Milwaukee Suburb to Tap Lake Michigan for Clean Water
After years of striving for approval, the Milwaukee suburb of Waukesha is poised to take a significant step towards resolving its water supply woes. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently announced that come September, Waukesha will commence drawing up to a whopping 8.2 million gallons of Lake Michigan water each day, intended to replace its contaminated water source. The plan involves treating wastewater and returning it to the lake via the Root River, with the DNR assuring that this process will result in minimal net water loss.
Waukesha’s Long-Awaited Solution
Waukesha’s pursuit of this water diversion began over a decade ago when the city, plagued by radium-contaminated groundwater wells, requested permission from regulators in 2010. Faced with a court order to find a solution, the city’s request finally secured approval in 2016, thanks to an exception in a compact between the Great Lakes states and Canadian provinces Quebec and Ontario. This exception permits water diversions for communities in counties that straddle the boundaries of the Great Lakes basin—Waukesha County being one of them.
A Hard-Won Victory
While the legal authority to consider water diversion requests lies with the states, Waukesha’s perseverance paid off. The city received the green light from the states in 2016, and the Wisconsin DNR granted final approval for the diversion in 2021.
In a nutshell, Waukesha’s long and arduous journey towards securing a clean and reliable water source is about to culminate in a momentous change. Starting this September, the city will tap into Lake Michigan, bringing fresh hope to its residents and putting an end to years of water woes.