Curtiss Municipal Sewer and Water Utility Reprimanded for Constructing a Well Without Public Service Commission's Approval
Thursday, February 4th, 2016 -- 8:15 AM
(Kevin Murphy, Marshfield News Herald) -The Public Service Commission on Wednesday reprimanded the Curtiss Municipal Sewer and Water Utility for constructing a well in 2013 without its approval.According to the Marshfield News Herald, efforts to determine the well's cost Wednesday were unsuccessful. However, the PSC requires utilities to obtain pre-construction approval for projects exceeding $250,000 as a check against unnecessary projects and to determine whether the cost is reasonable to its customers.
Failure to secure approval is a violation of state statues and PSC rules, which the PSC considers is "a serious matter," according to the PSC letter. The PSC stated it would allow the Curtiss Municipal Sewer and Water Utility to seek recovery of the well's cost in a future rate case, and Village President Randy Busse said Wednesday the PSC has faulted the village's consulting engineers for the mistake. Mark Davy, the La Crosse-based firm's vice president, acknowledged the oversight was their fault.
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