Regional Water Supply Study

Latest Newsletter

• Summary Brochure December 2008
• Folleto Sumario Diciembre 2008 (en español)
• Newsletter 3, December 2008 – includes announcement of upcoming public informational meetings
• Newsletter 2, December 2007
• Newsletter 1, January 2006

About the Study

The Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC) has initiated the conduct of a regional water supply study for the Southeastern Wisconsin Region. That study will lead to the preparation and adoption of a regional water supply system plan. The preparation of the regional water supply plan represents the third, and final, element of the SEWRPC regional water supply management program. The first two elements, comprising the development of basic groundwater inventories and the development of a groundwater simulation model for the Southeastern Wisconsin Region, were completed over the past several years. These elements involved interagency partnership programs with the U.S. Geological Survey, the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and many of the water supply utilities serving the Region.

The regional water supply plan is intended to include the following major components:

• Development of water supply service areas and of forecast demand for water use.
• Development of recommendations for water conservation efforts to reduce water demand.
• Evaluation of alternative sources of supply, culminating in identification of recommended sources of supply for each service area and in recommendations for development of the basic infrastructure required to deliver that supply.
• Identification of groundwater recharge areas to be protected from incompatible development.
• Specification of any new institutional structures found necessary to carry out the plan recommendations.
• Identification of any constraints to development levels in subareas of the Region that may emanate from water supply sustainability concerns.

The regional water supply plan will be based upon a design year of 2035. A new regional land use plan for 2035 was completed in June 2006 and serves as a basis for the development of the water supply plan. It is expected that the regional water supply plan will be completed by early 2009.