Waukesha Mayor Hits The Road To Make Case For Water Diversion Plan

Waukesha Mayor Shawn Reilly made a stop in Lansing, Michigan on Monday to seek support for Waukesha’s request to divert water from Lake Michigan.

Reilly hopes to meet with environmental officials in five of the eight Great Lakes states that have to approve Waukesha’s request. Their approval is needed because the Milwaukee suburb sits on the edge of the Great Lakes basin, but not in it.

Waukesha’s water is contaminated with radium, a naturally occurring carcinogen, and neighboring communities are withdrawing water from clean water aquifers at a faster rate than it can be replenished.

“We do not have enough water for our citizens and the water we do have is contaminated,” said Reilly.

Reilly said approval of the request would help protect nearby wetlands and set a precedent for allowing diversions in a narrow set of circumstances. Some environmental groups oppose allowing water to be moved outside the Great Lakes at all.