Milwaukee Committee Forwards Waukesha Water Deal

Milwaukee’s plans to sell Lake Michigan water to Waukesha took another step forward this week. A Milwaukee Common Council committee recommended approval of the deal Tuesday, which would help Waukesha become the first city outside the Great Lakes Basin to obtain lake water under the terms of a 2008 multi-state agreement, called the Great Lakes Compact.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett told the panel that the proposal would not help Waukesha grow at the expense of Milwaukee.

“I know one of the questions is always going to be, ‘well, is this going to be something that will encourage people to move to Waukesha?’ And, my answer to that is ‘no’ because even with the rates that we’re charging, the water there will be significantly more expensive for a number of reasons in Waukesha than it is here,” Barrett said.

Milwaukee Common Council President Ashanti Hamilton voted for the water sales agreement. But, he said he hopes Milwaukee and Waukesha can soon cooperate on other issues, like creating more affordable housing in Waukesha, and helping more low-income Milwaukee residents get to jobs in Waukesha County.

“You know, we are a region. The stronger we are together, we all kind of have some responsibility for taking on some of the other regional challenges, not just water,” Hamilton told Wisconsin Public Radio.

Waukesha Mayor Shawn Reilly said inserting those other topics into a water deal would cause concerns for his city’s common council, which may sign off on the water purchase on Dec. 5. Final action by Milwaukee’s Common Council could take place Nov. 28.