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WAUKESHA - A coalition of
environmental groups is asking that Waukesha choose to implement
several water conservation measures before seeking additional
water sources.
The recommendations from the coalition were announced Wednesday
at the Lee Sherman Dreyfus State Office Building, next to the Fox
River.
The comments from the environmental advocates come as a
decision is considered imminent on whether Waukesha will be
allowed to access Lake Michigan water. The state Department of
Natural Resources said recently the Council of Great Lakes
Governors is expected to vote soon on an agreement that would
allow the city to access water from Lake Michigan.
But Waukesha Water Utility Manager Dan Duchniak said at a
meeting this summer that if the agreement forced Waukesha to
return its wastewater to Milwaukee, the deal would be harmful to
the environment and prohibitively expensive. That return clause
was part of the agreement when drafted.
One part of the report released Wednesday recommends
conservation standards be placed in the pending council agreement,
known as the Annex 2001 agreement.
Calling the recommendations a tool kit, Jodi Habush Sinykin,
counsel for Midwest Environmental Advocates, said, "We are
interested in using this tool kit to call residents and public
officials’ attention to those conservation measures likely to
prove most beneficial and to build support for their
implementation throughout Waukesha and Waukesha County."
She added, "While city and utility officials continue to
express a commitment to water conservation, we hope they use the
tool kit to follow through on promises made to date."
Steven Schmuki, president of the Waukesha County Environmental
Action League said, "We see this as part of a process. We
need to conserve and preserve as much of this resource as we can.
And now seems to be the time to say that."
Duchniak said the utility agrees with most of the goals but
added the statutory changes are larger than just Waukesha.
"Most of these recommendations go along with our goal of
reducing Waukesha’s water usage by 20 percent by the year
2020," he said. "So we look forward to working with them
on conservation."
The Waukesha Water Utility released a statement Wednesday
saying the Midwest Environmental Advocates recommendations are
consistent with a plan the city revealed in May to conserve,
replenish and protect water resources.
"We will protect water during every step of the water
cycle, from rainfall and snow melt to the groundwater that
recharges our lakes, streams and rivers," Duchniak said in
the statement.
The Waukesha Common Council recently passed an ordinance
limiting the hours of lawn sprinkling and car washing, adding that
more stringent restrictions could be implemented in times of
severe water shortages.
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Conservation
suggestions
WAUKESHA - Among the water
conservation requirements recommended for Waukesha by
several environmental groups Wednesday are:
*Proof of conservation
efforts by a Lake Michigan water applicant prior to allowing
new withdrawals of water over 100,000 gallons per day.
*Implementation of state
mandatory conservation programs prior to allowing an
application for a diversion of water out of the Great Lakes
Basin.
*Inclusion of a
"stakeholder suit" provision, comparable to the
Clean Water Act’s citizen suit provision, to encourage
implementation of the conservation requirements.
*Mandate that water
conservation programs and planning requirements - such as
the state’s Smart Growth initiative - be followed.
*Seek to have state statutes
amended to lower the threshold for triggering conservation
requirements from a "water loss" of 2 million
gallons per day to a new or increased water withdrawal in
excess of 100,000 gallons per day.
- Source: Midwest
Environmental Advocates |
Dennis A. Shook can be reached at dshook@conleynet.com
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