Employees at the Baileys Harbor wastewater treatment plant have been putting in long hours, dealing with flooding that overwhelmed lift stations throughout the community. Plant Manager Don Prust said heavy rainfall, believed to be in the range of six to nine inches, overwhelmed sanitary sewers. Standing water on roads one to two feet deep added to the problem. Prust says wastewater employees worked continuously from 7:30PM Thursday evening to Saturday noon and eventually had all seven lift stations back on line. He says every effort was made to try to alleviate problems, but the amount of water made the task extremely difficult. As of noon Monday, water flows had decreased to about three times normal and the collecting system and plant are handling things as best as can be expected. However, the forecast calls for another one to three inches of rain this week. Prust says the rain, along with heavily saturated ground, could lead to more backups so he’s asking residents to be prepared. He says try to keep groundwater from entering the sewer system from drains, sump pumps illegally connected to the sewer system and open cleanouts or broken pipes. Prust says, if everyone does their part, the events of last week may not happen again.
Service at the Baileys Harbor town office on the lower level of the town hall has been limited because of recent flooding. Town Clerk/Administrator Doug Smith says regular office hours are being maintained in the town hall’s auditorium and the Baileys Harbor information center. Those who wish to reach Doug Smith can call him at (920)-839-9509 and leave a message or dial the information center at (920)-839-2366 and they may be able to connect you immediately. A special thank you is going out to residents and visitors for their patience during a very difficult time.
