Why Racine And Oak Creek Water Options For Waukesha Are Dubious, Costly

The City of Waukesha has been told by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources that it must include in its Lake Michigan diversion application the comparative costs of bringing water to Waukesha from Milwaukee, Racine and Oak Creek.

Waukesha had only included the Milwaukee estimate: $164 million.

But the Waukesha Water Utility - - the lead agency writing and amending the application - - has said it wants to keep the Racine and Oak Creak numbers confidential so it does not give away negotiating power during discussions with the potential sellers.

There are huge problems with that approach:

First, Waukesha, with a history of withholding back information as basic as a back-door bid for Lake Michigan water in 2006, errs again by arguing against transparency. That's a losing argument when public spending with environmental impacts are at stake.

Second, Milwaukee, with a water utility and engineering staff of its own, is already working on getting those estimates ready.

Milwaukee Ald. Willie Wade confirmed it at a public meeting of the Environmental Justice Task Force Thursday afternoon during its discussion of regional water issues.

Oak Creek and Racine can do the same thing. This isn't state secret stuff. It's basic construction, building and labor cost estimating that is guided by maps with piping routing options that indicate where easements have to be granted or claimed, structures or tracks or water need to be crossed, utility right-of-ways can be accessed, etc.

Public Contracting 101.

Third, Oak Creek and Racine are both farther from Waukesha than is Milwaukee, so Oak Creek and Racine's bottom line numbers will be larger.

And Oak Creek's water treatment facility would need a capacity upgrade if it were expected to pump, on average, 10.9 million gallons of water to Waukesha, with a maximum of 18.5 million gallons available in an emergency.

There has been opposition in Waukesha on the part of Mayor Jeff Scrima and some Common Council members to making a deal with Milwaukee because Milwaukee city policy requires mutual socio-economic problem-solving being tied to the sale of water.

But suppose it costs, say, $25-$75 million more to build the supply pipe and related infrastructure just to get Oak Creek or Racine water to Waukesha?

Does that opposition to Milwaukee wash away?

Another twist: If Racine or Oak Creek were designated the supplier (and those allegedly-onerous Milwaukee regional cooperation conditions are taken off the table) the Great Lakes Compact says water must be returned as close to the diverted water's source as possible - - and that doesn't sound like Underwood Creek in Wauwatosa if Racine or Oak Creek make the deal.

Waukesha's application admittedly has legal, financial and political hurdles to overcome, but it's only smart and fair to disclose the potential costs of all diversion sources and wastewater return flow plans to the Waukesha water ratepayers and those in the other municipalities that the application says are scheduled to get some Lake Michigan water: The Town of Waukesha, Pewaukee and Genessee.

That's why the diversion alternatives' costs should also be compared to various groundwater solutions that do not require A) a new supply pipe, B) a new wastewater discharge or C) regional payments to any selling community that wants to tie water supplies to other issues and services.