Waukesha celebrates its moment in history: Completion of its Lake Michigan water pipeline

WAUKESHA - Few would disagree that the moment deserved a celebratory nod, given the long path the city of Waukesha endured over more than two decades to secure a new water source to offset or eliminate its radium problem.

But the Great Water Alliance's formal project completion celebration Thursday at the city's new booster pumping station carried added weight, with officials noting that the moment was also historically significant beyond Waukesha — given the fact that the water is coming from Lake Michigan under a precedent-setting agreement involving two Canadian provinces and eight Great Lakes states.

Or that as recently as eight years ago, the idea of Waukesha getting lake water under the "straddling counties" exception, which opened to door to certain communities just outside the lake watershed basin, in the Great Lakes Compact seemed far less than certain.

Waukesha Water Utility General Manager Dan Duchniak confirmed Thursday that officials will begin the final transition phase between Sept. 14 and 18 — a phase that will run another five days, when the city's supply will completely come from Lake Michigan via Milwaukee Water works and the city of Milwaukee.

That, officials said, will be an undeniable point in history.

"What we are seeing today is really historic, when you think of everything that went into it, all the people that it touched," Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow said, one of five speakers marking the occasion just days before the water transition from aquifers to lake water begins.

The day marked the end of a difficult stretch of challenges

Farrow was among the speakers who acknowledged the work that went into the $286 million Lake Michigan pipeline project can't easily be summarized.

"Think about how many iterations we've gone through in public leadership to get this job done," Farrow said. "Multiple mayors on both sides. Multiple governors and county executives."

For Duchniak, the moment at hand, after three years of construction preceded by endless planning, was more than historic. It was emotional.

Noting that in his 21 years on the job, the task of studying, campaigning for and building a 36-mile system was more than he could have envisioned in 2002, requiring the support of numerous contractors, city, county, state and federal officials — and, to no less an extent, his family.

"My wife (Jill) has put up with the long hours and many meetings over the years, covering for me at the many (family) events I should have been at," Duchniak said, pausing as he unsuccessfully held back the tears. "They also had to deal with and put up with my never-ending ups and downs throughout this project."

The downs included some rumored resistance from some Great Lakes officials, an opposition group that challenged the proposal, a change in water partners from Oak Creek to Milwaukee that required major design modification, opposition in New Berlin over the original plan for the booster pumping station in Minooka Park, and the threat of a lawsuit from the village of Waukesha over right of way concessions.

Though Thursday's event focused on positive aspects of the project, and thanks to all the key players, officials acknowledge there was nothing easy about the steps that led to the project's completion.

"In 2002, when the first report of water supply alternatives was prepared, no one imagined the time, complexity and discipline required to achieve safe, reliable water for Waukesha," Shawn Reilly, the city's mayor, said to the crowd of roughly 100 dignitaries and guests. "There were many curves and detours, some predictable, some not."

Among the challenges was convincing the public, and more importantly, all Great Lakes officials who had to agree with the city's application unanimously that Waukesha could no longer depend on groundwater sources — not only because of the naturally occurring radium in the deep aquifers but because of concerns of sustainability questions supported in a detailed study prior to 2016.

"I saw, first-hand, the five years of intensive scrutiny by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources professionals, as well as the subsequent review by Great Lakes governors and premiers," said Joe Piatt, president of the Waukesha Water Utility Commission and a Carroll University environmental scientist and engineer. "I want to thank them all for their commitment to both science and administering the law, which led to the approvals of our project."

In a brief interview ahead of Thursday's celebration, Duchniak said the most difficult aspect of the effort for him was how each major step — from study to planning to building — involved years to climb.

"As we went into this process, we really didn't think it was going to take as long as it did," he said in response to reporter questions.

Cooperation included the city of Milwaukee and suburban communities

Each speaker had someone to thank, covering all levels of government. But Waukesha officials highlighted the roles the communities along the new water route played in allowing the project to happen.

Chief among them was the city of Milwaukee, which agreed to partner with Waukesha after a competing water-connection deal with Oak Creek proved more costly. Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said his city's investment made sense for Waukesha, Milwaukee and the region.

"Mayor Reilly I think said it best: There is no better water than Milwaukee water," Johnson said jokingly to laughter and applause. "But it took time, energy and effort from multiple administrations in order to get us to this point, so it's difficult to imagine a more complicated effort that brings Milwaukee's water here. ... But the goal, from the outset, had been to provide a safe source of drinking water to customers of the Waukesha Water Utility."

Johnson said the effort proved the cities can undertake "the power of partnerships" to deal with "some of the most complex challenges" the communities and the region face.

"So much can be accomplished when in the spirit of cooperation and the spirit of collaboration that we all work together to achieve positive outcome," he added.

Duchniak echoed Johnson's comments, but also saved some thanks for "the seven different municipalities our pipelines needed to travel through," including West Allis, Greenfield, Franklin, Muskego, New Berlin and the village of Waukesha.

He also praised the role the Waukesha County Business Alliance played in drumming up support from business leaders in the region and for encouraging Waukesha to consider Milwaukee as its water partner.

Suzanne Kelley, CEO of the Business Alliance, said the organization's role was simply good business.

"This project has been a policy priority for us, and our business community, for well over a decade, and we are really thrilled to be celebrating today," Kelley said. "Having a healthy, sustainable source of water is a huge win for anyone who lives in the city of Waukesha. It's a huge asset that makes this community attractive to all that call Waukesha home, and it's very important to our employers and their employees."

Contact Jim Riccioli at (262) 446-6635 or james.riccioli@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @jariccioli.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Waukesha celebrates completion of Lake Michigan water pipeline system