Water Estimates Posted: Oak Creek, Racine More Costly Than Milwaukee Water For Waukesha

The DNR has posted what I and others had sought: Waukesha's estimated costs to divert Lake Michigan water through Oak Creek or Racine, as opposed to Milwaukee.

The numbers were provided to the DNR by Waukesha attorneys, and are described as estimates (so do not be surprised if later figures rise or fall significantly...):

Racine - - $312 million.

Oak Creek - - $261 million.

So at $164 million, Milwaukee seems to have a negotiating advantage.

This is not a surprise, as Oak Creek and Racine are farther from Waukesha than is Milwaukee, and the smaller cities would probably need infrastructure improvements that Milwaukee would not need to install.

As I had speculated earlier today, there seemed to be no need for a town hall meeting in Waukesha about the application - - unless something like the release of this information took place.

Also: cost is certainly important to Waukesha water users, but it is not necessarily pivotal under the Great Lakes Compact to the DNR's review, or those that would take place in seven other Great Lakes states (and two Canadian provinces on an advisory basis) if the DNR moves the application forward.

More later.