Town Of Waukesha Recall Coverage, And Its Meaning

The Waukesha Freeman is covering the Town of Waukesha recall campaign. The issue is whether Town board members adequately represented Town interests in a shallow well deal with the larger City of Waukesha.

I would assume that the outcome, should new Town board members win election, will be read as a signal to the City of Waukesha that the Town does not want its water supply to be controlled by the City.

I have been contacted by Town residents fearful of increased water bills, and even annexation as developers and other property owners could ask the City to fully bring them into the City limits.

And how will the City of Waukesha and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources react, since the City's Lake Michigan diversion application calls for delivery of City water to a large swath of the Town - - but the Town did not vote on whether it wanted to be part of the application and thus in the City's expanded service territory.

I have suggested that this expansion of the City's water service territory - - sanctioned by the regional planning commission but also never approved by the Town - - weakens the application because the other Great Lakes states will see it as diverting water for one city' expansion, and one region's growth if you believe that chamber of commerce hype..

One City's expansion and economic advantage? Helped by diversion of Great Lakes water out of the basin? In a precedent-setting bid?

I doubt it.

Without Town approval - - and those also of Genessee and Pewaukee which the application also says will get some new City water - - how can the application be considered complete under the Great Lakes Compact, let alone meeting the 'no reasonable alternative,' last-ditch exception standard?

Food - - or water - - for thought.