Waukesha's upcoming water transition: Residents have questions, the city has answers
Jim Riccioli
WAUKESHA - Before the water begins flowing through the new pipeline system to and from Lake Michigan later this summer, the city of Waukesha will manage a different kind of flow: public information.
The $286 million project, more than a decade in planning and several years in construction, is in its final stages to meet a Sept.1 federal deadline, when the city must switch away from its current radium-tainted groundwater supply and begin using water supplied under contract with the city of Milwaukee. The Great Lakes solution is the source the city sought.
Technically, Waukesha will get its water through Milwaukee's water utility, which uses Lake Michigan as its water supply source, so Waukesha is awaiting the completion of the infrastructure Milwaukee is responsible for completing as part of the contract.
Even as the system itself takes functional shape, Waukesha residents have questions, and the city has important answers, about what this transition involves. Here are some of those key questions and answers.
How did this effort come to be?
Volumes have been written on the topic, by media as well as the city, over the course of the past decade — and even further back, if you consider Waukesha's long struggle with above-acceptable radium concentrations in its water supply that resulted in federal action in the 1990s.
Here's a recent story that also contains links to numerous older articles, including why the city opted for lake water instead of radium-removal treatments.
Here's a link to the Great Water Alliance's resources and historical information the topic.
What will happen during the transition?
This summer, the two cities will work out the final details of the transition. Dan Duchniak, Waukesha Water Utility's general manager, and Brian Rothgery, a communications official for the city of Milwaukee, said that information will detail what residents need to do and what they can expect to happen prior to Sept. 1. For now, these are the essential elements of the transition from groundwater to surface water supplies:
- First, the city will test the system, focusing on the new reservoirs and elevated storage tanks, once it is complete. During the subsequent actual transition, the valves that control the flow will be opened, sending through the new water supply. Duchniak said that process will likely take a month.
- Next, the city will switch water disinfectants, from the current chlorine to chloramines — a mix of chlorine and ammonia. The mix will be more concentrated at first, a necessary safety step, before being reduced later. At first, the water may carry a heavier chlorine taste, but that will fade once the system begins functioning normally.
What is the biggest concern residents have?
At two public meetings recently and beforehand, Waukesha residents have wondered about certain aspects. "The biggest questions are what will be different, how will the changes affect everyone, will I need a water softener and how much will it cost," Duchniak said.
Yes, the water will taste different, given that Lake Michigan's water has less mineral content than groundwater. But, in short, people will become accustomed to the taste, officials say.
The chloramine disinfectant carries one health concern. It could impact certain medical procedures, particularly kidney dialysis (which the city has addressed with local clinics which provide that service), and will require water treatment adjustments for local households that have aquariums and reptiles (with pet supply stores providing residents with the filtering and treatment information they need).
Will residents even need a water softener anymore?
Duchniak said that answer is a matter of priorities and personal preferences, given the pending substantial reduction in mineral content per gallon — from the current rating of 23 to 26 grains in groundwater to about 8 grains in lake water.
"This will be a personal decision each family will need to make. At a minimum, any water softener will need to be adjusted or optimized after the switch to Great Lakes water," he said.
For what it's worth, studies have shown residents generally start preferring water softeners when the hardness rating climbs to 9 grains per gallon. Also, among the nearly 1 million people whose southeast Wisconsin communities use Great Lakes water supplied by the city of Milwaukee, most don't have softeners, Duchniak said.
When exactly will the water be turned on?
The quick answer is after the 30-day transition is complete. What date that will be exactly depends on other factors.
Utility officials have acknowledged in the past that the exact timing of the full transition could vary. The plan is for Sept. 1, to meet the federal deadline that's enforced by the state.
However, the system is expected to be completed in July, despite the lagging efforts of the largest contractor, S.J. Louis, Duchniak said. S.J. Louis is about a year behind projections and has come under fire for its management practices, but the completion of their portion of the project will coincide with the completion of the rest of the system.
Contact Jim Riccioli at (262) 446-6635 orjames.riccioli@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at@jariccioli.
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