Friday, May 24, 2013

What Passes For Regional Cooperation In Waukesha Water Disputes

The City of Waukesha may soon agree to 'allow' the neighboring Town of Waukesha to join the City's application for a possible Lake Michigan diversion - - after having included the Town in the application without consultation.

(See Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer, fence whitewashing).

Serving the Town also will allow the City to continue to request in its diversion application which eight Great Lakes states will have to approve unanimously prior to its implementation an average of 10.9 million gallons a day. Its current usage is 6.9 million gallons a day.

The City says it is not seeking water to fuel growth.

The City appears to be getting ready also to agree to close off wells it had located within the Town through a financially and politically-costly outburst of eminent domain.

In Waukesha County, these exercises of leverage are known as regional cooperation.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Then this comment popped up about on of the requirement by the Town as a requirement for agreement:

"– The Town of Waukesha retains the right to enter into negotiations with the Village of Big Bend for treatment services for town property (which the Town voted on and agreed to at a special board meeting Tuesday)."

The Great Lakes Compact Diversion Exception requires an equal return flow to lake Michigan minus consumptive use. The Waukesha Water Utility has made claim to a 100% return flow. Is Chairman Marek asking the City of Waukesha to include the Village of Big Bend in the Waukesha Water Utility service area too?

Interesting comment. Was this a poison pill inserted knowing it's a bone of contention?

Anonymous said...

"– Conditional inclusion in the City of Waukesha's Water Service Area only if the City of Waukesha is successful in obtaining a Great Lakes Diversion."

SEWRPC will go back and redraw the boundries when the application is not successful? Really check required here.

Anonymous said...

Chicago = 2000 million gallons per day to Mississippi River

Waukesha = 10 million gallons per day, flowing back to the lake.

Stop crying over spilled milk people and put some effort into reopening a case against Chicago draining two billion gallons of water daily.

James Rowen said...

To Anonymous 12:09 p.m. Wisconsin led an unsuccessful challange. Better to pressure for a reverse of the Chicago River.

Anonymous said...

@12:09 p.m.

Spilled milk?

Waukesha's significantly flawed application has yet to be released by the DNR 3 years and 3 months after it's submission.

An appropriate response to you is; don't count your chickens before they hatch.

Not to worry. Modeling of local sources demonstrates several long term alternatives to Lake Michigan water if the Town isn't included in the application.

Keep your eyes on the Town and the number of proposed subdivision and industrial park developments submitted for approval before the application is heavily questioned by the Council of Great Lakes Governors.

Anonymous said...

All Waukesha is required to do to cure it's "public health issue" is install radium filters on all it's deep aquifer wells. The Town of Waukesha doesn't have a "public health issue". They don't have a municipal water system and they don't have a shortage of water.

This is a perfect example of what the Great Lakes States should scrutinize in the first ever application for a diversion exception.