Waukesha pushes back date of Lake Michigan water transition to Oct. 9 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Waukesha pushes back date of Lake Michigan water transition to Oct. 9

Waukesha's switch to Lake Michigan water delayed to Oct. 9 to add certainty and fix glitch
Jim Riccioli

WAUKESHA - The tap now won't begin turning toward Lake Michigan until Oct. 9, a "firm" date set by Waukesha Water Utility officials to take the guesswork out of the water works transition.

In a last-minute schedule adjustment announced Thursday, WWU general manager Dan Duchniak said the city ultimately chose to both respond to public concerns and take additional quality-assurance transition steps before the utility fully changes over from groundwater to lake water. It also gives the city time to fix a recent glitch.

The additional time — about a week later than most recent estimates and about three weeks later than a loose timeline announced at a Sept. 7 celebration of the pipeline system's completion— will, among other things, allow Waukesha Water Utility to drain the new above-ground reservoirs and refill them. That step, itself a one-week process, should help taste or odor problems that were previously anticipated, officials said.

Regardless, people wanted to know exactly when the change would take place, Duchniak said.

"We have heard from many customers who want to know a firm date for the transition to a Lake Michigan water supply," Duchniak said in a news release. "Moving the timeline back a few weeks allows us to set a date with certainty. That will help our customers plan ahead."

Residents and businesses will have to make several changes and watch for certain problems during the transition — issues previously discussed and also addressed on the Great Water Alliance's informational website. Among them the brief removal of water filters and faucet aerators to prevent clogging when sediments temporarily flow through the water lines during the switch.

The delay will also give Waukesha Water Utility officials more time to correct a problem: a programming glitch that emerged during startup testing of the new water pumps. "The pumps will not need any repairs, but it will take time for the manufacturer to send the people to correct the programming and ensure correct operation of the pumps," Duchniak said.

Once the transition begins on Oct. 9, about 90% of the city will be fully transitioned to lake water within five days. Outlying areas could take as long as a month, officials estimate.

The $286 million pipeline system connecting lake water to Waukesha through Milwaukee Water Works, plus the return flow pipeline to the Root River in Franklin, has been a long time coming. The 36-mile system took more than decades to consider, gain approval, design and build, all as part of a federally mandated requirement to reduce or eliminate the radium concentration in Waukesha's drinking water.

"Waukesha residents are telling us they are looking forward to the new water supply. They have waited a long time for this and we want to be sure the change is as trouble-free and predictable as possible," Duchniak added.

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

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