Can water privatization keep Milwaukees budget afloat?
Source: By Dan Egan and Larry Sandler, Journal Sentinel (WI), May. 24, 2009 …. Now the city could indeed be on the path to become a major-league laboratory for the way that freshwater is delivered, but perhaps not in the way Barrett and regional business and academic leaders hoped for. Scrambling for cash simply to fund basic city services – and less than a year after the passage of the Great Lakes compact designed to protect the world’s largest freshwater system from being drained by profiteers – Milwaukee is looking into turning its state-of-the-art water treatment system over to a for-profit company. Cities such as Buffalo, Indianapolis and Atlanta have dipped their toes into the water-for-profit business by signing deals with private companies to run their systems for periods ranging from five to 20 years, with varying degrees of success – and failure. … Milwaukee is pondering a 75- to 99-year lease.
