Waukesha Anticipates More Than $15 Million In Diversion-Advancing Expenses

The City of Waukesha Water Utility has already spent at least $1 million on various consultants to prepare its application for a Lake Michigan diversion -  - and in new information sent last week to the Department of Natural Resources, it puts the continuing tab to advance this complex and precedent-setting push for a Great Lakes water supply at more than $15 million.

Here is the wording from page eight of the water supply section of the information as posted at the utility's website:

"an allowance of more than $15 million for permitting, legal, and administrative costs."

With seven years left until a binding deadline by which the City must have a new water supply identified and provided, if appears that roughly $2 million annually - - or about double what's been spent to date - - is anticipated as the cost to advance the application as it moves to a review by the DNR, additional reviews by the other seven Great Lakes states, plus pipeline routing and water supply negotiations with cities to find a willing supplier.

[Calling attention to some changes: I added "Advancing" to the title, deleted the original word "Promoting," and substituted "advance" above for the "promote" in graph one, for "defend" in paragraph four, and references that this continuing work was public relations or promotions - - at the request of Waukesha Water Utility Manager Dan Duchniak, who sent me this explanation:

"The $15 Million Dollars is for items such as permitting, legal and administrative costs during design and construction of the new water supply system, not for promoting the application, as you claim.  This budget item includes a variety of expenses, including the engineering and environmental consultants required for applying for and obtaining the necessary permits to gain access to the water.  There are also administrative costs associated with this work.  It also includes the costs of defending against potential legal actions, but litigation is possible with all the water supply alternatives.  For example, I know that you are aware of the lawsuits the Town of Waukesha has filed regarding the development of shallow wells.  

 

"These permitting, legal and administrative costs are accounted and budgeted for in all the water supply alternatives as a percentage of construction, which is standard industry practice for cost estimates.  This item is not for public relations or promotions, as you claim in your blog."