Madison’s Michael Mucha on Building Public Trust Through Sustainability

Michael Mucha, the Chief Engineer and Director for the Madison Metropolitan Sewage District (MMSD), has bi-coastal experience as both an educator and administrator.  Prior to his current role in Wisconson, he's worked in both Olympia, Washington, and Reading, Pennslyvania.  This structural engineer by degree explains how a job as a civil engineer completely changed his career trajectory.Michael discusses the challenges faced by MMSD, including maintaining public confidence, an affordability dichotomy, and decarbonization. He also identifies efficiency opportunities for MMSD, including adaptive strategies, sustainable infrastructure, consolidation, and automation. Mucha emphasizes the importance of focusing on public health as a solution to water quality issues, rather than just building bigger treatment plants. He also discusses the proactive approach MMSD is taking to manage their infrastructure and collection systems, including the use of real-time data and technology. According to our guest, 70% of reductions in greenhouse gases come from day-to-day operational decisions.Michael's answer to Mahesh's question about the talent gap differs from previous guests.  He actually talks about successes they've had in recruiting.Finally, Mucha emphasizes the importance of building public trust through sustainability and leaving a legacy of a trustworthy and effective government.  His personal mission statement is "building public trust through sustainability." He explains what goes into that.More: Michael Mucha's Bio on the MMSD Website: https://www.madsewer.org/who-we-are/district-leadership/Aquasight Website: https://aquasight.io/ Aquasight Website: https://aquasight.io/