WAUKESHA 鈥 More than two decades in the making, Waukesha鈥檚 transition to Lake Michigan water is finally happening on Monday morning. Both Waukesha Mayor Shawn Reilly and Waukesha Water Utility Technical Services Manager Chris Walter are excited to see the result of years鈥 worth of planning and construction.
"I鈥檓 feeling great," Reilly said when asked for his reaction to the upcoming transition. "I ran for mayor because Waukesha needed a new water source and it鈥檚 finally happening. I think that, one, it鈥檚 historic, and, two, I鈥檓 glad it鈥檚 completed."
Walter feels similarly, and is happy to know that Waukesha residents will be receiving safe, healthy drinking water.
"The water from Lake Michigan is some of the cleanest and best water in the world and it鈥檚 something that we鈥檙e able to offer the city of Waukesha," he said. "We鈥檙e extremely excited about that."
The city and Waukesha Water Utility have long been collaborators on the project, and Reilly had one word to characterize the relationship between the two entities 鈥 "phenomenal."
"I鈥檝e worked with the Water Utility right from the very beginning. The Common Council has supported the application for Lake Michigan water for at least 12 years. The goal of getting Lake Michigan water has been a partnership between the city and the Water Utility," he said.
Walter notes that though preparations for the new water supply have been in the works for years, it has been in these last few months that WWU has kicked things into high gear. From testing to cleaning tanks to checking piping to sampling, the utility is covering all its bases to ensure the smoothest transition possible.
鈥淭he last few months have been finishing up a lot of the mechanical equipment within the pump station, the pumps themselves, and the drives,鈥 Walter explained. 鈥淲e鈥檙e getting everything ready to roll on Monday the ninth.鈥
Walter notes that like any major construction project, there have been some challenges along the way. When it came to building the pipeline, supply chain issues and acquiring the right equipment at the right time was particularly difficult. Now, he says, all the puzzle pieces have fallen into place.
鈥淭hings are going fairly smoothly,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just coordinating everything together and making sure that all of our operations, staff, and contractors are on the same page to get everything ready.鈥
WWU also wants to make sure that residents are on the same page. So the utility launched an interactive map to help keep customers updated during the transition.
Walter says the map was initially developed for internal purposes 鈥 field technicians would use iPads to report back to the utility after flushing hydrants or testing water.
鈥淲e keep a live picture of how things are going and where the progress is,鈥 Walter said. 鈥淎nd then we thought this is probably a good tool for the public to see as well. So, we鈥檙e utilizing a pared-down version of the map to give residents and stakeholders in the public a view as things are going.鈥
Once the transition begins on Monday, the blue areas on the map will designate which areas WWU has confirmed the presence of Lake Michigan water. However, lake water may also be present in areas that are not yet blue on the map.
Residents can use the search bar in the corner of the map to look up their address and see if the Lake Michigan water has reached their home. There is also a zoom feature, so residents can enlarge portions of the map.
Reilly says the map is intended to help customers understand when the new water supply will reach their residences so they can watch for potential quality changes.
鈥淭he interactive map will be nice for people to have an understanding of where the water is and how close it is to getting to their house,鈥 he explained.
To view the map, visit . Reilly also hopes that residents have been paying attention to the ongoing communication from both the city and WWU about Monday鈥檚 transition. Water softeners have been a hot topic and the mayor wants to make sure the public has the right information.
鈥淥nce you have Lake Michigan water running through your house, it鈥檚 up to the people to make a decision as to whether they want to bypass their water softener, but follow the directions if you鈥檙e going to do that. And if you鈥檙e not going to bypass, then at least plan on having your water softener optimized,鈥 Reilly said. 鈥淚t will save you money, use less water, and also result in less salt going back into the rivers and streams of Wisconsin.鈥
But water softener or not, Reilly knows that the city鈥檚 new Lake Michigan water will benefit residents for generations to come.
鈥淲e have a clean, sustainable water source for forever,鈥 he said. 鈥淲ith the aquifers, we didn鈥檛 have that. This is going to pay dividends for the city of Waukesha and its residents for forever.鈥 Walter said the construction for the new water supply is projected to last a century. He is glad to be bringing a lasting solution to the city.
鈥淭he city that has been working toward coming up with a sustainable solution. There were a lot of alternatives that were discussed and evaluated,鈥 he noted. 鈥淲e鈥檙e fortunate to live in the Great Lakes region here in the upper Midwest, and having Lake Michigan water was the clearest, best answer that would be best long-term for the city.鈥
Should residents experience any issues or notice any concerns once the transition starts on Monday, Walter encourages the public to give the utility a call.
鈥淥ur team of customer service staff and our field staff are ready to respond to those concerns,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e ready to help. We鈥檙e just a phone call away.鈥
Waukesha Water Utility can be reached at 262-521-5272. For more information about the transition, visit .
