Lake Michigan Water All the Way to Waukesha

Nov 12, 2013 | Citizen Advocacy, Drinking Water, Water Policy

Waukesha Water Utility holds Informational meetings in Oak Creek tonight, Racine tomorrow night on Lake Michigan Diversion Application.

Recently, the River Alliance told you about the City of Waukesha’s application for a diversion of Lake Michigan water to serve municipal water needs. The application proposes to purchase water from Oak Creek, pipe it to Waukesha, use it, and discharge the treated wastewater into the Root River north of Racine.

The Great Lakes Compact prohibits the diversion of water outside the basin except in limited circumstances and when specific benchmarks are met. Waukesha’s application is the first test of this Compact. Along with a coalition of state and national environmental groups, we are watching closely to ensure that the bar is being met by Waukesha with their application. Our original press statement, which outlines some of the coalition’s concerns, can be found here.

The Water Utility will be holding an informational meeting for the public in Oak Creek tonight, Racine tomorrow night, and in Milwaukee on November 18. We urge you to attend one of the informational hearings to understand what Waukesha is proposing to do, ask questions, and share your comments.

The three remaining public meetings will be held:

November 13, 6:00-8:00 p.m., Oak Creek Community Center, 8580 S. Howell Ave., Oak Creek.
November 14, 6:00-8:00 p.m., Racine Campus Conference Center, Great Lakes Rm, Gateway Technical College, 1001 S. Main St., Racine.
Monday, November 18, 6:00-8:00 p.m., Zilber School of Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, rooms 109, 119 and 129, 1240 N. 10th St., Milwaukee.