Waukesha Says It Can't Amend The Water Map, But...

Both Waukesha and the DNR are saying that the entire five-community water service territory as laid out in Waukesha's Lake Michigan diversion application must be supplied by a selling community, but earlier statements suggest the service territory is not set in stone.

From Mayor Tom Barrett's remarks at the Milwaukee Common Council Public Works Committee water meeting yesterday:

However, contrary to what the Waukesha Water Utility Manager states in his letter yesterday to Alderman Bauman, various statements made in newspaper articles and correspondence indicates he believes there is some ability to amend the water service area.  [ 6/12 JS Article “Waukesha still waiting on town’s water decision.” ]

In yesterday’s letter to Ald. Bauman, the Waukesha Water Utility Manager stated:

“A change in the service area can only be made by SEWRPC or the DNR – not the Utility – and would cause unacceptable delays in our approval process.  Therefore, a motion by the Milwaukee Common Council to negotiate a water sale for a service area that is inconsistent with the SEWRPC determination will amount to a refusal to negotiate.”

However, this seems to contradict the Waukesha Water Utility Manager’s comments to the Town of Genesee and the Town of Waukesha in the City of Waukesha’s January 10, 2011 correspondence:

“Non-approval by the Town of the City’s Great Lakes water supply for the area of the Town designated by SEWRPC will result in this area being deleted from Great Lakes Water Supply Service by the City of Waukesha and revision of the Water Supply Service Area Plan.”
   
A newspaper article yesterday indicated that the City of Waukesha could ask SEWRPC to amend the service area to include only the City of Waukesha, but that Waukesha doesn’t have time to do that. [ 6/19 JS Article “Alderman’s proposal could thwart Milwaukee, Waukesha water talks.” ]