Report: City water supply OK to 2035
Results likely to end two proposals to build up system
Water woes?
Not in Brookfield - at least, not in the immediate future.
A report released last week says that under current conditions, the city has sufficient groundwater facilities to supply residents at expected demand levels in 2035 and suggests the city would have enough water to effectively serve Elm Grove as well.
The report also says the city will not need any additional groundwater wells to meet 2035 demand levels, even if Elm Grove is included in the service area.
New tower, wells dropped
Tom Grisa, the city's director of public works, said per-capita water use has dropped significantly over the last decade thanks to improvements in the city's water system and changes in consumption.
The effects of the report will be evident in changes to the Water Department's five-year capital improvement plan, which the Board of Public Works will discuss next month. Projects that had been included in the plan, such as a new water tower on Pilgrim Road and additional wells, will be dropped, Grisa said.
But some aldermen wondered about the reliability of the report's forecast. The report, an update to the city's 2001 water supply system plan, projects demand using recent data on water consumption and factors in the results of the almost-completed 2035 water supply plan from the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission.
"The numbers are fine and well if you believe groundwater is going to be around forever," 5th District Alderman Scott Berg said.
Grisa said SEWRPC has spent five years looking at water use in a seven-county area, and all models show groundwater would be sustainable at 2035 levels. Those models include conservation efforts that would decrease water use by 5 percent to 15 percent.
Lake water still an option
The report looks at two sources of water: groundwater from the city's roughly two dozen municipal wells and water from Lake Michigan that would be obtained via a connection through Milwaukee and Wauwatosa.
Lake Michigan water could be used to serve the east side of Brookfield only, since the western half of the city falls on the other side of the subcontinental divide and any water pumped there would have to be manually returned to Lake Michigan.
While the groundwater option would be the cheapest for the city - the report estimates cost at $1.22 million to serve Elm Grove and $2.96 million to serve the city - Grisa said the city will continue to "keep a finger on the Lake Michigan supply option."
The city is working to connect all property owners to municipal water by 2020. Currently, about 30 percent of properties in the city are served by private wells.
BY THE NUMBERS
23
wells that provide groundwater to the city's water system
10,250
metered customer connections served by city water, approximately
3.9 million
average gallons per day provided to all water utility customers
4.9 million
expected average per-day demand, in gallons, in 2035
The sports season is in full swing at Brookfield Central and East high schools and, if you're a prep sports fan, we'll have you covered in basketball and more!
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