Michigan Lawmakers Blast Plan to Divert Great Lakes Water to Wisconsin
Great Lakes Council ok’s sending water to a Wisconsin town. Michigan lawmakers say town might use more than allowed.
Metro Detroit members of Congress are expressing concern over the formal approval of a plan to divert millions of gallons of water from Lake Michigan to a town in Wisconsin.
The Great Lakes Compact Council okayed sending more than eight million gallons of water each day from Lake Michigan to the town of Waukesha, Wisconsin, which is dealing with elevated radium levels in its water supply.
That is not sitting well with either Republican Congresswoman Candace Miller or Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, both representing communities in Metro Detroit.
They released a joint statement criticizing Waukesha for failing to treat its existing groundwater wells rather than using water from the Great Lakes.
The Michigan members of Congress say they do not believe officials can ensure that only the agreed-upon amount of water will be diverted to Waukesha, or that the water will be treated and returned as is required under the Great Lakes Compact.
In fact Dingell and Miller charge that the decision to divert water to Waukesha undermines the entire Compact agreement.
