Foxconn's diversion = Every day, 1,100 water tanker trucks. In 14-mile line.

Math is not my strong suit, but this argument looks like it holds water.

Enough to treat any outbreak of Foxconn Fever.

Every once in a while a blog comment deserves its own post. Here's one from today on a blog item Friday about what the proposed diversion of 7-million-gallons of Lake Michigan water daily

which Wisconsin is on track to award to Racine County and Foxconn would look line:

Just to give an approximation for the purposes of visualization: A gallon of water weighs 8.36 pounds and a typical semi-tanker can hold about 6000 gallons of water legal weight for transport. 

So after doing the math for 7 million gallons per day that would mean the equivalent of looking at over 1,100 semi tankers of water. Of course they're not trucking it but it gives you an idea to visualize the magnitude. Every day. 

As an example, if you went to park 1,100 semi tankers end to end they would stretch for over 14 miles. Looked at another way, if you jammed them all together with no space between them in the most compact parking area you would need a lot that is almost 4 miles by 4 miles or almost 16 square miles. 

Every day. Your typical large truck-stop parking lot would hold about 100 trucks. Some more some less but you get the idea.

A related issue is how Foxconn and Racine County will clean the water that is not consumed by the plant will be returned to the lake, and how carefully the DNR and other states will monitor it. Of the 7 million gallon daily diversion, a large portion, estimated at 39%, or 2.7 million gallons, will be consumer by the plant, leaving 4.3 million gallons to clea and discharge, the Journal Sentinel reports. 

The obligation to clean the water according to state and local standards rests with the DNR and local authorities, but the other Great Lakes can intervene if they do not think the DNR has the will or staff to guarantee it.