Waukesha Should Take Note Of Water, Regional Realities - - And Justice Connections

As I noted on this blog, there was again Monday evening at a Waukesha public meeting on water policy pretty strong messages being sent about disinterest with linking water sales from Milwaukee to a willingness in Waukesha to address the region's social and economic problems.

The message from Waukesha officials, including Council members: we're a sovereign entity, so don't involve us - - just sell us the water.

[Side issue: Does Waukesha's intention to add 80%, or 17 square miles, to its water service territory, thus bringing in the Town of Waukesha and Genesee Depot, in any way take away those communities and residents' independence and sovereignty?]

Anyway, at the same time Waukesha is getting ready to launch its bid for Lake Michigan water - - preferably buying that water from imperialistic Milwaukee - - a coalition of environmental and civic groups issued detailed comments to a regional study on overall water supply policy that argued and annotated the very opposite case - - that water provision and socio-economic issues should be considered together.

The kicker: it's the law, which, unless you manage to secede - - a matter pretty well decided by the Civil War - - you still have to follow, even in not-so-sovereign Waukesha.

It will be interesting to see if the groups' comments - - signed by veteran water policy and civil rights lawyers - - are passed to Waukesha officials as they push forward for a Lake Michigan diversion with Milwaukee as a preferred seller.