Friday, October 12, 2018

Updates and commentary about Waukesha, Foxconn diversions

Seems like when someone says 'Great Lakes water,' 

the subject turns to Foxconn and Waukesha, given Wisconsin's outlier status as the Great Lakes water diverter:

*  The Great Lakes Compact recently turned ten years old; Michigan writer Gary Wilson provided water analyst Peter Annin's assessment of the Compact and took note of the Waukesha and Foxconn diversion controversies, here.

Success, regional conflict mark decade of the Great Lakes Compact

Water Wars author Annin sees skirmishes like Waukesha and Foxconn as part of the growing pains of the Compact. It’s sorting out the kinks after initial tests. But he is quick to remind that the agreement’s primary mission is still to ban large scale diversions and it has done that.
*  Speaking of Waukesha, I am told that it is preliminarily looking at federal lending participation as an option to cover a substantial portion of the project's cost which is now pegged at more than $286 million.

I remember posting over the years how the projected project costs for Waukesha water ratepayers had escalated, writing five years ago:
The proposed project cost has risen from a 2009 estimate of $78 million - -  an amount that would have been covered by Waukesha's run at federal project financing aid - - to a current projection of $206 million.
So close to a 400% increase.

The project now envisioned would include construction of a pumping station to move water supplied by the Milwaukee Water Works with a 15.2 million gallon-per-day capacity, or close to twice the 8.2 gallon-daily-average approved by the Great Lakes governors. 

Time will tell if that capacity is in fact built, represents standard redundancy to covers drought, and/or emergencies, or accommodates growth.

*  About the Foxconn diversion - - I'd mentioned it recently in connection with  the Great Lakes governors' annual meeting, and let me remind readers that I've been posting a running archive on Foxconn since June, 2017, with scores of entries. Before I added today's post, these were the most recent updates to the archive among more than 200 items:
Mt. Pleasant pays more millions for Foxconn land seizures. Also lost: government credibility. 
Walker won't fly to Indiana and showcase his FUBAR Great Lakes 'policies.' 

1 comment:

Where's the ethics? said...

In the case of Waukesha, Wisconsin 2017 Act 38 provides collaborating evidence that Waukesha's request for Lake Michigan water was for growth.

First: After the Compact Council gave approval to the limited service area, Waukesha immediately lobbied Scott Walker and Waukesha County legislators to wordsmith a bill allowing Waukesha to keep the map drawn by SEWRPC for sewer service and use the water supply map drawn by the Compact Council for water supply.
Second: When Waukesha negotiated with Milwaukee, in writing, Milwaukee agreed to not oppose Waukesha should it request from the Compact Council in the future an expansion of the service area , but keep the limited 8.2 MGD average day demand.
Third: Waukesha's peak day demand has been below 10 MGD since 2005. Waukesha's current average day demand is 6 MGD.

A 30" pipe and 15 MGD is for future growth - period.

I hope.Waukesha understands it is a felony to falsify information on a federal application.

At $286 million plus the purchase of water and operational expenses of both the current and future system operation and maintenance of the sewer and water systems (not to mention the new city hall at $28m, a baseball stadium at $14 million, a sewerage treatment plant update of $70 m, major road and underlying infrastructure replacement, and a $60 million school district referendum) Waukesha is going to see serious socioeconomic problems.