Adding an expensive radium removal system to treat deep aquifer wells and developing more shallow wells does not address the primary issue — providing the City with a long-term, sustainable, and reliable water supply.
In addition to radium, groundwater quality issues include high total dissolved salts (TDS) and strontium in the deep aquifer, and arsenic in the shallow aquifer. Treatment systems to remove these contaminants would be energy intensive and generate concentrated waste pollutants that are difficult to treat and dispose of. The extra volume of water needed for such treatment systems would be more than the volume saved through the City’s conservation program.
The Great Lakes option is the only reasonable alternative because it is the best way to protect public health and the environment for the long term. Unlike groundwater options in the area, a Lake Michigan water supply is environmentally sustainable because Waukesha will recycle and return all of the water volume back to the Lake after use and treatment.