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Kewaskum wastewater staff say trading credits could avert a $7 million upgrade; board approves annual compliance report and permit filing
Summary
Wastewater supervisor told the board pilots and a technical memo show the village missed phosphorus limits by about 10 pounds in 2025; staff favor a water‑quality trading approach (estimated ~$12,000/year) over a $3.5–$7 million plant upgrade. The board unanimously approved the Compliance Maintenance Report and filing the DNR permit application.
Wastewater Supervisor Ben Propson told the Village Board the plant is operating with substantial spare capacity but that phosphorus compliance remains the central near‑term issue.
Propson summarized pilot tests and a technical memo that modeled three compliance approaches: membrane filtration (estimated at about $7 million), cloth‑media filtration (about $3.5–$4 million), and a water‑quality trading alternative. He said the plant missed the 2025 phosphorus limit by roughly 10 pounds and that the state’s clearinghouse approach to buying credits looks financially favorable: a 20‑year present worth of about $184,000 (roughly $12,000 per year) with an initial setup estimate of about $3,200. “We were only 10 pounds short on phosphorus of meeting our limit,” Propson said, and the trading option would allow the village to budget an annual credit purchase rather than pursue an immediate multi‑million‑dollar upgrade.
Propson also reported operational gains from recent infiltration repairs near the Knights Avenue lift station: televising work found multiple leaks, crews grouted several, and pump‑cycle counts dropped from about 80 cycles per day to roughly 50, reducing flows by an estimated 20,000–25,000 gallons per day.
What the board did: Trustees moved and unanimously approved Resolution 20267 (the 2025 Compliance Maintenance Report) and later voted unanimously to file the WPDEES permit application using the proposed compliance approach that includes the technical memo and continued study of trading or variances instead of immediate plant replacement.
Why it matters: The trading approach, if approved by DNR, could spare ratepayers from a near‑term $3.5–$7 million capital project while providing an enforceable compliance path; trustees and staff noted the village has significant debt dropping off in 2027–2028 and plans to rebalance equipment funds before any major upgrades.
