Water Utility Nearing Request To Divert Lake Michigan Water For Foxconn Plant

Two Racine County communities that straddle the Great Lakes Basin will be asking the state of Wisconsin to allow more diversion of water from Lake Michigan.

The expected requests by the Village of Mount Pleasant and Town of Yorkville are connected to the planned Foxconn factory.

A small part of the Foxconn development in the Village of Mount Pleasant will be outside the Great Lakes watershed. Part of the nearby Town of Yorkville, which may see some Foxconn-related projects, also wants water from the lake.

As water supplier to the two smaller communities, the Racine Water Utility will file the diversion request with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Utility General Manager Keith Haas said all of his local customers would win.

“We will sell water. We will be able to lower rates if we sell significant amounts of water,” Haas said. “So, all the ratepayers locally will benefit from this in lower water rates.”

Haas said he expects to file the application in about a month.

An application from the communities doesn’t require approval from other Great Lakes states, but a group of Great Lakes mayors says any diversion review should be more transparent.

Former Racine Mayor John Dickert heads the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence Cities Initiative.

“You know, this is the public’s water. Our waterways and water systems — all of that is for the public good,” Dickert said. “We want to make sure we’re keeping that clean and protected. But most importantly, the public has a say in what’s going on.”

Haas said there will be a public hearing as part of the state’s review.

A decision by the DNR is expected by next spring.