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Inside the wastewater treatment plant

Traverse City utilities director Art Krueger (left) and Jacobs project manager Mark Huggard, inside of the Traverse City Regional Wastewater Treatment plant. (Photo: Ed Ronco/IPR News)
Traverse City utilities director Art Krueger (left) and Jacobs project manager Mark Huggard, inside of the Traverse City Regional Wastewater Treatment plant. (Photo: Ed Ronco/IPR News)

When you flush the toilet, it has to end up somewhere. That "somewhere" is the Traverse City Regional Wastewater Treatment plant.

The plant, which has been at the north end of Boardman Lake since 1932, is undergoing millions of dollars in upgrades over the next few years.

We took a fascinating — and, yes, at one moment quite smelly — journey inside to learn what's going on and why it matters.


Producer: Austin Rowlader
Editing: Steve Junker
Music: Blue Dot Sessions

Ed Ronco is IPR's news director and the local host of "Morning Edition."