Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Waukesha residents could see their average monthly water bills increase from $26 to $58.26 under the proposal to buy water from Oak Creek.
A pipeline to transport Lake Michigan water to and from Oak Creek will cost Waukesha $183 million to build, according to a water sales letter of intent approved Tuesday night by both the Oak Creek and Waukesha Common Council. The letter effectively fills a missing piece of the city’s application to divert Great Lakes water past the Subcontinental Divide. The letter of intent outlines the terms for a future 40-year contract followed by four additional 10-year automatic renewals for a total of 80 years, according to a news release from the Waukesha Water Utility. However, even if the contract expires after 80 years, Oak Creek would not be able to discontinue water service to Waukesha without Waukesha’s approval. The final contract between …
The Waukesha Common Council will take up controversial Waukesha Business Improvement District and Lake Michigan water purchase negotiations during its meeting Tuesday night.
The Waukesha Common Council will tackle two important issues during its meeting on Tuesday: water and the Waukesha Business Improvement District’s Board of Directors. First, it plans to discuss “recommendations to the mayor for his appointments to the BID board,” according to the agenda. Mass resignations from the board poured in during the last council meeting after accusations of bullying and harassment against a few board members came from the resigning BID executive director, Meghan Sprager. The Common Council meeting is being held at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 201 Delafield St. Only two board members, Bill Huelsman and Natalie Walters, remain with the BID. However, because the board does not have enough members on the board, the …
Friday, September 28, 2012
The Oak Creek Common Council and Water Utility Commission are scheduled to vote on the contract Tuesday.
Waukesha is closing in on an agreement with Oak Creek to provide Lake Michigan water. The Oak Creek Common Council and Water Utility Commission will each vote on the contract Tuesday. Terms were not immediately known. Waukesha still faces a long climb to get Lake Michigan water, including approval from all Great Lakes states. But the votes Tuesday represent a significant step. Waukesha spent a year and a half in negotiations with Oak Creek and Racine. City officials also wanted to negotiate with their preferred supplier, Milwaukee, but discussions never happened. The Waukesha Water Utility and the Waukesha Common Council met in closed sesssion earlier this month to discuss the water sales contract, but information was not made public after…
Friday, September 14, 2012
Waukesha Common Council will have the first look at a potential Lake Michigan water sales agreement with Oak Creek or Racine during its meeting on Tuesday.
Proposed water contracts between Waukesha and Oak Creek or Racine as Waukesha looks to purchase Lake Michigan water are being reviewed Tuesday night in closed session. The meeting is being held at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall. Information about potential agreements will not be released yet because of negotiations. However, the city’s originally preferred supplier, Milwaukee, is still not in the running after the Milwaukee Common Council’s terms to begin negotiations were not in compliance with Waukesha’s future water service area. The Waukesha Water Commission will also review the negotiations on Tuesday. It is holding a closed session meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. The closed sessions are being held because negotiations are ongoing. The …
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Negotiations continue with Racine, according to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, but Milwaukee's out of water talks.
Officials serving on the Waukesha Common Council and on the Waukesha Water Utility could soon see what a potential water agreement will include with Oak Crek. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is reporting that the water utility will meet in closed session Aug. 16 to discuss negotiations and a draft agreement between Waukesha and Oak Creek. Alderman Terry Thieme referenced the meeting during the Waukesha Common Council meeting Tuesday night during his water utility update. Discussions are continuing with Racine, according to the Milwaukee newspaper. Negotiations fell through with the third Lake Michigan supplier – Milwaukee – before talks could begin. Milwaukee is refusing to negotiate based on Waukesha’s future water service area. However, …
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett tells Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Waukesha should still negotiate under Milwaukee's terms – terms that would exclude parts of Waukesha's future water service area.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will review Waukesha’s application to divert Lake Michigan water based on its water service area – not municipal jurisdictions – and it will require Waukesha’s water provider to supply water for the entire water service area. DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp clarified Thursday in a letter to Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett the DNR’s position as Milwaukee has refused to negotiate with Waukesha’s entire future water service area. Instead, Milwaukee is only agreeing to negotiate a water purchase for the Waukesha’s current water service area. “Given this clear statutory link between the diversion application and the water supply service area, the department will insist that the entity with which the city …
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Milwaukee remains out of negotiations for a water sales agreement with Waukesha while Lake Michigan water sales agreements are being finalized with Oak Creek and Racine.
A Milwaukee alderman who was trying to introduce a resolution as a compromise to allow Milwaukee to begin a water sales negotiation with Waukesha fell short Tuesday. Alderman Jim Bohl had introduced a resolution that would negate the council’s previous action that allows for Milwaukee to negotiate for Waukesha’s current water service area but excludes portions that are in the future water supply service area. However, the modified resolution, which would begin negotiations with two separate agreements, failed with one yes vote, 13 no votes and one excused vote, according to the Milwaukee Common Council’s Twitter account. Bohl was trying to begin negotiations with two separate agreements, one for Waukesha’s current water service area and …
Monday, July 23, 2012
A Milwaukee alderman is asking his Common Council to reconsider its action that prevents it from beginning a Lake Michigan water sales negotiation with Waukesha.
Looking to jump start negations for a Lake Michigan water sales agreement between Waukesha and Milwaukee, a Milwaukee alderman has introduced legislation that would partially change a previous decision that killed negotiations earlier this month. Milwaukee Alderman Jim Bohl’s looking to have the Milwaukee Common Council begin negotiations that would include two separate agreements, one for Waukesha’s current water service area and one for the city’s future water service area. Waukesha’s future water service area is set by the Southeastern Regional Planning Commission and includes property in the towns of Waukesha, Delafield and Genesee and City of Pewaukee. The Milwaukee Common Council decided earlier this month it would negotiate only …
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Waukesha Water Utility General Manager Dan Duchniak informs Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett that Waukesha "can wait no longer" for the Lake Michigan community to begin negotiations.
Milwaukee’s stance on Waukesha’s future water service area – an area that is set by the Southeastern Regional Planning Commission and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources – is preventing the Lake Michigan community from negotiating with Waukesha a water sales agreement, warned Waukesha Water Utility General Manager Dan Duchniak in a letter to Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. “Milwaukee cannot unilaterally overturn state laws on water supply service areas,” Duchniak said in the letter. In order to be considered in the negotiation process, Milwaukee must immediately authorize negotiations in “good faith” for Waukesha that would include the city’s entire future water service area. The Milwaukee Common Council recently passed a resolution…
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Wisconsin Public Service Commission approves Waukesha Water Utility's rate increase request as the city looks toward developing a new water supply.
Waukesha Water Utility will soon see the financial effects of the city’s search for a new water supply. The Wisconsin Public Service Commission approved this week a 27 percent water rate increase. The rate increase was done in preparation for the water utility’s borrowing needs as it looks to develop a new water supply to meet a June 2018 deadline. The water increase is the first of a series of four or five water rate increases around 25 percent as the city’s looking at spending millions to address the decline in water quantity and quality. “This is the first of those increases,” said Waukesha Water Utility General Manager Dan Duchniak. Waukesha requested a rate increase of $2.2 million – 25 percent – in December 2011. The Wisconsin Public…
Steve Edlund
12:07 pm on Thursday, October 4, 2012
Chris, you bring up some very good questions and that's what's important. There is no deadline to address all potential solution to any potential water shortage. I agree that the utility should determine the cost benefit analysis before committing to what I see a as dead horse. To take your concern about cost a step further lets consider reducing our dependance on the deep aquifer 50% by creating… more ›