Power Struggle Over Water In Waukesha Weakens Its Case For Great Lakes Diversion

Yet another chapter unfolds in Waukesha's ongoing battle over who's in charge of planning the city's water supply strategy:

The City Attorney refuses a request by new Mayor Jeff Scrima- - a skeptic over the wisdom of seeking Lake Michigan water - - to delineate and explain changes added to the city's application for a potential Lake Michigan supply without the approval of the Common Council.

The plan would cost an estimated $164 million, and though expensive, would leave water supplies to the west more readily available to municipalities and developers there - - something that entrenched powers in the region apparently prefer.

The City Attorney, City Administrator, water utility commission/staff/consultants and a majority of the Common Council support the application, but Scrima defeated Mayor Larry Nelson in large measure over the Lake Michigan plan.

Politically, it's a mess for Waukesha - - and just not internally.

Waukesha wants a lakefront city - - preferably Milwaukee - - to eventually sell the water if the application were to win approval, but if you are Milwaukee, with which faction in Waukesha government do you deal?

The same goes for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and by implication, the other Great Lakes states, too.

With whom do you communicate over details in the application, or the review process, or if changes are to be sought?

The more the internal fighting goes on in Waukesha, the weaker is the application, or certainly the foundation beneath it.

The irony is that the supporters of the application, in their quest to undermine the new Mayor, probably strengthen his belief that the application is flawed.

And it absolutely sends an undermining, confusing message to the DNR and the other states - - all of which must agree to the diversion, or it falls.