City Declares Long‑Vacant Lake Kampeska Filtration Plant as Surplus, Eyes Redevelopment
- Steve Jurrens
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - The Watertown City Council voted unanimously Monday night to declare the long‑unused Lake Kampeska Phosphorus Filtration Plant as surplus property, setting the stage for future redevelopment proposals. The item was moved off the consent agenda to allow for public explanation.
City Manager Alan Stager told the council the facility, located at 336 South Lake Drive, has not been used for water treatment in at least 15 years. It later served a short period as part of a phosphorus removal program, but has now sat vacant for roughly a decade.
“It will soon start to deteriorate to the point that it will be a safety hazard for people who may be on that property,” Stager said. “It’s becoming an eyesore on Lake Kampeska.”
Rather than simply listing the property for sale, Stager said he intends to bring forward redevelopment proposals for the council to evaluate.
“I’d like to ask for redevelopment proposals from the public and developers… rather than purely an economic consideration,” he said.
Councilman Brent Mohrmann said he expected public interest after he posted the agenda on his social media last week, as the site is a popular fishing spot.
“There’s been times I’ve gone out there and literally walked down the long steps only to turn around because there was no space left on the concrete wall to stand there and cast,” Mohrmann said.
However, he reported that no residents contacted him with concerns over the weekend.
Stager noted the property is currently zoned R1, but the council can pre‑zone it to guide redevelopment.
“You can pre‑zone it to reflect what you would like to see there… and steer the types of proposals you might get,” he said.
The motion to declare the property surplus passed unanimously.
