The Wisconsin Electric Power Company (We Energies) is razing the Pleasant Prairie Power Plant that operated between 1976 and 2018. We Energies began decommissioning the building and site infrastructure in 2020. Throughout the abatement process, the Village has worked with We Energies on the in-place abandonment of the water pipelines that connect the former power plant to Lake Michigan.
During the Village Board meeting on August 8, the Village Board amended Article III of Chapter 234 of the Village Municipal Code to allow the Village Board to review and approve alternative abandonment plans of water transmission lines. The Board then approved an agreement between We Energies and the Village of Pleasant Prairie for the in-place abandonment of three pipelines. The lines consist of an original 30-inch intake line that ceased operations in 1988, a replacement 30-inch intake line that served the facility until the power plant closure in 2018, and an 18-inch line that has continued to be used intermittently since the plant closure to discharge stormwater.
Instead of filling the lines with slurry, We Energies provided an alternative pipeline abandonment plan to the Village. The agreement allows We Energies to abandon the waterlines without fill or removal. We Energies will make a one-time payment to the Village, totaling $412,500. The Village will assume ownership and responsibility for the portions of retired pipelines within the Village public right of way. Additionally, the agreement specifies that We Energies will retain responsibility and obligations for the sections of retired waterlines within private property easements.
"The Village plans to remove the abandoned water pipelines as needed," explained Jean Werbie-Harris, Community Development Director. "The water lines are well constructed and not at risk of failure, which gives the Village sufficient time to approach the project cost-effectively."