The request of Waukesha, Wisconsin to divert water from the Great Lakes should be rejected, according to a resolution introduced today in the Michigan Senate.
The resolution says Waukesha's request does not meet some of the requirements set by the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact for permitting a water diversion.
"We believe that they've overestimated their required number of gallons, number one, and number two, that the discharge does not go back into the Great Lakes basin even though it pulls from the Great Lakes basin," said Sen. John Proos, R-St. Joseph, one of the resolution's sponsors.
"I don't want there to be any erosion of that ground-breaking compact," Proos said. He said it's particularly important to adhere to the strict standards of the compact because Waukesha is the first community to seek approval for a diversion of Great Lakes water under the compact.
The governors of all eight Great Lakes states are scheduled to meet in Chicago in mid-June to decide on Waukesha's request. If just one says no, it can't go forward.
Proos said he hopes there will be a hearing and vote next week on the Senate resolution.
Waukesha is seeking water from Lake Michigan to replace its radium-contaminated water supply.
