September 2024 Vol. 79 No. 9
Features
Cure for a cure-all: Waukesha’s journey from spring water to Lake Michigan pipeline
(UI) — Historically, Waukesha, Wisc., was known for its spring water. In 1868 Colonel Richard Dunbar, a railroad contractor from New York, announced he had been cured of diabetes by drinking 12 glasses of water in a single day from one of the springs.
Water from more than 60 natural springs was bottled and sold with tales of curing liver disease, kidney disease, rheumatism, yellow fever, depression, constipation and countless other ailments.
Known as Spring City, the area attracted well-known names such as Richard Sears and Abraham Lincoln’s widow, Mary Todd Lincoln. At the height of its mineral spring popularity, Waukesha drew 25 trainloads per day of tourists, many from Chicago. The water was so prized that when an entrepreneur attempted to pipe it to Chicago for the 1893 World’s Fair, the Waukesha townspeople fended off his crews with pistols and rifles.
Eventually, the springs lost their luster and as the city grew, it needed a new water source for the numerous factories. Wells were installed to reach approximately 2,000 feet into the St. Peter Sandstone Aquifer to meet the increased demand.
By 1987, Waukesha started to realize a problem with its water supply. Despite the fourth-largest lake in the world being less than 20 miles away; numerous creeks, rivers, and lakes; and an annual rainfall/snowfall of 35 and 40 inches, respectively, water levels in the aquifer were decreasing.
In search of a sustainable water source for future use by the southeast Wisconsin communities, the city determined that Lake Michigan was the only alternative that had long-term reliability. The Waukesha Water Utility (WWU) worked with the Great Lakes Common Council, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and local municipalities to gain approval to use Lake Michigan as its water source. As part of the agreement, WWU is required to return an equal volume of water to the lake as is taken out.
A project was initiated to construct a 36-mile pipeline to source from and return the water to the lake, along with a pump station to connect the Milwaukee water distribution system to Waukesha’s network, a booster pumping station in Waukesha, and an outfall station to discharge clean water to Lake Michigan via the Root River. Overall, the infrastructure will convey approximately 8 million gallons per day and serve 16 local communities.
Once this critical piece of the 36-mile pipeline is complete, the city of Waukesha will be able to take water from Lake Michigan and provide a reliable and sustainable water source for its customers – about 8 million gallons per day – and 15 other nearby municipalities. It will also increase water flow in the Root River. Since 1966, its base flow has been too low to support water quality, recreation and fishery goals for trout and salmon sustainability.
Comments