours will not be open to walk-up visitors this year.

Visitors will learn about the history of Jones Island, the water reclamation process, MMSD programs, the making of Milorganite®, and Veolia North America.   Kids won't want to miss the “workhorses of wastewater," collecting a set of "bug" cards, and getting up close and personal with the big trucks!   Visitors will also receive a free 5lb. bag of Milorganite® upon their exit, while supplies last. 

Visitors may participate in one or both of the tours that are available on a first come, first served basis:

1. Driving Bus tour- Participants will travel around the entire Jones Island facility to  learn about the water reclamation process and how Milorganite® is made.  Duration- 25 minutes
2. Walking Hard Hat Tour of the Milorganite® Facility- Participants will get a chance to walk through the Dewatering and Drying Facility where Milorganite® is made.  Duration- 20 minutes. 

Take a Virtual Jones Island Tour Until 

Take a free virtual tour of the Jones Island Water Reclamation Facility, see how we clean wastewater, how Milorganite is made, and what you can do at your home to manage water where it falls as part of Historic Milwaukee’s Doors Open 2023.  Join us to learn something new about the water you use every day! Some of the highlights include:

• Tour Jones Island Water Reclamation Facility Virtually:

  • Ever wonder what happens to the water from your toilet or shower at home? How does all that water get cleaned? Come explore these questions and more on a virtual tour of Jones Island Water Reclamation Facility!  This virtual tour includes information on the history of Jones Island, the wastewater treatment process, and how you can help protect this precious resource.

• Learn About Milorganite®:

  • One of the oldest branded fertilizers on the market, Milorganite has been exclusively made in Milwaukee for over 93 years! Manufactured by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District using wastewater from the metropolitan Milwaukee area, it’s composed of heat-dried microbes that have digested the organic matter in wastewater.