Great Lakes states approve U.S. city's plan to draw water from Lake Michigan

A suburban Milwaukee city won a hard-fought battleTuesday to draw its drinking water from Lake Michigan in the first
test of a compact designed to safeguard the Great Lakes region'sabundant but vulnerable fresh water supply.

A panel representing governors of the eight states adjoining thelakes unanimously approved a proposal from Waukesha, Wis.,which is under a court order to find a solution to radiumcontamination of its groundwater wells. The city says the projectwill cost $265million Cdn for engineering studies, pipelines and otherinfrastructure.

Waukesha is only 27 kilometresfrom the lake but just outside theGreat Lakes watershed. That required the city of about 72,000 to getspecial permission under the compact, which prohibits mostdiversions of water across the watershed boundary.

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The 2008 pact established a potential exception for communitieswithin counties that straddle the line. Waukesha is the first torequest water under that provision.

"There are a lot of emotions and politics surrounding thisissue, but voting yes in co-operation with our Great Lakes
neighbours is the best way to conserve one of our greatest naturalresources," Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said.

Fear that Waukesha would set a precedent for a host ofsupplicants was one of the biggest obstacles in the city's quest totap Lake Michigan, which began several years before the compact wassigned.

Ontario, Quebec protective of lake water

The region jealously guards access to the Great Lakes, which hold95 per cent of the nation's surface fresh water. The Sun Belt'ssteady gains in population and political clout inspired Illinois,Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania andWisconsin to negotiate the pact in hopes of preventing raids fromarid states.

Ontario and Quebec adopted nearlyidentical legislation, although only the states were given legalauthority to consider requests for U.S. water diversions.

Ontario took issue with Waukesha's original plan and still isn't overly thrilled with the approval.

"We remain apprehensive about any diversion by Waukeshaand will continue to voice the concerns of Ontarians," Jason Travers, director of Natural Resources Conservation Policy Branch for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, said in a written statement.

Waukesha's initial application drew accusations of seeking morewater than needed to support urban sprawl.

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The city won a conditional endorsement last month from anotherregional panel after making numerous changes. They included reducingthe volume it would withdraw daily from 38.2 million litres to 31million litresand shrinking its water service area.

Waukesha said it would remove only a tiny fraction of LakeMichigan's supply and return the same amount as treated wastewater.

"There will be virtually no net loss of water volume to theGreat Lakes," said Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton, whose state
abstained from last month's preliminary vote because of lingeringconcerns that he said Tuesday had been resolved.

Environmentalists disappointed

Amendments approved by the governors' representatives empower thestates to enforce all provisions in the agreement with Waukesha.

Mayor Shawn Reilly said the city respected the conditions "andwe are committed to compliance." It will be at least a couple ofyears before Lake Michigan water begins flowing to Waukesha, hesaid.

A Minnesota-based environmental coalition and the Sierra Club'sWisconsin chapter voiced disappointment with the governors'decision, as did Michigan's attorney general and two members ofCongress. Critics said Waukesha had not exhausted other options,such as treating its groundwater for contamination.

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"Waukesha has known about elevated radium levels in their watersupply for decades and has failed to act," Reps. Debbie Dingell andCandice Miller of Michigan said, describing the decision as afailure for the compact that would undermine the region's watersecurity.

'Strong watchdogs'

Other environmental groups that had opposed the plan before itwas amended offered cautious support.

"We will be strong watchdogs to ensure that the Great Lakes areprotected," the Alliance for the Great Lakes and the NationalWildlife Federation said in a joint statement.

In a 2013 report, the Alliance identified eight other cities nearthe watershed as potential suitors for Great Lakes water if Waukeshawere approved, although none have announced such plans.

Dan Injerd, the Illinois representative at Tuesday's meeting,said the fact that Waukesha spent a decade and millions of dollarson its bid would be a strong deterrent, showing that accessing GreatLakes water is "an extraordinarily difficult challenge."

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