The Pleasant Prairie Village Board approved the 2021 water and sewer utility budgets on Monday, December 21. The new budgets will keep water and sewer rates steady during 2021 and will not require an increase.
Pleasant Prairie’s water and sewer rates are based on the meter’s size and water volume used. Water rates are based on the number of gallons consumed, measured by the water meter. Sewer rates are calculated with a winter-based average to account for any water used on lawns or yards that might infiltrate and pass through the sanitary sewer system during summer months.
As part of the 2021 sewer utility budget, a $2.8 million capital expense has been approved for sewer rehab to reduce the amount of Inflow and Infiltration (I/I) that leaks into the sewer system. The Village plans to line all clay mains, top hat laterals, and grout maintenance holes to eliminate the worst I/I flows entering the system. Details on the 2021 Sanitary Sewer Lining project can be found
here.
During 2021, the water utility will continue upgrading water meters and MXU radio communication devices to eliminate outdated equipment. The utility will also integrate the Village’s three pressure reducing valve pits into the supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system to monitor water pressure and prevent water main breaks. SCADA is a computerized control system that reports activity in sewer and water utilities.
Utility staff continues to implement new technology to streamline operations, improve efficiency, and help control costs. The water utility remains debt-free, and the sewer utility paid off $2.2 million outstanding principal in 2020 to become debt-free.