WAUKESHA 鈥 Waukesha Water Utility Commission President Joe Piatt, Waukesha Water Utility General Manager Dan Duchniak and Waukesha Mayor Shawn Reilly stood at the booster pumping station in Waukesha on Monday morning to activate the water transition. After several weeks鈥 delay, the city鈥檚 transition to Lake Michigan water finally kicked off.
"It feels great. Obviously, the city has been working on this for a very, very long time. It was something that was extremely important for the wellbeing of Waukesha and having the water from Lake Michigan start flowing through the system is just beautiful," Reilly said.
Duchniak echoed Reilly鈥檚 sentiments adding, "It is a great day for the city of Waukesha."
"It鈥檚 one of those days where all the work you have put into a project like this and you see everything being constructed and coming full circle 鈥 and how it finally comes to fruition and you are able to finally press that button and the pump starts and water starts being delivered to our customers. It鈥檚 a great day," he said.
Duchniak has been with the Water Utility since 2003 and has been working on the project since he started with the company. The radium issue was one of the reasons he wanted come to Waukesha in the first place.
"Their radium issue, a bigger challenge I thought would be fun to do. I didn鈥檛 realize it would turn into a water supply issue at the time and turn into this project. It was one of things that brought me here to address that issue. Now 21 years later, to see it come through full circle, I鈥檓 really happy for the residents. It鈥檚 a really good day for them," he said.
It has been a long road to get to the finish line with working through the environmental impact statement, the process with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, working through the studies, researching alternatives, and going through the application process. Duchniak added also obtaining approval through the Great Lakes governors.
"Now six years later and after the all designing and construction has been completed to be able to turn the water on 鈥 I鈥檓 looking at the map right now and it is starting to turn blue in a bunch of areas. It鈥檚 really a good day for the city and for me personally," he said. Blue on a tracking map indicates where Lake Michigan water has reached in the city.
Reilly said people will look back 20 years from now and say this was the best decision for Waukesha.
Look for blue
You can track the progress of the transition with a tool accessible through the city鈥檚 website at .
Reilly said the blue on the map is not instantaneous.
The map shows the general location of the water鈥檚 progress. Blue areas indicate where utility staff has confirmed the presence of Lake Michigan water testing samples from hydrants being flushed.
"The only way the blue gets on there is having the guys go out 鈥 they are flushing the water hydrants and they test it and they can tell if it is Lake Michigan water. This happens (the interactive map) because they go out and test it,鈥 Reilly said.
Staff from the Water Utility were out working all day long and Duchniak said there will be people working overnight.
鈥淭hey can anticipate where it is going to be. By dinnertime tonight, the blue will be starting to populate,鈥 he said.
Reilly added if there is a blue dot on the interactive map now, it means staff checked the water hydrant closest to the pump station and it has Lake Michigan water in it.
鈥淭he water will likely be out in front of the blue for a short period of time until they get the testing done,鈥 Reilly said.
For about 90% of water utility customers, the new water supply will reach them within the first five days. But for customers on the edges of the utility鈥檚 service area or at dead ends and cul-de-sacs, it may take as long as three to four weeks for the change to occur.
The system is 300 miles of water main and 50 million gallons of water in the system. Duchniak said they are pumping 8 million gallons of water a day.
鈥淚f you break it down, over six days, It will take six days to get everything transitioned over,鈥 he said.
On Sunday at east two business in downtown Waukesha 鈥 The Steaming Cup and Mountaintop Coffee 鈥 announced they would close temporarily on Monday in order to ensure equipment is maintained and working properly. Both businesses are planning on reopening for regular business hours today.
What to watch out for
During the water transition, most water differences may not be noticeable, but some residents may experience temporary changes.
Waukesha Water Utility assures that this quality change is temporary and that the chlorine-like smell and taste is due to the higher levels of disinfectant used during the transition period. The water is still safe to drink and bathe in. The chlorine smell and taste will subside after about a month.
There is also the possibility of having red or discolored water during the transition period. This is because particles along pipe walls could be stirred up once WWU flushes its systems. Residents should avoid making ice or doing laundry during this time as the particles in the water could tint clothing. Should one鈥檚 clothing take on a reddish tint, WWU recommends picking up IronOut or Red-BGone to undo the effect. The utility will have a limited supply of these rust removers available.
The red or discolored water will clear up in less than one month, but the utility says flushing pipes is typically the best way to resolve the issues. Residents should remove screens or aerators from the ends of indoor faucets to prevent clogging. Then, run cold water through all of the faucets simultaneously for three to five minutes. During that time, each toilet should be flushed two to three times. The water can then be turned off and the aerators reinstalled.
This process will normally dislodge buildup of the organic material that can cause discoloration. The cost of the water used in this process should be less than one dollar for a typical house.
WWU also recommends removing filters from refrigerators and reverse osmosis systems during the transition period as the particles in the water could shorten their lifespan.
For our water friends with gills there needs to be special precautions taken during the transition. Waukesha residents who own fish, reptiles, and amphibians should take precautions in order to ensure the health of their aquatic companions.
