Waukesha Water Utility Statement regarding Compact Implementation Coalition press release
The positions the CIC described today are nothing new and are incomplete. As the coalition indicated, they have repeatedly made these same suggestions to the DNR during its five-year review. Their water supply proposals were analyzed and found to be inadequate, causing significant adverse environmental impacts to groundwater, wetlands and surface waters. Although the coalition press release puts a heavy emphasis on costs, the DNR’s conclusion that Lake Michigan is Waukesha’s only reasonable water supply alternative is primarily based on environmental impacts.
The DNR’s draft technical review and environmental impact statement found that groundwater use is not reasonable, due to environmental impacts, even if Waukesha were to use less water than what is forecast.
The coalition positions were also examined and refuted in prior analyses by the City of Waukesha and by the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission.
The coalition push for Waukesha to continue using existing wells and depleted groundwater resources is inconsistent with Wisconsin’s groundwater law, which puts Waukesha in one of only two groundwater management areas in the state. Their proposal does nothing to address the fact that the groundwater drawdown is hundreds of feet below the levels that that require groundwater management.
Their position is also inconsistent with Wisconsin water supply planning laws, as the DNR has indicated on several occasions. Their proposal would force area residents to be removed from sewer service areas that have been in place for decades.
The CIC proposal also does not address the impacts of regional water use. Waukesha’s primary water supply is affected by the densely populated area of southeastern Wisconsin and northeastern Illinois. To not examine cumulative and future water use is environmentally irresponsible and inconsistent with effective planning.
Water supply systems involve investments of hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure that must last for generations. Decisions should not be made on short-term trends or impacts, but on resources that are sustainable and reliable for the long term.
Waukesha will return approximately 100% of the volume of water it withdraws back to Lake Michigan. There will be no impact on lake levels. Use of groundwater in the area, however, is proven to have adverse impacts on wetlands, streams and lakes. It is not a reasonable alternative, as several independent analyses have shown.
For more information and answers to frequently asked questions, please see www.waukesha-water.com.