Kenosha water board approves a slate of permit renewals, easements and an event agreement

The Kenosha Board of Water Commissioners on Dec. 8 approved a series of routine permits, easements and a property-use agreement for the Wisconsin Marathon, with staff describing the items as standard renewals and the board voting to approve each.

Clerk read the agenda item to renew the hauled-waste discharge permit for We Energies' former Pleasant Prairie power plant; staff said the fly-ash landfill is closed to new material and confirmed there have been no permit violations. Board members asked how long the site had been inactive; staff said it had been years and noted that the Department of Natural Resources permit requires monitoring for roughly another 18–20 years.

The board also approved a renewal for the Pheasant Run Recycling and Disposal Facility after staff reported a single marginal noncompliance on a daily mercury maximum of 1.75 during the prior permit cycle. Staff described the violation as marginal and said the operator, Waste Management, has been responsive to inquiries; staff recommended approval and the board granted it.

The commission approved renewals for industrial wastewater permits for Koala Wash Holdings LLC, a truck-tanker cleaning business that hauls wastewater to the utility for treatment because it lacks a sanitary sewer, and for EMCO Chemical Distributors, a renewal prompted by a corporate name change. Staff said both permittees have been in compliance and recommended approval.

Staff discussed a renewal for Aludine North America LLC, noting the company’s product contains a red pigment that causes false positives for phenol under the district’s current analytical method. "We don't have any indication that they have any violation," staff said, and reported they are working with an outside laboratory on a method that will accommodate the pigment; staff added that any outside-lab costs would be passed through to the permit holder. The board approved the Aludine renewal.

The board also approved two water-main easements and a maintenance agreement that staff said are needed to install and maintain new infrastructure once dedicated to the utility.

Separately, the board approved a property-use agreement between the Kenosha Water Utility and T Race Production LLC for the Wisconsin Marathon, Half Marathon and 5K. Jonathan Kane, who gave his name and address at the meeting, said the date will move to Saturday, April 25, and the 5K route will shift from 65th to 61st to improve course flow. "Only major change... is for our 5K course... we're gonna shoot them down 61st instead," Kane said. Staff reported no objections.

All items were moved, seconded and approved during the meeting. The board concluded with brief commissioner remarks thanking operations crews and then adjourned.