More than two years after complaints about brown tap water began surfacing, Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz will announce plans Monday to improve water quality and oversight of the Madison Water Utility.

It's too early to say how much the mayor's 10-point plan will cost, but Cieslewicz and others say higher water rates will be required as the utility struggles with discolored water from the mineral manganese, an aging infrastructure and other problems.

"I think the public, given a choice between higher rates and the health and safety of our water, would clearly choose the health and safety of our water," Cieslewicz said.

The plan follows a Wisconsin State Journal investigation that revealed numerous problems with management of the utility, including failures to be forthcoming about water quality and sloppy record keeping. The series also highlighted the challenges faced by the city and the utility in assuring clean and plentiful water in coming decades - aging infrastructure, increasing contaminants and a growing population.

Cieslewicz is calling for making utility management more accountable for decisions and information about the city's water supply, increasing the replacement of aging pipes and wells, and strengthening the connection between water issues and public health.

"Nothing is more important than the quality of our drinking water," the plan begins. "Madison families should not have to question the safety of the water coming out of their taps. This plan is designed to protect and improve the quality of Madison's drinking water and restore confidence in the Water Utility."

The utility has faced much public criticism recently from residents who felt complaints of discolored water and potential health threats were not taken seriously enough.

Health officials last week advised residents who receive their water from two city wells - No. 3 on the East Side and No. 10 on the West Side - that people with liver problems and babies younger than 6 months old shouldn't drink the water because of high manganese levels.

Closer scrutiny

 Cieslewicz acknowledged that the utility has not received enough attention and oversight from his office. Both the rise of manganese complaints and recent publicity have changed that, he said.

"They have been out of sight, out of mind," Cieslewicz said.

Now, however, that will change, according to Cieslewicz. He said he will be paying closer attention to utility business as will the City Council. Council members will be briefed on the drinking water initiative prior to an upcoming meeting.

Ald. Lauren Cnare, 3rd District, who also sits on the five- member Board of Water Commissioners, praised the mayor's plan.

"I think it's very workable," Cnare said. "What has not been fully understood on the water board is acknowledging the importance of fears people might have about their water and addressing those fears more quickly."

Much of the city's attention initially will apparently be focused on how utility managers go about correcting problems.

Water Utility General Manager David Denig-Chakroff is appointed by the mayor and his contract is up for renewal in June.

Cieslewicz said no decision has been made on the contract but added that, if renewed, the contract will include "enforceable performance benchmarks" for Denig-Chakroff and the utility.

The benchmarks will call for specific improvements in numerous areas, including water quality, public outreach, infrastructure improvement, internal management and successful fulfillment of the mayor's 10-point plan.

Denig-Chakroff said Friday that the establishment of new performance standards was not unexpected.

"It's a good idea," he added. "Everybody should have standards and benchmarks to shoot for. It's good management."

Step it up

 Cieslewicz is also asking the utility to hasten both its development and implementation of wellhead protection plans and the replacement of aging pipes, wells and other equipment.

The State Journal found that the utility had only three completed wellhead protection plans on file with the city. Four others have been completed but are not yet in effect.

The plans are important because they provide information about areas around the 24 city wells, including potential sources of contamination. If they are on file, the city has more authority to control development, including potential polluters, around city wells.

Cieslewicz has ordered the utility to have plans in place for all wells by 2010 at the latest.

In addition, Cieslewicz is directing the utility to step up its planning for replacement of aging infrastructure.

In a study of the Madison water system released last year, a national engineering firm found the utility's investment in replacement of aging equipment is falling millions of dollars short of what is necessary to ensure clean and plentiful water in coming years.

Cieslewicz is directing the utility to complete by the fall a report that will detail how it intends to finance and implement an infrastructure replacement plan. And he is asking for a 20-year capital improvement program, in addition to the utility's current five- year program.

Lisa Lehnertz, who has liver disease and worries about the impact of manganese-tainted water on her health, is happy that somebody is finally listening.

Lehnertz, who lives in an Isthmus neighborhood, said she has called the Madison Water Utility many times over the years about black flecks in her water and has had little in the way of a helpful response.

"I've called them off and on for years," Lehnertz said. "And there has really been nothing. So this at least is a start. I think they've really needed to do something.

"For me, this is a health issue."