Great Lakes states to decide on thirsty city’s water plea

A statement from the Wisconsin Compact Implementation Coalition – a collective of Wisconsin conservation groups opposed to the diversion – maintains that Waukesha’s proposal is flawed. “It will help our children and their children to an environmentally sustainable supply of water”. “After it’s been done a couple of times, people are going to see that we are following all of the rules”, Reilly said. He said it would devastate Racine’s tourism industry if beaches have to close because they’re unsafe.

State delegates focused their discussion Tuesday on a few last-minute amendments to a 12-page document.

Great Lakes governors were swayed in part by research showing some of the groundwater now being drawn by Waukesha would flow toward Lake Michigan if it no longer is used by the city.

In fact Dingell and Miller charge that the decision to divert water to Waukesha undermines the entire Compact agreement. Critics have cautioned allowing the plan to move forward could make it easier for other communities who lie outside the Great Lakes drainage basin to access water.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder was represented by Detroit attorney Grant Trigger.

Even an independent analysis conducted by a Wisconsin-based coalition of environmental groups – the Wisconsin Compact Implementation Coalition – concluded that Waukesha can, in fact, meet its own water needs by treating existing groundwater wells for radium just as neighboring communities now do. Conditions added by regional officials last month were meant to achieve compliance.

Governors from eight Great Lakes states are expected to vote on the request. Minnesota representative Julie Ekman said last month that she wanted to emphasize there would be another layer of enforcement beyond Wisconsin’s existing authority.

Opponents of the plan, however, don’t like the idea of the treated wastewater flowing through their community on its way to Lake Michigan.

City officials say they’re now looking for engineers to design the pipeline – and ways to help pay for the project.

Eight U.S. states have thrown their support to one small Wisconsin city. A single no vote would have scuttled the city’s plan.

“There won’t be as much water coming into the Great Lakes if this goes any further”, Paterson warned.

The next step is gaining state permits to construct and operate the system.

The town’s own water supply is dwindling and contaminated with radium, and it is under a court order to find a new supply to meet its daily demand of about 31 million litres of water.

Geoff Peach says he is cautiously optimistic that the very strict conditions of the agreement will guarantee the water that is taken out will be returned in the same condition.