Here & Now

Waukesha Mayor Explains Water Diversion Plan

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

IT’S TAKEN MORE THAN FIVE YEARS, BUT THE DNR ANNOUNCED THIS WEEK THAT AFTER MUCH REVIEW, IT WILL FORWARD ON THE CITY OF WAUKESHA’S REQUEST TO USE LAKE MICHIGAN WATER. THE CONFERENCE OF GREAT LAKES GOVERNORS FROM EIGHT STATES WILL DECIDE WHETHER THE CITY CAN DRAW ON LAKE MICHIGAN. WAUKESHA IS THE FIRST CITY LOCATED ENTIRELY OUT OF THE GREAT LAKES BASIN TO SEEK SUCH A WATER DIVERSION. BUT WHY DOES WAUKESHA NEED THE WATER? AND WHEN, IF APPROVED, WOULD THE DIVERSION START HAPPENING? FOR THOSE QUESTIONS AND OTHERS, WE TURN TO WAUKESHA MAYOR SHAWN REILLY, AND MAYOR, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.

SHAWN REILLY:

HAPPY TO BE HERE. THANK YOU.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

SO WHEN YOU LEARNED OF THE GO-AHEAD, WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION AFTER SO LONG?

SHAWN REILLY:

I WAS VERY HAPPY ABOUT IT. I ALSO KNOW THERE’S A LOT MORE WORK TO BE DONE. SO GEARING UP FOR ALL THE WORK THAT THE WATER UTILITY AND MYSELF NEED TO TAKE CARE OF BETWEEN NOW AND MAY OR JUNE OF NEXT YEAR.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

SO DESCRIBE FOR OUR VIEWERS WHY WAUKESHA NEEDS LAKE MICHIGAN WATER. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE WATER IN WAUKESHA?

SHAWN REILLY:

WELL, WE HAVE NATURALLY-OCCURRING CONTAMINANTS OF OUR WATER SUPPLY. WE HAVE A DEEP WELL AQUIFER WHICH WE DRAW FROM, AND WE’RE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH RADIUM. WE’RE UNDER A COURT ORDER TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF RADIUM. WE HAVE NATURALLY-OCCURRING OTHER CONTAMINANTS. THE WATER IS GETTING SALTIER OR BRACKISH. IT’S GETTING WARMER AND MORE IMPORTANTLY IS THE AQUIFER ITSELF IS UNSUSTAINABLE IN THE LONG TERM. THE AQUIFER HAS GONE DOWN AT ONE POINT 500 FEET. NOW IT’S ABOUT 400 FEET BELOW WHERE IT WAS HISTORICALLY. OUR STUDIES SHOW THAT IT WILL CONTINUE TO BE DEPLETED AND IN THE LONG RUN IT’S UNSUSTAINABLE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

NOW, SOME ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS DON’T FEEL LIKE WAUKESHA SHOULD BE TAPPING LAKE MICHIGAN. CLEAN WISCONSIN SAYS WAUKESHA’S APPLICATION FAILS TO MEET REQUIREMENTS OF THE GREAT LAKES’ COMPACT, INCLUDING IT SAYS, THAT SUCH A DIVERSION IS ONLY ALLOWED IF THERE ARE NOT REASONABLE WATER SUPPLY ALTERNATIVES, WHICH THEY SAY THERE ARE. THEY SAY, QUOTE, THE CITY CAN INVEST SIGNIFICANTLY LESS THAN THE ESTIMATED COST OF THE PROPOSED DIVERSION AND USE A COMBINATION OF DEEP AQUIFER GROUNDWATER AND SHALLOW AQUIFER GROUNDWATER TO MEET ITS NEEDS NOW AND WELL INTO THE FUTURE THEY SAY WHILE MEETING ALL APPLICABLE HUMAN HEALTH STANDARDS FOR DRINKING WATER, INCLUDING FOR RADIUM AND OTHER RADIOACTIVE ELEMENTS. SO WHAT ABOUT THAT? WHY IN YOUR MIND IS THE GREAT LAKE THE BEST OPTION?

SHAWN REILLY:

WELL, FIRST OF ALL, THE CONTINUED USE OF THE DEEP WELL AQUIFER IS NOT SUSTAINABLE. THE CITY OF WAUKESHA HAS STUDIED THIS FOR MORE THAN A DECADE. THE DNR HAS BEEN WORKING ON THE APPLICATION AND STUDYING IT FOR MORE THAN FIVE YEARS. THE SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION HAS ALSO STUDIED IT AND ALSO DETERMINED THAT THE ONLY REASONABLE OPTION FOR THE CITY OF WAUKESHA IS LAKE MICHIGAN WATER. THE STUDY THAT WAS DONE BY ENVIRONMENTALISTS DOESN’T TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THAT IF WE WERE TO CONTINUE TO USE THE WATER SOURCES THAT THEY SAY WE SHOULD, THAT WE WOULD NEED TO — THEY TALK ABOUT REVERSE OSMOSIS. THAT ACTUALLY REQUIRES THE USE OF 25% MORE WATER THAN WHAT YOU DRAW OUT BECAUSE YOU NEED TO — IT’S KIND OF LIKE YOUR WATER SOFTENER AT HOME. YOU NEED TO BACKFILL IT AND GET RID OF THE CONTAMINANTS THAT WAY. SO ACTUALLY THEIR STUDIES ARE NOT CORRECT IN HOW MUCH WATER WE WOULD NEED TO PULL AND USE IN ORDER TO MEET OUR NEEDS.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

NOW, YOU HAVE A 2018 DEADLINE TO PROVIDE RADIUM-SAFE WATER? CAN YOU MEET THAT? BECAUSE PRESUMABLY TAPPING LAKE WATER FROM OAK CREEK OUT OF LAKE MICHIGAN WIL TAKE MASSIVE CONSTRUCTION AND INFRASTRUCTURE AND COST, AND MONEY.

SHAWN REILLY:

IT WILL BE — IT WILL BE NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO MEET THE 2018 DEADLINE. WE HAVE BEEN IN CONVERSATIONS WITH THE DNR. WE WILL BE ADDRESSING THAT ISSUE AT THE TIME THAT WE HAVE APPROVAL FROM THE GREAT LAKES GOVERNORS FOR LAKE MICHIGAN WATER.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

AND SO WHAT IS THE ESTIMATED COST, EVEN AS THE YEARS KIND OF DRAW OUT ON THIS?

SHAWN REILLY:

THE ESTIMATED COST, THE MOST RECENT THAT I’M AWARE OF, IS $207 MILLION.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

BUT YOU SAY YOU STILL HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO. AND IS THAT WORK HAVING TO DO WITH TRYING TO KIND OF CONVINCE THE EIGHT GREAT LAKES GOVERNORS THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WAUKESHA SHOULD DO?

SHAWN REILLY:

I THINK A LOT OF THE WORK IS THAT WE NEED TO GET THE FACTS OUT THERE. THERE’S BEEN A LOT OF INFORMATION PUT OUT BY OTHERS THAT IS NOT CORRECT. WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS THAT THE CITY OF WAUKESHA BORROWING WATER FROM LAKE MICHIGAN WILL NOT AFFECT THE LEVEL OF LAKE MICHIGAN WHATSOEVER. WE’RE GOING TO BORROW WATER FROM LAKE MICHIGAN, USE IT, TREAT IT AND RETURN IT. THE LAKE LEVEL WILL NOT BE AFFECTED WHATSOEVER.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

ALL RIGHT. WE LEAVE IT THERE, MAYOR REILLY. THANKS VERY MUCH.

SHAWN REILLY:

THAT WAS VERY QUICK. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.