Milwaukee County Board to consider opposition to Waukesha’s Great Lakes plan

The Milwaukee County Board will vote on Thursday, April 22, on a resolution to oppose a plan by the City of Waukesha to use Underwood Creek as a return flow mechanism for treated wastewater to Lake Michigan.
The Milwaukee County Parks, Energy & Environment Committee voted 4-2 in favor of the resolution to oppose the plan. The resolution was proposed by Supervisor John Weishan Jr.
Joe Sanfelippo, vice chair of the committee, one of two members who voted against the resolution, said he is skeptical of the environmental impact of the return flow. He wanted to postpone the vote pending more information on the environmental impact from Waukesha.
 “I’m curious to listen to the research to discover the facts of the case,” said Sanfelippo, who added that he is unsure how the issue will be handled by the full board next week.
The Milwaukee County Board can only express its approval or disapproval of the plan to bring Lake Michigan water through Milwaukee to the City of Waukesha. The Milwaukee County Board has no direct say in the matter.
The Waukesha Common Council approved the plan April 8 and plans to send it to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for review next week. The next step in the application process would move the application to the Great Lakes Governors for approval.
Due to high levels of radium in the current water supply, Waukesha has been ordered by the state to comply to environmental standards by June 30, 2018.
Milwaukee County’s opposition is not being well-received in Waukesha.
“From our standpoint it (the committee vote) was disappointing,” said Dan Duchniak, general manager for the Waukesha Water Utility. “We made an offer to provide background and it was disappointing they (supervisors) didn’t take it to get the full understanding before voting … Our plan would not add to the water flow. All studies reviewed said that it (discharge) would improve the water quality and habitat.”
– BizTimes Milwaukee