WAUKESHA, Wis. — After a month-long delay, the City of Waukesha finally flipped the switch. They are using Lake Michigan water after the Department of Natural Resources deemed their wells contaminated.
Dan Duchniak, General Manager of Waukesha Water Utility, says the color of the water will appear red for a short time.
It is from what has built up in the pipes over the years, Duchniak says, “Because groundwater has a lot of minerals in it. We’ve aggressively tried to flush those pipes to try to relieve the sediment.”
The best way to get the color back to normal is to keep the water running on cold for about five minutes. The chlorine taste and smell should last about a month.
Footing the bill for the new $287 million project, which pipes water in and back out to Lake Michigan, are the City of Waukesha ratepayers.
The city's mayor says residents can expect their rates to go up about $700 more per year.
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