Muehring Named Dubuque Water & Resource Recovery Center Director 

NOV. 6, 2023

Dubuque City Manager Mike Van Milligen has named Deron Muehring, a civil engineer in the City’s engineering department with 25 years of experience in the field of sewer collection systems and wastewater management, as the new director of Dubuque’s Water and Resource Recovery Center (WRRC). Muehring will begin the new role on Monday, Nov. 13.  

“Deron’s career in local government and environmental stewardship has been dedicated to maintaining a healthy relationship between community impact and the natural world,” said Van Milligen. “His experience managing teams, ensuring compliance with environmental regulations, and public budgeting and finance will serve him well in this new role.” 

As WRRC Director, Muehring will be responsible for the operation of Dubuque’s wastewater treatment facility on Julien Dubuque Drive as well as its associated lift stations throughout the community and the facility’s environmental monitoring laboratory. The position also proposes and enforces ordinances and regulations regarding the operation of the WRRC as well as the chemical, biological, and bacterial analysis and sampling services for other City, partner agencies, and private sector activities. 

“I am excited about the opportunity to join Mr. O’Brien and the Water and Resource Recovery Center team because what they do is so important to protecting the health of not only Dubuque residents, but also our local creeks and our river – the Mississippi. For me, there is no greater calling,” said Muehring. 

Muehring has worked in the City of Dubuque Engineering Department since 1998 as Water Resource Engineer and has a long history of managing successful projects with the City, most notably playing a critical role in the implementation of the Bee Branch Watershed Flood Mitigation Project.  He also has extensive experience managing the City’s sanitary sewer system and has assisted in planning the WRRC’s capital improvement projects. 

Before joining the City of Dubuque, Muehring’s professional experience included serving as an environmental control technician at Universal Circuits/Advanced Circuits in Buffalo, Minn., and as a water quality analyst at Marquette University’s Water Quality Center in Milwaukee, Wis. 

Muehring is a civil engineer with a master of science degree in civil and environmental engineering from Marquette University and a bachelor’s degree in physics from St. Cloud University.  He is a member of the Water Environment Federation, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Public Works Association, and the International Erosion Control Association. 

Muehring replaces Willie O’Brien who managed the facility since 2016. O’Brien will transition to the role of WRRC plant manager and will focus on facility operations. 

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MEDIA CONTACT
Randy Gehl, Public Information Officer
RGehl@cityofdubuque.org, (563) 589-4151