ST. PAUL, MN – Governor Mark Dayton today released the following statement regarding the Waukesha Diversion Project, which was approved unanimously today by the Compact Council.
“Over the last several months, I have given thorough consideration to this important decision, weighing carefully the long-term consequences the project could have on our Great Lakes, and the region’s environment. During that time, my administration gathered additional information about the Waukesha Diversion Project from a variety of communities and stakeholders, which I carefully reviewed.
“Those additional efforts, the counsel of our state’s experts, and several important modifications to the previous proposal, have assured me that approving the Diversion Project will provide environmental benefits to the region, and have virtually no impact on our treasured Great Lakes. Therefore, I have voted to approve the project.
“The Waukesha Diversion Project will provide the city’s 72,000 residents with safe, clean water for drinking, bathing, and washing, rather than its current radium-contaminated supply. The solution to provide that water supply for the residents of Waukesha was carefully crafted to ensure that their need for clean, reliable water was met with important environmental protections that would assure the water supplies we all depend upon in our Great Lakes Region would not be diminished. In fact, I agreed to approve this Diversion only after several significant modifications were made to the previous proposal.
“First, the area served by the diversion was reduced to 57 percent of the original proposal, which will reduce the average water use by approximately 2 million gallons per day. Under the plan voted on today, nearly 100 percent of the water withdrawn from Lake Michigan will be returned via the Root River; in other words, there will be virtually no net loss of water volume to the Great Lakes.
“Furthermore, the water returning to Lake Michigan through the Root River will be treated before discharge from the Project so that it will be cleaner than the water presently flowing through that river. In addition, increased flow in the Root River during periods of low flow will improve its fisheries.
“Drawing water from Lake Michigan will eliminate the need for Waukesha to soften its water, allowing the city to meet its chloride standards. The Diversion will also eliminate 7.5 million pounds of salt from being discharged.
“Strong language was also added to the proposal, affirming the authority of the Compact Council and the individual member states to enforce the conditions of the project as approved, including audit language to ensure the Council and its members have access to the information needed to monitor and enforce compliance.
“The Wisconsin DNR provided the written assurance that it has the intent and authority to impose, monitor and enforce the conditions imposed by the Compact Council. The State of Minnesota will be actively engaged in that effort, to ensure that the long-term health of our Great Lakes is protected for future generations of Minnesotans.”
