Douglas County commissioners will be asked Wednesday to approve a permit for Public Wholesale Water Supply District No. 25 to build a new treatment plant east of Lawrence.

The plant would be located at the southeast corner of North 1500 Road and East 1750 Road, north of the East Hills Industrial Park.

The wholesale supply district provides water to Douglas County Rural Water District Nos. 2 and 5, as well as Osage County Rural Water District No. 5.

The Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission recommended approval of the permit Sept. 23 by a vote of 10-0.

Officials from the wholesale supply district were not immediately available for comment Monday. But according to county information, district officials have said they need the additional plant to keep up with increased demand due to growth and development in their service area.

The site is currently zoned as both a “Valley Channel” and “Floodway Overlay” district, meaning it is open only limited kinds of development because of the potential for periodic flooding.

County officials said public utilities are one of the allowed uses in a Valley Channel district. The Floodway Overlay designation does not restrict the types of uses allowed, but does require builders to comply with the county’s floodplain management regulations.

County documents also note that the proposed building location is outside the 500-year flood plain.

The plant would draw water from wells along the Kansas River, but state water officials have said those wells would not have a negative impact on other nearby domestic water wells.

Commissioners will consider the request when they meet at 4 p.m. Wednesday at the County Courthouse.

The commission will not meet at 6:35 p.m., as was previously scheduled, to consider an agritourism permit for a commercial pumpkin patch. The applicants withdrew that request last week.