Waukesha Hopes For Federal Subsidy To Fund New Water System

Federal grant funds for an Amtrak line running through Waukesha linking Madison and Milwaukee? Can't have that. Too expensive.

After all, isn't dependency on Big Government and its Nanny State pocketbook something that conservative policy-makers and voters say is at the heart of our fiscal and cultural morass?

But federal grant funds to subsidize the Waukesha Water Utility and users faced with paying for the new water system the utility and Common Council are pursuing?

Bring it on, 1.0:

Waukesha tries to tap $100 million for water projects

The utility is writing an application for a $100 million U.S. Army Corps of Engineers grant. If the corps approves the application, the money would be available for water utility projects in Milwaukee and Waukesha counties.

But the Waukesha utility still could get between $25 million and $50 million, said Dan Duchniak, water utility general manager...

“It’s something our water systems need,” he said of maintenance money, “that’s for sure.”

Duchniak said the Waukesha utility has no choice but to swallow the cost of new construction for a new water source. Without outside grants, he said, the cost will fall on people who buy water from the utility.

“We need to do something,” he said. “We can’t do nothing.”

Bring it on 2.0:

I'd noted the effort to get GOP Cong. Sensembrenner's backing for the US Army Corps of Engineers grant, and it sure looks like that's a continuing effort.

Waukesha Water Utility General Manager Daniel Duchniak told his commission in April during a Great lakes water update that he'd been to Washington, DC in furtherance of "support for the Army Corps of Engineers project."

From the April 19 minutes, Discussion Item #9 (see pdf files, here):

Duchniak went to Washington D.C. for support of the Army Corps of Engineers project-- received support from Congressman Sensenbrenner and Senator Kohl and is waiting to hear about a letter of support from Senator Johnson.