Save the Dunes is
responding cautiously to the approval of an application by the City of
Waukesha, Wis., to divert Great Lakes water.
That application
has been approved--after years of review and deliberation--by the State of
Wisconsin and the Great Lakes Regional Body and Compact Council.
Enacted in 2008,
the Compact sets standards for water use within the Great Lakes basin and
bans--with limited exceptions--diversions outside of the basin. One of the
exceptions to the diversion ban is eligible to communities which straddle
the basin line or are located within a county that straddles the basin line.
Such “straddling” communities must meet certain criteria established by the
Compact in order to be granted a diversion.
Waukesha was
specifically granted a diversion due to high levels of naturally occurring
radium in its groundwater supply. That diversion was unanimously approved by
the Great Lakes governors, who did, however, attach several conditions to
it.
“We appreciate the
level of engagement and thoughtfulness demonstrated by the Great Lakes
Regional Body and Compact Council in reviewing Waukesha’s diversion
application,” said Cathy Martin, program manager for Save the Dunes.
“Waukesha’s diversion application as submitted did not meet the standards of
the Great Lakes Compact, and we feel that the conditions adopted by the
Compact Council acknowledged those inconsistencies and improved the
proposal’s compliance with the law.”
Along with other
organizations in the Great Lakes region, Save the Dunes has voiced concerns
over Waukesha’s diversion proposal. “While further review of the added
conditions is needed to assess their ability to adequately uphold the
standards of the Compact, in our preliminary assessment we are encouraged to
see the conditions addressing some of our larger concerns,” Martin said.
Despite the
improvements made to the original diversion proposal, Save the Dunes still
believes that alternative water supply sources which would not require a
diversion of Great Lakes water are available to Waukesha. “It is important
to note that the water diverted by Waukesha must be returned to the Great
Lakes basin, as required by the Compact,” Save the Dunes said.
Because the
Waukesha diversion application is the first since the Compact was adopted,
it is a critical test of the Compact’s effectiveness and serves as a
precedent for subsequent diversion proposals. “The work to monitor the
Waukesha diversion process does not end here,” Martin said. “It is key that
Great Lakes advocates and the Compact Council remain heavily engaged in this
process to ensure that the requirements under the Great Lakes Compact and
specific conditions are enforced and the integrity of the Great Lakes
Compact is upheld.”
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Posted 6/23/2016
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