Waukesha Will Seek Twice The Water It Now Uses
Waukesha uses around seven-to-nine million gallons of water a day and wants permission from the Great Lakes states to withdraw up twice that amount: 18.5 million gallons daily.
That is because despite conservation, and some large-user reductions, Waukesha will need water to supply to annexed land to the south and west in a larger water delivery area certified by the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission.
This diverted-water-for growth is going to be an obstacle to its diversion approvals in the other Great Lakes states.
2 comments:
Another problem with plans to supply water for the "build-out" of the 13 sq. miles of land designated by SEWRPC as being in Wakesha's water service area: the whole thing is not likely economically viable.
Lots of the land is owned by speculators--either outright or through options to purchase. Lots of money has been spent or committed to purchase land that will eventually sell at prices approaching or exceeding $100,000 on many lots.
The new realities of mortgage financing will make selling houses that exceed $350,000 in initial sale price a rarity. Nobody will buy high priced suburban residences by putting down nothing, of 5%. Buyers will scrutinized as never before before granting financing. We have been calling the far reaches of Waukesha County Land O'Sprawl, but this recession-verging-on depression has depleted the pool of buyers for "upscale" subdivisions and excessively-sized and -priced housing deep in outer suburbia.
I predict that by the time this water scheme reaches the stage of needing approval by the other Compact states, its assumptions (largely based on SEWRPC pipe dream projections) will be laughed out the room.
The expansion of the service territory hangs over the application.
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