By Gail Peckler-Dziki
Correspondent
The Salem Lakes Village Board approved a plan to update plans for its wastewater treatment plant at the regular village board meeting on Oct. 9.
The plan was presented by Troy Stinson and Travis Anderson from Strand Associates, Inc.
The board voted unanimously to adopt the plan, which will use the former Village of Silver Lake plant as a lift station, and expand the Salem plant as needed.
The capital cost for this plan is estimated at $5.8 million with a 20-year cost of $9.8 million.
The capital cost to upgrade and continue using both plants for wastewater treatment is $9.1 million with a 20-year cost of $13 million.
The former Village of Silver Lake plant is located on Highway B just south of Highway AH.
While the plant is not in the flood plain or floodway, both types of land surround it.
During the July flood, the plant was not accessible by the access road and in danger of becoming flooded itself. And since it is bounded by flood plain and floodway, there was no room for expansion.
The former Town of Salem plant, however, has no issues with flood plain or floodway and has room to expand.
The move to centralize the plant also streamlines operations, allows flexibility to meet future regulations, and simplify phosphorus compliance.
The plan to modify the former Silver Lake facility to a lift station, and put in a force main to move water south on Highway B to a gravity sewer on Highway C will cost about $3.1 million.
The gravity sewer would then move the water to the current Salem WWTP for treatment.
There is still a cost for currently planned improvements to the Salem WWTP upgrades in 2015 and rehabilitation at five lift stations in 2016. These projects were already in the works.
In 2017, eight lift stations will be rehabilitated and the WWTP influent pump replaced.
Additional conveyance/lift station projects will be phased over the next several years.
Rates to increase
The updated master plan includes a $2 a month increase every other year. The proposed increase is less than half the annual average increase in Wisconsin.
The annual charge for Salem Lakes users is $560 a year. Both Lake Geneva in Walworth County and the nearby Bristol Utility District 1 are less, at $482 and $524 respectively.
Both Somers and Paddock Lake users pay more, at $770 and $842 respectively.
The $560 will increase by $24 a year.
Salem Lakes residents who were part of the Village of Silver Lake will get some breaks on fees.
The former Silver Lake annual sewer bill was $664 and the storm water fee was $119.
As stated above, the annual sewer fee for Salem Lakes residents will be $560 and the storm water fee is $60 annually per ERU.