Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Platteville council approves water supply service area plan; city told to begin well siting
Loading...
Summary
After a presentation by Strand Associates, the Platteville Common Council approved its Water Supply Service Area Plan, which recommends beginning a well-siting study in 2026 to replace the aging Davidson plant/Well 3 and target a new source online by 2030.
The Platteville Common Council on Jan. 13 approved the city's Water Supply Service Area Plan after a staff presentation outlining system capacity, updated population projections and recommendations for replacing aging infrastructure.
Mike Forslund, project manager at Strand Associates, told the council the plan was prepared to meet state Natural Resources regulatory requirements ("NR 8 54") and draws from the city's 2022 water system comprehensive plan. Forslund said updated population projections from the Wisconsin Department of Administration show a slight decline over the planning period but do not erase the need to replace the century-old Well 3 and the Davidson treatment plant.
"One of the main recommendations is to start the search for a new well so the new facility can be online by 2030," Forslund said. He walked the council through inventories of wells and storage and warned that the system's current firm capacity leaves only a small operational surplus under maximum-day scenarios once the Davidson plant is taken offline.
Forslund outlined schedule milestones for a replacement: a well-siting study, DNR review (90 days), design phases, a Public Service Commission filing and a well-drilling period. He provided back-of-envelope cost estimates for a deep well and supporting facilities: roughly $1 million for drilling and $6 per gallon for storage, which for a half-million-gallon storage requirement translates into about $3 million for storage and a total facility cost in the roughly $7—8 million range.
Council members pressed on timing and life expectancy for existing assets. Forslund replied that water tanks typically have asset lives of about 60 to 80 years and that staff and consultants believe the Davidson plant will be at the end of its useful life within the next four years if the city does not build a replacement.
No members of the public testified against the plan. Council moved and seconded approval of the plan subject to public comments and carried the motion on roll call. The approval starts the next cycle of planning and positions the city to begin detailed well-siting work and subsequent state reviews.
The council will receive further design costs, timeline refinements and funding options as the well-siting and project design efforts proceed.
