This is likely to be the first among several reports from out-of-Wisconsin groups raising questions about Waukesha's plan to divert Lake Michigan water out of the Great Lakes basin:
Ann Arbor, Mich. (February 27, 2013) – A
new National Wildlife Federation report raises questions on whether a
Wisconsin community needs to divert water from the Great Lakes to meet
its water needs. The City of Waukesha is applying to divert Lake
Michigan water.
The application is the first since the passage of the
Great Lakes Compact which bans diversions of Great Lakes water and
promotes wise water use within the eight states and two Canadian
provinces bordering the lakes. Many conservation groups view Waukesha’s
application as precedent-setting.
“Our analysis finds that Waukesha might not need to divert Great Lakes water to meet its water needs,” said Marc Smith, Senior Policy Manger with National Wildlife Federation. “The city has options on the table that may satisfy their water needs. In short, they have not justified their need for a Lake Michigan diversion.”
The report, “An Analysis of the City of Waukesha Diversion Application,”
authored by Jim Nicholas, a scientist and retired director of the U.S.
Geological Survey’s Michigan Water Science Center, finds that Waukesha’s
demand for water has been decreasing since the late 1980’s.
However,
in their diversion application, the city projects a much higher demand
that is inconsistent with historical trends.
Moreover, the report
identifies that existing alternative sources of water are available
and may be feasible to meet existing and future demands - opening up
questions over whether or not a Lake Michigan diversion is necessary.
The report’s scope did not include costs associated with various
alternative sources of water, nor the environmental impacts of
infrastructure and return flows to Lake Michigan.
“Our
goal for this report is to provide the Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources an objective scientific evaluation of the Waukesha diversion
application.” said Marc Smith, Senior Policy Manger with National Wildlife Federation. “The report focuses on conservation measures, demand forecast, and environmental impacts of withdrawals.”
Among the key findings of the report:
Waukesha’s
water conservation efforts have been successful in reducing water
usage. If their plans are fully implemented and successful, then the
amount of water used per person each day should decrease;
Waukesha does not justify why they need so much water:
Waukesha’s per capita water use or demand is declining and has been declining for about three decades;
Waukesha’s
demand forecast for 2050, however, assumes a significant increase in
per capita water use, despite planned implementation of conservation
measures aimed at reducing water use;
No explanation/justification is given for assuming that ongoing declines in water use will stop, much less reverse and increase.
Regional groundwater levels in Southeast Wisconsin are stabilizing or rising;
Each of the potential water sources analyzed could provide some of Waukesha’s future water needs. Some could meet all; and
Waukesha does not provide sufficient analysis of the environmental impacts of the potential water sources.
For more information and to read the report, visit: www.nwf.org/greatlakes
The diversion
application is the first since the Great Lakes Compact passed in 2008. Waukesha
is eligible to apply for Great Lakes water because it lies within a
county that straddles the Great Lakes and Mississippi River divide. That
county, Waukesha County in southeastern Wisconsin, is located 18 miles
west of Milwaukee and Lake Michigan.
“The
Great
Lakes Compact is clear on what is expected of any diversion
application. We support the thorough review of the application by the
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.” said Smith. “Our report
indicates that as of today, Waukesha does not show the burden of proof
in this application.”
The
precedent-setting application must not only stand up to the scrutiny of
the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, but must undergo
regional review by the governors of the seven Great
Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, New York and the Canadian premiers of Ontario and Quebec.
Applications for exceptions in straddling counties must also be approved
by all eight of the governors.
For Immediate Release:
February 27, 2013
Contact: Marc Smith, National Wildlife Federation, 734-255-5413 (msmith@nwf.org)
Marc Smith
Senior Policy Manager
National Wildlife Federation
734-887-7116 work
734-255-5413 cell