Waukesha Answers Environmental Groups' Water Questions
The City of Waukesha has released a response to questions about water supply issues posed by local and statewide environmental groups that had sought information months ago about the city's plan under the new, 2008 Great Lakes Compact to divert Lake Michigan water.
A posting of the answers can be found on the city's water utility website, here.
I'll post any responses by environmental groups to the Waukesha release.
As Waukesha moves towards completing its application - - a review and approval by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and all eight Great Lakes states is eventually required - - the DNR has yet to write and publish the rules by which an application must be constructed and evaluated.
That regional approval is required because Waukesha is entirely outside the boundaries of the Great Lakes basin.
At first glance, the Waukesha document repeats what Waukesha has been saying for some time about the merits of its planning and goals, and which Mayor Larry Nelson in large measure reiterated at a recent Public Policy Forum on water issues in Wauwatosa:
Waukesha will submit an application for the diversion this year.The amount of water sought for diversion - - 18.5 million gallons daily - - is less than the 20-24 million gallons thought earlier to be needed, due to conservation and falling demand.Waukesha has no plans to sell diverted water to other communities.Underwood Creek, a Lake Michigan tributary, can safely absorb Waukesha's discharged, treated water except on days of high flowage - - at which time Waukesha would send some water away from Lake Michigan via its current discharge plant on the Fox River - - but would still return enough water to the Lake to comply with the Compact's return flow mandate because of storm and other water infiltration into the system.Today's normal Waukesha service territory water demand is about 7 million gallons, the city says, and will grow as population grows in an expanded service territory.Waukesha anticipates a nearly-50% population increase to 97,000+ over its current water service territory residency of about 68,000 people, and expects its normal daily water use eventually at service territory "build-out" to hit about 11 million gallons daily, and to peak-day use of 18.5 million gallons.
5 comments:
Some context for those not familiar with this kind of stuff....
The ultimate service area estimates for City of Waukesha is almost certainly high.... based on past experience. In Waukesha the disputes and competition (with neighboring jurisdictions in particular)over land use and development has historically blocked service extension to some areas.... even where it makes operational, engineering or environmental sense. So even assuming all the area is developed, it probably won't all be receiving water from the municipal water system. Also the inclusion of environmentally sensitive areas within the boundary doesn't imply development in those areas.... just that such likely undeveloped and protected areas would exist within the greater outer boundary used for planning of the ultimate or maximum service planning area. Historically planning has been conservative on the high side, cause for many elements (transmission pipes, etc) its easier to have some extra nonessential capacity than to find you can't provide service without expensive replacement/upgrades of long life infrastructure.
What's clear is Waukesha's diversion request is all about growth.
Waukesha actually says it will comply with return flow requirements every day. See the press release and pages 33 and 35 of the answers.
Yessir, Dave.
It's all about growth.... alternatives.
Joe Landowner wants to maximize his value and if he doesn't his heirs will. Regional business owners want growing markets. Jurisdictional elected bodies want to provide services and amenities to please their constituents.... and all this is a lot easier with a growing tax base and development fees. I have to believe Milwaukee would love to do the same thing if the opportunity was still as available. The fight between Town of Pewaukee and City of Waukesha for development around I-94 (northern Waukesha border) went on for decades.
If you stop the denser city municipal growth you'll get more sprawling, more auto commuting, less economically diverse, and generally less well planned township style growth. It is questionable if this would result in better regional water supply management. If it means more or continued pumping and treatment of the deep aquifer, that's generally not good. That's taking groundwater that was headed for the great lakes, pumping it to the surface and dumping it into surface water bodies and water tables that are headed for the Mississippi.
I think their are valid arguments (environmentally and socially) for preferring the land to be developed under City of Waukesha's "managment" than under the alternatives. I'm not saying more City development is great, or good or their plans are not in need of change; but don't think you'll get a better results just by favoring the Townships over the City.
Post a Comment