Rivers Report Fall 2011

8/2/2019 Rivers Report Fall 2011

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organization dedicated to enhancing the health of Lake Michigan, itsshoreline and its tributary river systems. While formally launchedearly in 2011, the Fund for Lake Michigan has already proven itself to be an important partner in many Sweet Water-connected efforts.

Prior to joining the Fund, Vicki worked as a Policy Initiatives Advisorat the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and ConsumerProtection, working on land use, water quality, energy, and sustainability issues. Vicki led the Department’s Working Lands Initiative and

worked to establish the new Purchase of Agricultural ConservationEasement (PACE) program. Before joining DATCP, Vicki workedat Gathering Waters Conservancy, a nonpro t umbrella group for

Wisconsin’s private land trust organizations, including serving asits Executive Director from 1998 to 2006. In addition strengthening Gathering Waters partnerships, Vicky led bipartisan efforts toincrease funding for Wisconsin’s Knowles-Nelson StewardshipProgram. She earned an M.S. in Land Resources from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

We congratu late Vicki on her new position and look forward to working closely with her and the Fund for Lake Michigan Trusteesin the coming years.

Sweet Water Active in Four Milwaukee TMDL Projects As reported in prior RiversReports, MMSD received four GreatLakes Restoration Initiative grants from the EPA to completethird party Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) analyses in theSweet Water region. TMDLs calculate maximum amounts of particular pollutants that can be received by a river or water body

without harming water quality. The goal of TMDLs is to outlinethe fastest path to cleaner water. MMSD selected the engineering rm CDM as its lead consultant on all four TMDLs. CDM hasextensive national experience in TMDL work, including on behalf of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources on the Rock River TMDL. Sweet Water was selected to provide MMSD with

stakeholder involvement and public outreach support so importantto the success of the TMDLs. The Sweet Water efforts began inOctober and the rst stakeholder meeting will be held on November14th at the Wauwatosa Public Library.

Sweet Water Active in Fall Water EventsSweet Water reps were featured as Milwaukee water heroes at thePresent Music’s big Water concert at the Marcus Center on August 31st

We were featured in a workshop at the EPA’s State of Lake MichiganConference in Michigan City and we produced the watersheds tracof the Milwaukee Water Council’s Water Summit V at Discovery WorldMuseum, both in September. In October, I served as programmoderator at the Urban Water Sustainability Leadership Conferenceat the P ster, presented at the Alliance for Great Lakes UrbanStormwater workshop at Discovery World and with a number of key partners, co-presented at two workshops at the National LandConservation Conference at the Frontier Airlines Center.

Looking ahead, plans are underway for Sweet Water to host the8th Clean Rivers Clean Lake Conference, slated for April 30th, 2012at Discovery World.

Sweet Water’s Strategic Planning UpdateOur collaborative began a concentrated planning and assessmenteffort in April, working with our friends at the Joyce Foundation,Steering Council members, and many nonpro t and governmentalpartners. That work culminated in October with a report and proposato the Joyce Foundation. On a parallel t rack, the Sweet WaterExecutive Committee is laying a foundation for a broader strategyeffort, one that we hope to launch this winter.

Much has been accomplished, but truly, the effort has only justbegun. On behalf of the Sweet Water Steering Council and ourcommunity partners, I hope you stay engaged.•

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T he watershed restoration plans for the Menomonee and KinnickinnicRivers are based on two key plans: MMSD’s 2020 Facility Plan and

the 2007 Wisconsin Regional Water Quality Management Plan Update. Thesubsequent watershed restoration plans were developed from these twofoundational documents by the consultants at HNTB with critical additionalinput from the Watershed Action Teams for both watersheds.

The publication, Inside the Greater Milwaukee Watersheds , is a summary of the SE Wisconsin Regional Water Quality Management Plan Update 2007.Nancy Frank was the primary author of the publication. Frank serves as the

chair of Sweet Water’s Steering Council and is an associate professor at UWM in the School of Architecture and Urban Planning. The summary provides a foundation for understanding the status of the health of our rivers, the goals envisioned for the area’s waters,the actions needed to advance water quality throughout the Greater Milwaukee Watersheds, and the role of Sweet Water in these efforts.

The publication can be found on Sweet Water’s website. Go to the Publications page at swwtwater.org . •

New Publication Available: Insidethe Greater Milwaukee WatershedsKATE MORGAN, 1000 FRIENDS OF WISCONSIN


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/rivers-report-fall-2011 3/8WINTER 2011

I n early June, the Menomonee River Watershed Action Team hosted a meeting

of stakeholders working in the ru ral,agricultural headwaters of the MenomoneeRiver Watershed including the Land and

Water Conservation Departments of Washington and Ozaukee Counties,Milwaukee Riverkeeper, NRCS, MenomoneeFalls, and MMSD’s Greenseams program.Our primary focus is to maintain productivefarmland while minimally impacting thenatural resources and water quality of theMenomonee River Watershed and to dothis by offering nancial and technicalassistance to rural landowners. The meeting focused on identifying priority landownersto contact in the Menomonee River Watershed,including the Nor-X-Way channel, which isthe second highest total suspended solidsloading area in the watershed. Agriculturallands are also major sources of phosphorusand bacteria, which are pollutants of concern identi ed in the MenomoneeRiver Watershed Restoration Plan.

Washington County sent out a mailing toall Menomonee River Watershed farmersto let them know about available federalfunding sources in 2011 to provide cost-sharefor the implementation of conservationpractices but received little interest due toconstraints posed by many of these programs.Ozaukee County has had success procuring

funding from the Fund for Lake Michiganto provide additional “enhancement” fundsto implement riparian buffer programs andother agricultural BMPs in select watershedsin Ozaukee County, and project partners

were interested in starting a similar programin the agricultural portions of the MenomoneeRiver watershed that spans both counties as

well as portions of Waukesha and MilwaukeeCounties (that are largely “urban”).

Ozaukee County’s program focuses onexisting farmland that drains di rectly intoa ditch, tributary, or main channel of Sauk or Sucker Creeks that will be targeted forriparian buffers and eld borders. Thisprogram is designed to be “farmer-friendly”to allow agricultural producers to manageand periodically harvest their grasslandriparian buffers. The riparian buffer initiativeallows exibility and adaptive managementoptions, which will lead to enhanced

landowner participation and long-termbuffer sustainability beyond a normal10-year agreement that is part of federalfunding programs. Ozaukee County staff

will work closely with landowners to selectareas in need of riparian buffers and eldborders, to properly site the buffers andeld borders, and to develop a long-termmanagement plan suited to the farm operation.Landowners will have the option of installing a harvestable cool-season grass mix or native

prairie grass mix for a contract period of10 years. The plan provides one-timeincentive payments of $2,000/acre for riparia

buffers, and $1,000 for eld borders (thatprovide protection for ditches and otherareas eventually draining to the river). Thcosts for establishing a buffer and eldborder (seeding, planting, etc.) will be sharethrough existing Ozaukee County state andfederal grants. The goal for their grantrequest is to install 50 acres of riparian bufferand 20 acres of eld borders.

Ozaukee and Washington County are workintogether to craft grant requests for spring 2012, which would build on and learn fromOzaukee County’s existing program andexpand it to focus on the headwaters areasof the Menomonee River Watershed. Thegrant would focus on targeting erosion byinstalling 75 foot riparian buffers along a

waterway to prevent soil from leaving theeld and entering streams. Upland practicessuch as grassed waterways, contour buffestrips, and stream bank stabilization may also be an option to reduce sediment fromentering streams.

In addition, stakeholders discussed theneed for better coordination pertain ing to connecting existing farmers interestedin the Greenseams program with county,state, and federal partners that could enrothem in other opportunities for rurallandowners designed at improving waterquality. Conversely, partners working clos

with farmers could encourage them to contacGreenseams and other land trust partnersif they are interested in conservation easemenor selling their properties for conservation

The Agricultural Committee of theMenomonee WAT hopes to meet regularlyto encourage more collaboration among stakeholders and increase communica-tion with Menomonee River Watershedagricultural producers. If you are interestein volunteering for this committee, pleasecontact Cheryl Nenn at (414) 287-0207 ext. or Paul Backhaus of Washington County at (262) 335-4803.•

Work to Expand into AgriculturalHeadwaters of the Menomonee RiverCHERYl NENN, MIlWAuKEE RIVERKEEPER

Riparian buffer in Ozaukee County

P h o t o : O z a u

k e e C o u n t y l a n d a n d W a t e r M a n a g e m e n t D e p a r t m e n t



O n August 31, a group of over 35 people assembled at Hart Park in Wauwatosa to attend a formal announcement of the award of

$100,000 from the EPA to MMSD, Sweet Water, and the MenomoneeRiver municipalities. This award will fund the development of a

watershed-based stormwater permit.

Through working cooperatively to identify key pollutants and bespractices to address those pollutants, the watershed-based permitoffers municipalities a potential cost-effective approach to water qualiimprovement. It will also enable the municipalities to customizetheir actions to the characteristics of the speci c watershed.

Key leaders spoke at the event, including Susan Hedman, EPA Region Administrator; Cathy Stepp, WI Secretary of the WI Department ofNatural Resources; Anthony S. Earl, Joyce Foundation Board Membeand former Wisconsin Governor; and Kevin Shafer, Executive Directorof the MMSD. Jill Didier, Mayor of Wauwatosa, and Tom Grisa,Brook eld Director of Public Works, also gave welcoming remarks

The watershed-based approach for stormwater permitting wasstrongly recommended to the EPA in a 2008 National ResearchCouncil report on the EPA’s stormwater permit program. The EPAaward for the Menomonee River is one of three awarded nationalto pilot this innovative approach. EPA Region 5 AdministratorSusan Hedman stated, “This project will enhance Southeastern

Wisconsin’s reputation as a water quality leader.”

For more information about the watershed-based permit for thMenomonee River, see Jef f Martinka’s update on page 1.•

Wow, it seems like only a short time ago that I was moving to Milwaukee in the middle of a snow storm to begin my

position as the coordinator for the Area of Concern; it’s hardto believe that was nearly 10 months ago. In that time, I havelearned a great deal from so many of you about this area andthe potential it has. Many of you have attended our stakeholdermeetings, and have provided input and suggestions about how

we might best engage people in our efforts to determine theactions we still need to take in order to no longer have this“worst of the worst” Area of Concern (AOC) designat ion.

As the year comes to a close, we’re working on developing animportant document that lays out our plan of action for the

Area of Concern in the next few years. This action plan willbene t greatly from your review and comments. We have been

assured by EPA that the needs we identify in this plan will becritical for AOC-related projects to receive Great Lakes funding. This provides us with a great opportunity to fund projects that will help us make even more progress towards dealing with

the water quality issues that we face in the area. This plan isan important step. You have the opportunity to comment onthe draft plan until November 14th. It is posted at http://dnr.

wi.gov/org/water/greatlakes/priorities/milwaukee.htm. You can also use that link to nd out more information aboutthe Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern and the DNR’s Of ceof the Great Lakes.

Early next year, we will resume our stakeholder meetings forthe AOC and then DNR will submit a revised version of theaction plan to EPA. Additionally, we also have some funding available for monitoring in the AOC. If you have ideas formonitoring needs that you think might be a good t for theprogram, please let me know.

Again, thank you for your time, interest, and shared enthusiasmas we take this important rst step in improving our water quality in Milwaukee. And please, don’t hesitate to contact me if youhave any questions (414-263-8625). Have a peaceful fall season! •

Event Marks EPA Award to Develop InnovativeApproach to Improve Water QualityKATE MORGAN, 1000 FRIENDS OF WISCONSIN

A Year in Review: The MilwaukeeEstuary Area of ConcernMEGAN 0’SHEA, WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF NATuRAl RESOuRCES

From left: Anthony Earl of the Joyce Foundation; WI DNR’s Cathy Stepp; Jill Didier of the City of Wauwatosa; U.S. EPA’s Susan Hedman;MMSD’s Kevin Shafer; and Tom Grisa of the City of Brook eld.

P h o t o : M M S D



With the last days of fall upon us,the folks in the Menomonee River

WAT have been busy nishing up summerprojects, applying for funding to implementnew projects, and attending wonderfulevents held throughout the watershed. TheMenomonee WAT continues to meet every other month at UW-Extension to discussproject updates, steps needed to moveprojects forward, and how WAT memberscan play a role in Sweet Water’s efforts.Below are some highlights of priority project implementation happening in theMenomonee River WAT.

Milwaukee Riverkeeper has had some recentsuccess with their bacteria work. Resultsfrom 2008-2010 stormwater samples onthe Menomonee River from the UWMGreat Lakes WATER Institute show thatover 40 percent of samples and over 33%of outfalls tested have been found to be

positive for human strains of Bacteroides, which is bacteria that is associated with thehuman gut. This provides further proof of the widespread problem of fail ing infrastructure and potential cross connectionsthat is allowing for human inputs of bacteriato enter the river on a consistent basis.

These results provide us information toprioritize pipes that should be addressed by municipalities and MMSD to get the biggestreductions in bacteria loading to our rivers.

The 2011 samples have been analyzed forE. coli and Enterococcus; however, additionalfunding is needed for genetic sampling to detect Bacteroides. Meanwhile, severalproblem pipes have been detected andxed on Honey Creek and the KinnickinnicRiver with leadership from MMSD.

Riparian restoration, construction of new wetland habitat and a biodiversity assessmentproject along the Little Menomonee Riveris near completion. This project includescreation of an ephemeral pond and removalof invasive species in the riparian buffer,in addition to a biodiversity assessment of plants and animals at this site. This work

will help identify objectives and priority sites for habitat restoration and protection in

this port ion of the Menomonee River Watershed. Capacity for long-term restorationand wildl ife monitoring at th is site needsto be established and the Menomonee

WAT will help identify potential optionsfor this work moving forward.

Milwaukee Riverkeeper will begin work ona Wisconsin Coastal Management Programfunded project to identify sh passageimpediments in the Menomonee River

Watershed, and to prioritize opportunitiesfor addressing these impediments and

decreasing aquatic habitat fragmentation. There will be a training th is fall for volunteers interested in helping with thisproject. Work is anticipated to run intofall/winter 2012.

Work continues to advance on identifying priority locations in the watershed to focusprivate-sector green infrastructure effortsto reduce stormwater pollution. Most recently,SWWT partners met with the City of Milwaukee to gain access to their SLAMMmodeling data, which identi es areas of greatest concern pertaining to loading of sediment and other pollutants into local

waterways. Once analysis of this data iscomplete, we will reach out to targetedproperty owners and encourage them toemploy green infrastructure practices ontheir property—pointing them to availablenancial incentives and educating them onthe long-term nancial, environmental, andother bene ts of green infrastructure. •

Menomonee WAT UpdateTHERESA MORGAN, RIVER REVITAlIZATION FOuNDATION | CHERYl NENN, MIlWAuKEE RIVERKEEPER

One of the many stormwater outfalls testedfor bacteria.

S weet Water welcomes Brett Wallaceto the Sweet Water Steering Council.

Wallace is a professional engineerand serves as the Southeast RegionOperations Director for the WisconsinDepartment of Transportation. Asoperations director he is responsiblefor providing management directionon the daily operations of the Region,as well as working as part of theleadership team to deliver transportationprograms and projects. Wallacecommented, “Joining Sweet Water’sSteering Council is a natural extensionof my interests in community involvement and the outdoors. I’mpleased to join the partnership and tohave the opportunity to help advancethe Sweet Water’s goals.” With many stormwater initiatives interfacing withtransportation projects, Wallace will

bring an important perspective andexpertise to the Steering Council. •

Welcome to NewSteering CouncilMember:Brett WallaceKATE MORGAN,1000 FRIENDS OF WISCONSIN

Check outSweet Wateron Facebook!facebook.com/SE.WIWatershedsTr st.org

P h o t o : M i w a u

k e e R i v e r k e e p e r

P h o t o : W

I D O T



T he future of our landscape can be told by the health of ourcommunities. If we value the communities where we live and

invest in their future, we will have a place that we can proudly leavefor future generations.

It’s when our communities deteriorate that we look for new places onthe landscape to develop. That departure typically means farmland

lost to subdivisions and new roads to carry more cars and the decaof neighborhoods left behind. If we care about Wisconsin, we neeto tend to our homes.

The sustainability movement is all about creating better places tolive. Sustainability efforts are intended to improve the environmenthe nancial health and the social structure of communities. Many

Green Tier Legacy Communities:The Future of Healthy LandscapesSTEVE HINIKER, 1000 FRIENDS OF WISCONSIN

Four geography students from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee helped Sweet Water make great strides this

summer in surveying recreational use patterns along theKinnickinnic River. The Kinnickinnic River Watershed Action

Team identi ed this effort as a priority project in 2010 as a way to determine where the greatest risk of human exposure tobacteria-laden water may be, and therefore where expensive“ nd and x” activities—efforts to repair leaky storm sewersthat carry bacteria to the river—should be prioritized toprotect human health.

Over the course of four weeks this summer, the group walkedthe length of the Kinnickinnic River mainstem, Lyons Park Creek,the 43rd Street Ditch, Wilson Park Creek, Holmes Avenue Creek

and Villa Mann Creek, noting evidence of recreational activity andinterviewing people they encountered along the way. A reportthat detailed their ndings was shared with the Kinnickinn icRiver Watershed Action Team at its September meeting.

The team worked to rate more than 170 stretches of river ortributary lying between known stormwater outfalls. The ratings

were based on the risk of human contact with surface water asa result of recreational activity. They also made recommendationson where it would make the most sense to try to provide safeand enjoyable access to the river corridor.

Based on their work, two adjacent stretches of the KinnickinnicRiver as it winds through Pulaski Park showed to have thegreatest risk of direct contact and the best place to provide new and improved access to the river based on current recreationalpatterns. Portions of the Kinnickinnic River mainstem running through Jackson Park and Wilson Park Creek running through

Wilson Park were also identi ed as potential problem areas worth improving for safer use.

While the group was in the eld, they also helped collectcondition information on stormwater outfalls along WilsonPark Creek – a gap that existed in otherwise detailedrecords held by a Milwaukee Riverkeeper.

The student participation was part of a Geography Field Work

course offered through the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’sGeography Department. Many thanks to students Robert Rogness,

Allison Rolandi, John Schneider and Thomas Shropshire Jr.,along with Professors Mick Day and Chris DeSousa for theirefforts to organize and carry out this project. Staff from theSixteenth Street Community Health Center and MilwaukeeRiverkeeper worked with the students to design the survey methodology and guide their work in the eld. •

Kinnickinnic River Recreational UseSurvey: UWM Students Gather Dataon Potential Exposure RisksBEN GRAMlING, 16 TH ST. COMMuNITY HEAlTH CENTER

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C itizens in Southeastern Wisconsin are stepping up to helpprotect Wisconsin waterways from phosphorus, the pollutant

responsible for algae blooms in rivers and Lake Michigan. Thanksto the efforts of Milwaukee Riverkeeper and the River Alliance of

Wisconsin a phosphorus monitoring project is now set up in theMilwaukee River watershed.

The phosphorus monitoring project includes over 88 volunteersmonitoring within the Milwaukee River Basin, an area thatspans over 900 square miles. It is funded by the WDNR and tiedto their work in the Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern andSweet Water watershed restoration projects in the Menomoneeand Kinnickinnic Rivers.

Cheryl Nenn, the of cial Milwaukee Riverkeeper, emphasized theimportance of this project, stating, “The majority of the work donethrough this program is by our volunteers. If no one volunteered tohelp monitor, many of our monitoring efforts would cease to exist.

It’s that simple.”Fostering Stewardship and Changes in Government Policy

According to Nenn, the goal of this volunteer-driven project is to“collect data for river management that is consistent and can inspirestewardship among individuals in the Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern.” Recently, there has been a push for monitoring to beincluded as a part of DNR river restoration projects. This wouldinclude pre-restoration project and post-restoration project monitoring,the purpose of which would be to assess the effectiveness of restorationefforts and DNR’s policy intended to improve water quality.

Monitoring also helps to identify water quality problems that canbe addressed by the DNR. “Little by little,” stated Nenn, “We’reconvincing the DNR that the information we collect can be used in

addressing state water quality policy and management practices.”Fostering local river stewardship is another focus of the citizenmonitoring project. Mike Kuhr, states that one of the reasons for hisinvolvement came living in close proximity to the Menomonee River“Living so close to the Menomonee River, everything I do to my land is going to affect this waterway.” says Kuhr. “Therefore, theleast I can do is to help protect it.”

As president of the Southeast Wisconsin Chapter of Trout Unlimited,Kuhr also has a vested interest in preserving the sheries value of the various streams and rivers in the Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern. “From an angler’s perspective,” explained Kuhr, “citizen

monitoring helps create more shing opportunities through itsin uence on DNR river and stream management.” Therefore, theorganization sends out three teams of two monitors once a month

to various sites along a stretch of the Menomonee River. The currentplan is to continue monitoring for 3-5 years in order to obtain consistendata on the health of the river.

You Can Help! This year, organizers of the citizen monitoring program hope todraw an even bigger crowd of volunteers. Nenn says that she woulike to see more volunteers monitoring the Menomonee River, as

well as the Kinnickinnic River. “A lot of volunteers will show upfor the training and then not commit to do monitoring,” statedNenn. “There is educational value in tra ining more eyes and ears,

but it can be hard to get people to commit to one sampling event amonth.” With more volunteers, the program can continue to gainsuccess in addressing issues of local water management.

Therefore, it is time to call the citizens of Wisconsin forward and asthem to take an important step in maintaining the health of theirrivers, lakes, and streams. If you or anyone you know is interestedin becoming a volunteer monitor, please contact the MilwaukeeRiverkeeper at [email protected] . •

Keepers of the River: Citizens Step Upto Help Protect the Local WaterwaysClARE PIllSBuRY, RIVER AllIANCE OF WISCONSIN

Volunteers monitoring for total suspended solids.

“Living so close to the MenomoneeRiver, everything I do to my landis going to affect this waterway.Therefore, the least I can do is tohelp protect it.” – Mike Kuhr

P h o t o : R i v e r A i a n c e o f W i s c o n s i n


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Rivers Report Fall 2011

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Transcript of Rivers Report Fall 2011