Local officials mark start of work on Waukesha, Lake Michigan water project

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Milwaukee and Waukesha officials gathered on Monday to mark the start of construction on a pipeline that will eventually deliver water from Lake Michigan to the city of Waukesha, reaching a milestone in a project that’s been in the works for years.

Construction crews are expected to begin building a section of the $286 million water pipeline in earnest this week after preparing for much of November. The pipeline would deliver water from Lake Michigan to Waukesha’s 70,000 residents, replacing the city’s existing water source, an aquifer that’s nearly exhausted and contaminated with radium. Under a federal court order, Waukesha must complete the construction of the pipeline by September 2023.

Officials from the city of Milwaukee and Waukesha gathered on Monday in a parking lot on Milwaukee’s southwest side for a groundbreaking ceremony for the project. That lot is slated to become a pumping station that will eventually help deliver water from the lake to Waukesha residents.

The groundbreaking ceremony came following years of planning and after the project was subjected to significant scrutiny from U.S. and Canadian officials representing states and provinces bordering the Great Lakes. Waukesha is the first city outside the Lake Michigan watershed to earn permission to use water from it.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said the deal furnishes a rare example of regional cooperation in southeast Wisconsin.

“At the end of the day, if Milwaukee can benefit from this and Waukesha can benefit from this, we should do it,” Barrett said. “We never took our eye off the prize. If we could work together, both communities could benefit. And both communities will benefit.”

Under its agreement, Waukesha will get treated water from the Milwaukee Water Works, and Milwaukee will get millions in revenue every year. Waukesha is financing the construction of the pipeline, in part, with a $137.1 million low-interest loan from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The project calls for building a 13-mile pipeline to take lake water to Waukesha, and a separate 23-mile line to deposit treated water into the Root River. Crews will begin building the return-flow pipeline first, starting in Waukesha. At the height of the project, there are likely to be 10 or 15 construction crews working on the pipeline at once, said Paul Boersma, of Black and Veatch, general manager of the project.

Minnesota-based SJ Louis is the general contractor on two major sections of the return-flow pipeline. The contractor won two bids for $94 million worth of work on the project earlier this year. C.D. Smith, of Fond du Lac, is working on a Waukesha booster station that will help return treated water to the Root River, which flows into Lake Michigan. Waukesha officials said the cost of the return-flow pipeline came in about $20 million under budget.

Much of the work on the pipeline to carry water to Waukesha is being done by Super Excavators, of Menomonee Falls.

More contracts are due to be let in December and early next year. The Milwaukee Water Works, for example, has yet to bid out the construction of the Oklahoma Pumping Station, which will also help eventually bring water to Waukesha.

“This is a win for both our communities, but it is also a model for the kind of collaboration our region needs,” said Waukesha Mayor Shawn Reilly. “My hope is that our city’s willingness to work together on this issue leads to more cooperation and teamwork on many issues, not just between Waukesha and Milwaukee, but between all communities in southeast Wisconsin.” Follow @natebeck9