About Water, Waukesha, And Racine; Tale Of Two Cities

It was more than five years ago that State Rep. Cory Mason, (D-Racine), noted Waukesha's talk about diverting Lake Michigan water, realized the water would have to be returned to the lake somehow, somewhere,  - - perhaps down the Root River right through Racine  - -  and offered a precise and memorable quote to the contrary.

"Racine's not Waukesha's toilet," said the legislator.

And for a few years, it looked like Mason didn't have much to worry about, as Racine appeared to be out of Waukesha's diversion plans and plumbing.

Which was a good thing, since the Root River already has a propensity to flood.

Waukesha finished up its formal diversion application in 2010 based on a projected water purchase from the City of Milwaukee and a flushing of treated wastewater back to the lake via Underwood Creek and the Menomonee River. (Piping its effluent directly to a Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District treatment system connection was too expensive, Waukesha said, preferring the cheaper, open-water routing.

But Waukesha's planning has changed: it's 2010 application has stalled, and the potential supply deal with Milwaukee fell through.

Now the City of Waukesha is said to be writing a new Lake Michigan diversion application based on a water purchase from a new partner, the City of Oak Creek, necessitating a more southerly return regime to Lake Michigan down the Root River through...you guessed it...Racine.

It's hard to miss the profound political and socio-economic contrasts between the cities of Waukesha and Racine - - a true tale of two cities, where is going to keep getting the gold while the other seems headed for the shaft.

In fact, these two medium-sized Wisconsin, though just a few miles apart, and with roughly the same number of people - - US Census Bureau data shows Racine with 78,303 people and Waukesha with 70,920 - - they might as well be on different planets. (You can find those and other data at this US Census Bureau website.)

Notably, the economically-distressed City of Racine, with a higher percentage of poor and minority citizens, has a median household income of $39,059, while the more upscale City of Waukesha's median household income is almost exactly 50% higher, at $57,001 - - and about 10% above the statewide average.

The geography in the diversion scheme - - and Waukesha would not compensate Racine as the wastewater recipient and doesn't need Racine's permission for the arrangement  - - along with the cities' comparative data and Mason's descriptive imagery echo centuries of living arrangements that define those on the hill as more privileged than those living below:

Because, you know what in politics and real estate what flows downhill.