Among Other Things, Waukesha's Water Manager Notes Lack Of Repairs

Waukesha Water Utility General Manager Daniel Duchniak told an industry publication that the utility was falling behind its preferred infrastructure repair schedule, replacing about only a third of the deteriorated infrastructure each year.

Makes you wonder about how much water the utility is losing - - and whether a tightened repair program could lead to a reduction in the amount of water the city is seeking to divert from Lake Michigan.

Makes you wonder also how the city could take on an all the expenses of adding 17.4 square miles of water service territory - - an 80% expansion - - as envisioned by its Lake Michigan diversion application and plan.

Links about that are here, and here.

Here is the item:

What is the biggest challenge your agency has faced in the past 10 years?

Duchniak: The need for a new water supply and all of the necessary approvals would be on the top of the list; however, deteriorating infrastructure continues to be an area that needs to be addressed. In an ideal world, the city would be replacing 1 percent of the water main in our system every year, which would equate to about 3.5 miles of water main every year. In reality, with the amount of dollars needed to support the effort to develop a new water supply, we have been able to replace just 0.3 percent of the water main every year. While we have developed a plan to get to a level of 1 percent replacement per year, there is the need to develop a stronger program and stronger funding to achieve this result.

You can read the entire interview here.