Water deal between Waukesha and Milwaukee signed

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WAUKESHA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The deal is signed and sealed and soon, Lake Michigan water will be delivered to Waukesha. 

The Mayors of Milwaukee and Waukesha signed a 40-year contract Wednesday to pump the water between the two cities. 

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Waukesha Mayor Shawn Reilly say this is a win-win. Milwaukee makes money and Waukesha can stop using radium-contaminated water. 

Waukesha leaders say the deal was 15 years in the making, but they eventually got the governors from all eight Great Lakes states to sign off on them receiving the water. 

Milwaukee is expected to make tens of millions of dollars off the deal, starting at about $3 million in water sales the first year. 

Reilly says Waukesha residents can expect their water rates to nearly triple, but it's not as expensive as it would have been had they made the deal with Oak Creek. 

"Each residential house is expected to save about 200 dollars per year over what it would have otherwise been. We're going to get water that's not contaminated with radium," said Waukesha Mayor Shawn Reilly. 

"This really is a classic win-win. They're getting at a less expensive price. We're able to use some of our excess capacity, and they're getting some really good drinking water," said Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. 

The plan is to start work on building the infrastructure to pump the water in 2019. They hope to have the water flowing by 2023. 


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