DEQ will hold public meetings tomorrow on a proposal to divert water from Lake Michigan →

Michigan Radio, February 8, 2015
Authors: By REBECCA WILLIAMS & LINDSEY SCULLEN 

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality is holding public meetings on Tuesday about a proposal to divert water from Lake Michigan.

Waukesha, Wisconsin wants to build a pipeline to the Great Lakes.

It has a radium problem in its groundwater supply. Radium occurs naturally, but it’s a carcinogen.

The city wants to divert 10.1 million gallons a day from Lake Michigan in the beginning, and up to 16.7 million gallons a day by 2050.

Then the city would treat the water and return it to the lake.

Michigan’s review process

Jon Allan, Director of Michigan’s Office of the Great Lakes, says Michiganders can weigh in during the public meetings in Lansing on Tuesday or submit comments online by March 1st.

“It’s important to us that we’re reaching out to the citizens of Michigan, because this is an issue that we know that's important to them,” Allan says.

He says the state will also consult with tribal governments before making a decision.