Governor
Rick Snyder approved Waukesha, Wisconsin’s application to draw water from Lake
Michigan. Michigan has now officially joined the other seven Great Lakes States
in approving the measure.
Waukesha’s
current water source is polluted with radium, and officials applied for the
diversion as an economic option for the city. The diversion is approved under
the Great Lakes Compact, which allows water use for communities in the Great
Lakes and Mississippi River basins. The city, under the agreement, can draw 8.2
million gallons per day from Lake Michigan as long as it replaces the
equivalent back in treated water. This practice has shown to have a low
environmental impact. The agreement also requires the city to monitor the daily
withdrawals and have those records open for review.
Despite
the unanimous approval among state governors, Attorney General Bill Schuette,
U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) and U.S. Representative Candice
Miller (R-Harrison Township) disagreed with the approval.