TONIGHT: Wisconsin DNR Hearing on Waukesha's Great Lakes Diversion Application

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has scheduled three public informational meetings and hearings on the City of Waukesha’s Great Lakes water application, which it expects to publish a public notice Tuesday that the application is complete.

While the application is considered complete, the application to pipe Lake Michigan water from Milwaukee, Oak Creek or Racine now faces the scrutiny of the DNR and is subject to an environmental impact statement.

Public meetings:

• Tuesday, July 26, Waukesha County Technical College, , Business Building, Lecture Hall B140 and B130, 800 Main Street, Pewaukee, WI 53072
• Wednesday, July 27, Hart Park, Riverview Room, 7300 Chestnut St., Wauwatosa, WI 53213
• Thursday July 28, Sturtevant DNR Service Center, 9531 Rayne Road, Sturtevant, Wisconsin 53177

Schedule:

5:30 p.m. – Open house (with displays, handouts and DNR staff available to answer questions)
6:00 p.m. – Presentation (brief overview of application and process), a Question and Answer period, followed by a formal public hearing

Comments:

Any comments are welcome; however, comments are particularly requested on the scope of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and the review criteria.

• EIS Scope
• Diversion Application Review Criteria

Written comments may be submitted until August 13, 2011 to:

Kay McConnell
DNR Bureau of Drinking Water and Groundwater
Box 7921
Madison, WI 53707-7921
WaukeshaDiversionApp@wi.gov

A second public comment period and round of hearings will be scheduled once the DNR has completed its review and has a draft decision and draft EIS. The draft decision and draft EIS are not anticipated before November 2011.

Meanwhile, the Common Council met in closed session Thursday night to discuss negotiation techniques as the city talks with Milwaukee, Oak Creek and Racine as a water supplier. The city has identified Lake Michigan as the most cost effective, sustainable, environmentally friendly and healthy water supply as it is faced with a June 2018 deadline to meet federal regulations for its water supply.

While addressing the radium standards, Waukesha is also looking to address declining quantity and quality of its groundwater source.