Beyond the pail By Tom Murphy News-Chronicle "So who won?" asked the first guy. "Won what?" asked the second guy. "The water fight," said the first guy. "No one," said the second guy. "Sad," they said in unison. That's pretty much the way it is over Green Bay's decision to charge different rates to different folks and ignore the long-range economies of a metropolitan potable water system. As it stands now, just after April Fool's Day, it could be that the biggest losers in the long term could be Ashwaubenon and Green Bay. The city's many "small" businesses and residential water utility customers will have to ante up. Green Bay can't afford to pin all costs of a second pipeline to Lake Michigan on its commercial and industrial users, simply because the biggest of the big have other options besides a pipeline. There's a lot of well water in the aquifer. Just ask the folks at Georgia-Pacific west mill, aka Fort James and Fort Howard. The South Broadway paper mill has one of the highest capacity (and deepest) artesian wells in the State of Wisconsin. Allouez water department employees can accurately determine when the mill's deep well is pumping heavily. The decline in Allouez' pressure is precipitous. The Fort's well and Allouez' system are directly across the Fox River from each other. Out of the chute, however, it likely will cost Central Brown County Water Authority member residents more for their potable water than city/Ashwaubenon customers. Planning costs, extended beyond rationality by the delaying, imperious attitudes of Green Bay's old guard (including mayors and utility commissioners), must be amortized by residents of CBCWA municipalities. Then there's the cost of bonding for the 30-mile pipeline to Manitowoc and whatever debt is incurred (or avoided) with treatment above or beyond that now used by Manitowoc. But CBWCA members will own the pipeline. That will be an invaluable asset as those municipalities grow. And the pipeline will offer an alternative unavailable along the fast-growing (and soon-to-be cramped) Highway 41 corridor from Green Bay through the Fox River Valley to Oshkosh. Thus, the immediate increases will be seen by members of the suburban ring: Allouez, Bellevue, De Pere, Howard, Lawrence and Ledgeview. (We expect Hobart, once it gets over its hang-up on Thornberry Creek, will want back in at a small premium.) Ashwaubenon? It looks like it sold its soul. Ashwaubenon will pay Green Bay $1.65 per 1,000 gallons. This compares with the 81 cents per 1,000 that CBCWA will pay Manitowoc. Once you add in their as yet unknown pipeline construction costs, Authority members probably will pay about the same $1.65 to $1.90 per 1,000 gallons. If that's the case, why not one water supplier? CBCWA will own its pipeline. One way or the other, Ashwaubenon pay for Green Bay's second line to the lake and have little, if anything, to show for its investment. Yes, it will cost Central Brown County Water Authority members to build the pipeline to Manitowoc and draw water from Lake Michigan. But it would have cost that and perhaps more if the Authority decided to buy water from Green Bay. Down the line, literally and figuratively, there are the communities of Denmark, Maribel, Kellnersville, Francis Creek and Branch that might some day want to tap into the Authority's line along County Highway R. (That's about a half-mile off the I-43 corridor.) And then there are communities to the west along Hwy. 10: Whitelaw, Reedsville and, perhaps, even Brillion. It looks like a good long-term investment for CBCWA members. It is a crying shame that a metropolitan potable water system was not developed. Green Bay's elected leadership failed. We understand new leaders tried. But they could not overcome deals already cut with Scott and Ashwaubenon (the divide-and-conquer approach practiced by some imperious ex-commissioners and city officials). And they could not hurdle the distrust so deeply driven into some of the smaller minds on the City Council. Some of the most vocal members on the utility held the entire body hostage with pettiness and pettifoggery. They're gone but the damage is done. TAKE A BOW A tip o' Tom's tam to Frank Wood, co-publisher of the Green Bay News-Chronicle and its sister papers in which Street Talk appears via This Week. Wood has been named recipient of the 22nd annual Free Enterprise Award presented by the Rotary Club of Green Bay. He joins a prestigious list of "doers" in the metropolitan area. Among them are Leo Frigo of Frigo Cheese in Lena who's at least as well known for making Paul's Pantry the most effective supplier of food to the needy in the midwest; John M. "Jake" Rose, Associated Bank; Bob Bush, Schreiber Cheese; Don Schneider, Schneider National, Jack Meng, also of Schreiber, Bob Harlan of the Packers and Ron Weyers and Wally Hilliard of American Medical Security. Wood will receive the honor at a dinner May 3 at the Radisson Hotel. He grew his publishing company from the Denmark Press, acquired in 1953, and a Green Bay shopper to the daily News-Chronicle and a string of tri-weekly and weekly community papers. Wood also taught at St. Norbert College part-time beginning in 1957 and full-time from 1966 to 1998. The college honored him with a doctorate of laws degree last year. Murphy, a longtime area business writer, writes a weekly column for This Week. Contact him by calling 920-432-2941, sending mail to P.O. Box 2467, Green Bay, WI 54306-2467 or by sending e-mail to [email protected].