Village OKs $6.38 million upgrade for utility plant

The Saukville Village Board on Tuesday voted to approve a $6.38 million upgrade to the wastewater treatment facility.

The project is expected to be paid for with a loan through the state Department of Natural Resources Clean Water Fund.

Officials said the village will apply to the DNR for a $1.7 million in principal forgiveness, reducing the cost to the village.

Officials said they are confident the principal forgiveness will be approved by the state.

If that principal forgiveness is not approved, the project would return to the Village Board for reconsideration.

The upgrade is needed to help the village meet phosphorous-emission restrictions set by the DNR in 2010 and which apply to every municipality in the state.

High levels of phosphorus cause algae to bloom in lakes, streams and rivers. One pound of phosphorus can cause 500 pounds of algae to grow, environmentalists say.

The Saukville project would include removing an underground chemical-storage tank and replacing it with an 8,000-gallon,  above-ground tank that would be housed in a separate building. No ground pollution from the underground tank is suspected.

The project also would replace the plant’s roof.

Officials expect the improvements to reduce the cost of operating the plant.

Construction is expected to start in early 2022, with completion in 2023.

Related work would begin next year and be paid for with $316,000 from a contingency fund maintained by the village to meet DNR loan requirements.

The plant was last upgraded in 2003.