With advance notice, Manitowoc Public Utilities will provide educational tours of its Power Plant, and Water Treatment Plant. In the past, some school groups have visited both MPU facilities, plus the nearby Sewage Treatment Plant, to give an overview of the infrastructure needed to operate a city. For more information about a tour, contact the Senior Manager-Business Services, Cindy Carter, at (920) 686-4324.
Appropriate dress, which includes long pants, closed-toed walking shoes, and clothing/accessories for expected weather, is mandatory for all tours. Due to safety concerns, visitors with inappropriate dress will not be able to tour the entire operational facility. We provide additional safety equipment, when required, to tour a facility (i.e. hard hats, safety glasses, ear protection). Schools must provide one adult chaperone for every 8 children (minimum).
Power Plant Tour
Designed for high school aged students, the power plant tour teaches concepts of energy conversion in a power generation facility. To make effective use of student and faculty time, the tour is broken into two parts: classroom lecture and in-plant visit.
The classroom lecture employs a multi-media presentation by a MPU professional, reviewing the energy conversion processes within the plant. The process begins with potential chemical energy in the form of fuel; taking it through the combustion process; thermodynamic heat transfer to water; steam to mechanical conversion, and finally electrical generation. The classroom lecture takes about one hour, or one class period.
The plant tour is normally taken a day or so following the classroom lecture, while concepts are still fresh in the student's mind. The tour gives students a chance to see first hand the conversion process and machinery within the plant. The plant tour also takes about one hour, or one class period.
Water Treatment Plant
MPU's state-of-the-art microfiltration water treatment plant teaches students about the process needed to provide safe and reliable water to the community for consumption and fire protection.
Students will learn about water quality as it comes from Lake Michigan; how, through membrane filtration and chemical treatment, raw water is made safe for consumption; and trace the maze of underground pipes, fire hydrants, and storage tanks located throughout the City to get water to consumers.
The water filtration plant tour takes about one hour to complete.