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Pleasant Prairie board approves Tobin Creek streambank repair after April storms
Summary
The Village Board approved an engineering proposal to repair streambank erosion at Tobin Creek caused by heavy April rains, authorizing design, permitting and easement work with an estimated project budget of about $75,000 and directing staff to advance watershed funding options.
The Village Board of Pleasant Prairie voted to approve an engineering proposal to repair streambank erosion along Tobin Creek after high flows during April storm events gouged out part of a resident’s backyard. The board authorized staff to proceed with design, permitting (including DNR and U.S. Army Corps approvals) and the acquisition of permanent and temporary limited easements necessary for construction; the engineer estimated the scope and preconstruction cost at roughly $75,000.
Engineering staff member Matt said the erosion occurred near a bend in the creek after a wet April that delivered “8 plus inches of rain” to the watershed and described a likely solution consisting of rip-rap on geotextile fabric. He told trustees the watershed that feeds Tobin Creek covers roughly 1,295 acres (about 2 square miles) and that the design phase will determine the final length of bank protection and any additional permits or easements. The motion to accept the engineer’s remediation proposal and to have staff continue a master plan for managing waterways and revenue options passed by voice tally: 3 in favor, 1 opposed.
Trustees and staff emphasized that the waterway is a natural system crossing private property and that ownership and responsibility are complicated: Administrator Eric noted the parcel and the outlot are currently privately owned by an HOA and that the village’s legal obligation is not automatic. Trustee Mike Polakoff said he favored an incremental remediation step while the village completes basin-by-basin analysis and a longer-term funding approach. Resident Howard Goodman, who identified himself as a member of his subdivision’s architectural control committee, said the creek’s rerouting years earlier likely removed an overflow basin and contributed to the erosion.
Next steps identified by the board include design and public bid preparation, pursuit of required state and federal permits, securing the necessary easements from property owners and the HOA, and completing construction (anticipated to take place later in the summer). Staff will also continue work on watershed studies and possible utility-rate or assessment mechanisms to allocate costs across basins or the utility as a whole.
