foxconn

On March 7, the Department of Natural Resources is holding a public hearing on Racine’s diversion application.

The application requests that the city of Racine be allowed to extend their public water supply system to an area of the village of Mount Pleasant within the Mississippi River basin. The location is significant because it will include a part of the future site of Foxconn.

The city of Racine is applying for a straddling community diversion that will divert up to an annual average of 7.0 million gallons of water per day to the diversion area.

According to Seth Hoffmeister of the WI League of Conservation Voters, the application is a key element by the Walker Administration and its anti-conservation allies to erode the Great Lakes Compact.

“This is a direct betrayal of the core intent of the Great Lakes Compact,” Hoffmeister said. “That compact, passed a decade ago, keeps Great Lakes water where it belongs — in the Great Lakes.”

As part of the review process for the application, the DNR will determine if the application follows these guidelines:

1. The diverted water will be used solely for public water supply purposes.

2. The city of Racine will return to Lake Michigan an amount of water equal to the amount withdrawn, less an amount of consumptive use.

3. No surface water or groundwater from outside the Lake Michigan basin will be used to satisfy any portion of the water returned.

4. The city of Racine has completed and submitted a conservation and efficiency plan.

5. Review by the Great Lakes states and provinces is not required for this application.

The WI League of Conservation Voters is asking for the public to testify and tell the DNR to deny the Foxconn application to consume Great Lakes water.

A presentation on the proposal will take place at 6:00 p.m. at the SC Johnson iMET Center located at 2320 Renaissance Blvd., Sturtevant, WI 53177. A testimony will follow at 6:30 p.m.

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