County agrees to share cost of contamination testing with Saukville

The Ozaukee County Public Works Committee last week approved a memorandum of understanding with the Village of Saukville to hire a consultant to test for underground contamination at the corner of Green Bay Avenue and Clay Street in the village.

The Village Board approved the MOU earlier this month.

The contamination was caused by leakage from a gas station that stood at the corner in the 1960s.

Under the agreement, the county will take the lead on the remediation and hire a consultant to do testing on the site. 

The cost of the consultant is estimated to be $65,000, which will be shared evenly by the village and county under the agreement. 

It does not cover the cost of remediation, county Public Works Director Jon Edgren said.

Edgren, Ozaukee County Construction

Supt. Warren Guettel and Saukville Public Works Supt. Dan Helm reviewed consultant proposals and recommended Fredonia-based Moraine Environmental for the job, which they estimate will take more than three years to complete.

The committee approved their recommendation.

The contamination was discovered in the 1990s during a village utility project but the DNR has been unable to find an heir or party associated with the gas station. It has named the village and county as responsible parties.

The county is a responsible party because Green Bay Avenue also is Highway O, although county officials say a map of the contamination shows it doesn’t appear to be in the county highway right-of-way.

The county earlier this year appealed to the DNR to be removed as a responsible party, but that appeal was denied.

The county is to seek consensus with the village when any issues arise, “but in the event consensus cannot be reached, the final determination shall be the responsibility of the Ozaukee County Public Works Committee,” the agreement states.