Washington Island lies in Lake Michigan off the end of Wisconsin’s Door County peninsula. It’s home to about 800 year-round residents; the summer population swells to about 2,000.
That’s not counting thousands of tourists who ride ferryboats from the mainland to enjoy great scenery, restaurants, shopping, hiking, bicycling, and a slow, quiet pace of life. The island’s geology and the seasonal spike in residents and visitors creates challenges in managing wastewater from the island’s septic systems (about 800) and holding tanks (about 200, mostly at summer residents’ homes).
Eighth graders at the Washington Island School are tackling those challenges head-on. Under
