Soggy Mukwonago subdivision has new flooding solution

Town of Mukwonago - A subdivision plagued with flooding problems since 2008 has new hope for a solution.

A property owner is willing to sell land to the town so a basin could be built on the parcel to hold groundwater piped there from the Country Bliss Estates subdivision.

That land as recently as November was believed to be unavailable and had put a solution to the flooding in jeopardy. But the property, about an acre, now is being offered to the town for $60,000.

However, before the town can purchase the property, officials need approval from town residents.

The Town Board will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday to set a date for residents to vote on whether to buy the land.

The money would come from a $506,000 state Department of Commerce grant that was awarded to help pay for a solution to flooding and water in basements in Country Bliss, where the water table is high.

Country Bliss homeowners have been battling to keep their basements dry after a near-record snow melt and June downpours in 2008 saturated the area. At times, some homeowners have had to run multiple sump pumps 24 hours a day in dry and wet weather to keep water from flooding basements.

Some homeowners in 2010 had $400 to $600 monthly electric bills, while one homeowner's bills topped $1,000 for several months.

For lengthy periods during several years, the intersection of Memory Lane and Oak Tree Drive was covered by floodwater and impassable.

Last year was a relatively dry year and the water table receded.

The subdivision hired an engineer and proposed a plan it believes will solve the problems.

It calls for installing a drain tile pipeline to carry groundwater from Country Bliss through the adjacent Stone Brook Hollow subdivision to a basin constructed outside the western edge of Stone Brook Hollow at an estimated cost of $532,600.

The pipeline would begin near the Memory Lane-Paradise Lane intersection in Country Bliss and head west along Memory Lane to S. Oak Tree Drive.

It would then head south along S. Oak Tree Drive to Campfire Lane, where the half-acre basin would be constructed at the west end of Campfire.

Town Chairman Dave Dubey said Wednesday there are two big "ifs" on whether the project goes forward. Town electors have to agree to let the town purchase the property and the town has to reach an agreement with the property owner on the sale of the land, he said.

It is at least the third proposal the town has considered for Country Bliss.

Among the proposals was a $1.2 million plan to build a pump station and pipeline to send water into Jericho Creek.