On Monday, June 16, the Pleasant Prairie Village Board approved two resolutions, certifying the creation, review and adoption of "Compliance Maintenance Annual Reports" for two wastewater treatment plants. The reports outline that proper maintenance was performed and that the plants for Sewer Utility District D and Sewer Utility District 73-1 were both compliant with all standards established by the State of Wisconsin and the Department of Natural Resources. Though both plants are still performing well, 2009 will mark the last year that the 73-1 treatment plant will remain operational.
By the end of 2009, the first of the two treatment plants will be retired as part of a return flow agreement that will allow Pleasant Prairie continued access to Lake Michigan water for the western half of the Village. During 2008, the Village will be rerouting sanitary sewer in preparation for the abandonment of the plant.
During the late 1980's, after discovering a carcinogenic element, Radium, in ground water wells in the Village, Pleasant Prairie looked towards Lake Michigan as a drinking water supply for the western part of the Village. While the eastern portion of Pleasant Prairie lies within the Great Lakes Basin, the western portion lies within the Mississippi River Basin. Due to legislation passed around the same period of time, the fact that the western portion of the Village was located outside of the Great Lakes Basin became an obstacle to obtaining Lake Michigan water.
Both sewer treatment plants, which were newly constructed at the time, deposited water back into the Mississippi River Basin. In order to draw water from Lake Michigan, the Village would be required to return the treated water to the Lake Michigan Basin. The Village proposed a return flow agreement. It stated that when the debt for both of the plants was retired, the plants would be abandoned and the water returned to its source. By the end of 2010, the Village will abandon both wastewater treatment plants. At that time, Pleasant Prairie will have rerouted the sanitary sewer towards the City of Kenosha for treatment, and the water will be returned to Lake Michigan.