Waukesha Water Rate Plan Deserves Praise

This blog has had comments blasting Waukesha's water planning too numerous to cite, but when Waukesha does something positive, it needs to be noted.

Waukesha has followed through on a commitment, and won approval from the Public Service Commission to restructure city water charges.

And that's a good thing, because it begins to make some consumers pay for excessive water usage in a community with serious water issues.

I know that the plan falls short of what others want implemented. The plan does not go far enough, and advocates for conservation and smart growth are correct when they call for a stronger plan.

My experience in government tells me that new ideas and innovation are tough sells at the outset, and that change is often maddeningly incremental.

Regardless, Waukesha is on the right track.

It has lawn watering rules in place. And if it resolved its water supply questions with greater innovation, Waukesha could genuinely become a leader in the struggle to preserve the Great Lakes watershed, instead of being seen sometimes as the municipal 'bad guy' sneaking around procedures and agreements for a pipe into Lake Michigan.

But for today, good for Waukesha. Other communities should follow its lead, and the PSC should encourage water conservation pricing statewide, too.