There will be plenty of scrutiny for Waukesha’s plan to tap the Great Lakes. Waukesha wants Lake Michigan water because its current well system does not meet federal radium standards on heavy use days. It’s the first such proposal under a compact created to protect the Great Lakes, and is being closely scrutinized by the governors of the eight Great Lakes states and the premiers of Ontario and Quebec.
Representatives of those governments took a bus tour on Wednesday, followed by a meeting where they heard from Wisconsin DNR staffers, and asked questions. Michigan officials had already sent Wisconsin a lengthy list of questions, and held a public hearing last week.
The Great Lakes compact group will collect public comments on Waukesha’s water diversion plan until March 14. Each state will complete an independent review of Waukesha’s application by March 22.
A meeting is scheduled in Chicago on April 21, where the state and provincial representatives will decide whether to approve the application, reject it, or request changes.