Waukesha Diversion Update: How Much is Water Worth?

Matt Milless: "Gone" ~Enlarge

Not enough for the city to pay for entirely on its own, apparently. It hopes to snag up to $50 million from that well-known environmental advocate, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Shovel-ready?

“Given that the radium is a federal mandate,” Waukesha Mayor Larry Nelson said after the hearing, “it makes sense that federal funds should help us meet the mandate.”

Given that Waukesha has never seriously considered an alternative to diverting Lake Michigan water, it makes sense that there should be no federal subsidy.  It could well be a precedent for bigger, more expensive and longer Army Corps engineering projects to divert Great Lakes water.  One member of Congress carving an exception out of the Great Lakes Compact is all that would take.