Great Lakes Echo: Great Lakes govs whiff on algae; can they hit a diversion home run?
Great Lakes Echo, July 6, 2015
Author: Gary Wilson
For Great Lakes observers, Waukesha has long symbolized one thing: diverting water from the region to areas outside the basin.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources recently announced that it was finally prepared to send Waukesha’s request for Lake Michigan water to the other seven Great Lakes states for approval. And all seven must approve or the request is denied.
Waukesha lies just outside the Great Lakes basin but through some creative crafting of the Great Lakes Compact, it’s eligible to apply. That’s because the compact’s architects, with Waukesha in mind, said that a town in a county that straddles the natural divide is eligible to divert water under certain conditions.