Mount Pleasant and Racine Launch $12.5M Sewer Project to Prevent Basement Flooding

MOUNT PLEASANT, Wis. (WRJN) — Construction has started on a $12.5 million underground storage basin near Chicory Road in Mount Pleasant, aimed at reducing basement backups in hundreds of homes across Mount Pleasant and Racine.

The project, a collaboration between the Mount Pleasant Sewer Utility and Racine Wastewater Utility, will create a 1.7-million-gallon tank to contain water during heavy storms, preventing it from flooding basements or flowing into Lake Michigan.

“This cooperative effort with our neighbors in Racine protects hundreds of homes on both sides of the municipal border,” said Dan Taivalkoski, chairman of the Mount Pleasant Utility Commission.

The storage basin, set to be operational by fall 2025, complements last year’s installation of a larger sewer pipe along Chicory Road. Together, the improvements will serve a 1,200-acre area prone to basement backups during heavy rainfall.

Mount Pleasant Sewer Utility is funding 73% of the project, with Racine funding the remainder. The initiative follows previous joint efforts, including a holding tank at Brose Park and an upgraded sewer under Kinzie Avenue.