Ad-Hoc Committee Members:
Area of Responsibility:
Meetings:
Meeting Archives:Municipal Water Update - June 1, 2007For the last year, the Village has been negotiating with the City of Wauwatosa for the purchase of water at a wholesale rate. Originally, the intention of the Village was to have the downtown loop area (click to view map) added to the City of Wauwatosa’s existing water utility. As review and negotiations of that option continued, it was not felt to be an economically feasible option. Since that time the Village has concentrated on wholesale utility service. Currently the Village continues to negotiate with Wauwatosa over terms and conditions. The main issues are infrastructure improvements being requested to be constructed in Wauwatosa by Elm Grove, service reliability and some construction issues. The Village has also been exploring the possibilities of a direct connection to Milwaukee as well as a possible secondary connection to the City of Brookfield. In conjunction with those discussions, there are also cost estimates for all of the various options being developed as well as possible water rate estimates. These numbers will be forwarded to the Ad Hoc Water Committee for their review and possible changes. The committee will also be reviewing possible assessment policy language. As more information becomes available it will be posted here on this web page. Click to view proposed water system.
To: Elm Grove Village Board of Trustees From: Neil Palmer, Village President Date: June 22, 2006 Re: Municipal Water Study Advisory Committee Potable water supply is an important public health and safety issue. Obtaining safe and plentiful water at a reasonable cost is important to success of any community, including the Village of Elm Grove. We are all aware of the growing concern over ground water supply and quality throughout much of the country and in Waukesha County. The Village of Elm Grove has either sponsored or participated in a number of studies of municipal water supply in the last decade. Most, if not all, of these reviews assumed that the Village would either purchase water wholesale from an existing source or secure a groundwater source with a new deep well. All of the past studies generally assumed that Elm Grove would establish a municipal water utility and provide retail water service to Village properties. Village resident response to past investigations has ranged from strong support of a municipal water system to strong opposition. Concerns expressed by those in opposition have included:
All are valid concerns. At the same time many residents and businesses are unhappy with the quantity and quality of their groundwater supply and are also concerned about the costs of owning, conditioning and operating their own groundwater systems. Water supply for fire fighting has been and continues to be a significant concern. State media and reports from local, state and federal government continue to report on the diminishing supply and quality of area ground water sources. State regulations now require commercial and multifamily residential buildings to have sprinkler systems. Without municipal water these types of structures must install expensive fire water pumping systems. Additional costs for fire code requirements and water treatment systems make redevelopment of existing Elm Grove commercial properties or development of new commercial and multifamily projects more expensive than neighboring communities. In 2000 the Village of Elm Grove and the City of Wauwatosa jointly funded a water supply study. The study determined that Wauwatosa has excess capacity and multiple connection points from which Elm Grove can be served. The Village Board decided in June 2005 to review the existing studies, update the cost estimate from the 2000 Elm Grove//Wauwatosa study, and evaluate the feasibility of a municipal water system based on the following preferred assumptions: 1. No property owner would be forced to take municipal water. 2. The system to be installed would first serve the commercial area loop with the capability of serving additional areas that would request service. 3. Property owners who choose not to be served by a municipal water system will not pay for the system except for whatever small percentage is allocated to providing Village services utilizing water. 4. Property owners who choose not to join the system initially can not join later without paying a proportionate assessment plus interest. 5. Rather than contemplating establishment of an Elm Grove municipal water system with all the attendant personnel and compliance costs we would seek to receive service from an existing permitted retail water utility. 6. Elm Grove will only continue to pursue retail water service if a sufficient number of property owners who can be served by such a system provide a commitment sufficient to cover the borrowing for system construction. 7. Elm Grove will only facilitate establishment of municipal water supply by a regulated water utility. 8. Municipal water service to part of the village does not mean that such service will necessarily be provided to the entire Village unless such service is requested and practicable. The Village Board also agreed that it would be beneficial to appoint a special committee to consider the issues attendant to municipal water supply. In June 2005 the Village formally requested that the City of Wauwatosa Water utility consider providing retail water service to serve the proposed “downtown loop.” As required by their wholesale water supply contract with Milwaukee Water Works, the Wauwatosa City Council passed a resolution on September 6, 2005 requesting a study to consider allowing sale of water beyond the Wauwatosa municipal boundary. On April 11, 2006 the Milwaukee Common Council unanimously approved a resolution approving the possible sale of water to the Village of Elm Grove by the City of Wauwatosa. Promptly after that resolution was signed by Mayor Barrett of Milwaukee, Village staff began efforts to update the 2000 study and entered into discussions with the City of Wauwatosa Water Utility staff and City leadership. Discussions with the City of Wauwatosa are progressing, with ongoing discussion of what facilities Wauwatosa will require to be constructed in order to serve Elm Grove properties with retail service. It is of interest to note that the Wauwatosa Water Utility requirements for retail provision of service may prompt Elm Grove to seek wholesale service. Elm Grove could receive wholesale service (with lower water costs) by forming a water utility and then contracting for the utility operation. There are numerous local government and private water service companies available to provide such contract operating services. On June 1, 2006 the first of a series of special board meetings to discuss various aspects of municipal water supply was held. These planned special board meetings are intended to allow village board members and the public the opportunity to learn about the issues which need to be considered and decided if we are to move forward with providing Lake Michigan water to the Village of Elm Grove. I continue to believe that consideration of municipal Lake Michigan water service to our community is very important. In order to continue the information gathering, analysis and dissemination I am happy to nominate the following the following proposed members of the advisory committee. Nominations to the Municipal Water Study Advisory Committee:
Update: The Village Board of Trustees approved the appointments to the Municipal Water Study Advisory Committee on June 27, 2006. Last modified: 06/22/2007 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Village of Elm Grove |
13600 Juneau Boulevard