City of Milwaukee to negotiate selling water to City of Waukesha

MILWAUKEE/WAUKESHA -- A water fight between Milwaukee and Waukesha continues, as the City of Milwaukee says it is ready to negotiate selling water to the City of Waukesha.

The Milwaukee Common Council's Public Works Committee and Milwaukee's Mayor Tom Barrett say there is a sticking point -- they don't want to use the water to provide for four other municipalities included in the city's expanded future service area.

"This expanded area goes far beyond the borders of the City of Waukesha. It includes areas that have not demonstrated a need for water and have not shown any interest in having water from the City of Milwaukee," Mayor Barrett said.

"We do not have control over that service area and they do not have control over that service area. That is governed by the state statutes, and they have control over what that service area is," Daniel Duchniak with the Waukesha Water Utility said.

If Milwaukee approves the sale of water to Waukesha, it still may not happen. Wisconsin and each of the other seven Great Lakes states must approve the application under terms of a 2008 Great Lakes Protection Compact.