rivers report fall 2014

8/11/2019 Rivers Report Fall 2014

1/8

Just as the season has turned, we here atSweet Water are in the midst of our ownchanging seasons. Sweet Water is takingadvantage of the interim time before hiring anew executive director to take stock, reviewpast achievements and processes, and to makecourse adjustments for the coming years. Tisperiod of review comes at an opportune timeas we also are in the midst of preparing ourthird proposal for the Joyce Foundation.

Te critical work of realigning our goals,defining our initiatives, and identifying toolsand key partners will lay a strong foundationfor the organization enabling us to establisha clear directive for our search for a newexecutive director as well as clarity as we

develop a funding strategy that includes butis not limited to the Joyce Foundation. PatMarchese, our interim executive director,and Sweet Waters leadership team is focusedon leading the organization successfullythrough this change.

Well leave Pat and the leadership team to those

tasks and turn to the terrific work taking placethroughout our regions watersheds led byfaith communities, new organizations, a localradio station, and artists as well as an updateon a significant restoration effort in theBurnham Canal and the Inner Harbor initiative.Tese efforts all add to the momentum inour region restoring health to our rivers andprotecting our invaluable Great Lakes.

88Nine RadioMilwaukee providesan important service to Milwaukeethrough public forums, independentmusic programming, and support oflocal musicians and artists. Te radiostations new home in a renovatedtwo-story commercial building onPittsburgh Avenue by HGA Architectsand Engineers includes state-of-the-art broadcast and production studios,

workspaces, community commons, andtenant space for Stone Creek Coffee.

Te studio includes several sustainablefeatures, including reclaimed woodused creatively throughout the interior,and a green roof that hosts liveperformances while serving as a modelin resource efficiency.

RiversReportFALL 2014 |VOLUME 5 NO. 3

Changing SeasonsKATE MORGAN, SOUTHEASTERN WI WATERSHEDS TRUST

RadioMilwaukee Raises the Green Roof

BY LYSSA OLKER, HGA ARCHITECTS AND ENGINEERS

Learning for life

Milwaukee Estuary

AOC Update ........................2

Fish or Freight? ....................3

Catalyzing Community

Leadership .........................4

A Faith CommunitysWater Stewardship ...............5

Organizing

Around Water .......................5

Artists Voices .....................6

Going Beyond Capping

to Wetland Restoration ........7

Events .................................. 8

Insidethis Issue

Milwaukee River at Estabrook Park

Continued on page 8

Photo:KateMorgan

Photo:88Nine

Green roof at 88Nines studio in the 5th Ward


2/8Page 2 FALL 201

Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern Update

& Meet Your New CoordinatorSTACY HRON, WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

Greetings from your new Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern(AOC) Coordinator! My name is Stacy Hron and I movedinto the AOC Coordinator position in July. I am coming back tothe Office of the Great Lakes AOC program after spending sometime working in the DNR Watershed Bureau as the WetlandIdentification Specialist in eastern Wisconsin. My background is inaquatic ecology. I graduated from UW-Milwaukee with a B.S. inConservation & Environmental Science and a M.S. in Biology. Iconducted my graduate research in Underwood and Lincoln Creeks.

I have past experience working for the DNR in the fisheries andaquatic plant management programs and for a consulting firm asa project manager/ecologist. My consulting work focused on waterresources projects including planning, storm water, remediation andrestoration. I came back to DNR in 2010 as the Sheboygan River

Area of Concern Coordinator where I planned and implementedprojects to restore the AOC. I am looking forward to taking on thechallenges of the Milwaukee Estuary and meeting and working

with all of our partners.

Tere are many projects underway in the AOC right now. Datacollection has been underway all summer with comprehensivesampling of fish and wildlife populations and water quality. TeUS Geological Survey (USGS) is working on the fish surveys thatreplicate work done in the early 1980s to see how things havechanged. USGS is also monitoring contaminant levels in treeswallows within the AOC. Scientists from Milwaukee CountyParks and UW-Milwaukee are working on wildlife surveys as well.

Te McLellan lab at UWM School of Freshwater Sciences isperforming water quality sampling to determine the sources ofbacterial contamination to the AOC. Sampling of waterfowlcontamination and fish tumors has also been completed and wehope to have result soon. We also have some partners working onrestoration projects, including Milwaukee County Parks, which isin the process of restoring a grassland along the Little MenomoneeRiver. I am hoping to get more projects underway to make progrestowards removing impairments in the AOC. Should you wish tocontact me, my email address is [email protected].

Stacy Hron on recent field trip to Underwood Creek


3/8FALL 2014 Page

Fish or Freight? When the City leadersembarked on an ambitious plan to determinethe future of Milwaukees harbor in 1922, they

were principally focused on the question ofcommerce the role the Harbor and shippingcould serve in preserving competition withthe railroads for the efficient movement ofgoods. Harness our resources in the interestof commerce and the economy, they decided.Not long after, however, the quality of theenvironment came into sharp focus as residentsrebelled against the stinking filth in our rivers,and the first sewage treatment came to beestablished on what was, for a few short years,an island Jones Island.

We are coming up on 100 years af ter thesegrand plans, and many of the basic issueshave not changed. Similar opportunities andchallenges promoting commerce, protectingour environment shape our times. Te recentlylaunched Harbor District Initiative is a hundred-

year update for what took place in 1922aneffort to create a new plan for the Inner Harbor,one that considers its environment and ecology,infrastructure, cultural assets and economy.

A new organization, Harbor District, Inc. isreaching out to the community to hear itsneeds and wants for the land and waters of thedistrict. Tese goals will in turn inform a LandUse and Water Resources plan that provides a

roadmap for the revitalization of the HarborDistrict over the coming decade.

Tis time, however, we are framing the questionsand goals more broadly. Te Harbor District

will continue to be a vital economic resourcefor Milwaukee and the broader Chicago-GreenBay corridor. But with Milwaukees newfoundidentity as a Freshwater City rediscovering andreinforcing the need for a conservation-minded

economy, we have a chance to think wiselyabout the investments to be made inthe Harbor District.

And not just wisely we need to think BIGand invest with determination when it comesto revitalizing the Harbor District. We need toreinforce the businesses that operate currentlyin these areas, and work with them to growand attract complementary uses.

Our City is filled with pioneers in greeninfrastructure, so let us make bold statements

that demonstrate the harmony we can achieveas we already have in the Menomonee Valleybetween conservation and commerce. Ourgoal is to redefine the term working waterfront,to create a place that works ecologically

AND economical ly.

For more information, [email protected] visithttp://www.facebook.com/harbordistrictmilwaukee

Fish or Freight?

BRUCE KEYES, HARBOR DISTRICT, INC.Photo:BarryM

ainwood

Photo:BarryMainwood

What will the next 100 years of

the Harbor District look like?

The opportunities for transformation in the Harbor District are immense.


4/8Page 4 FALL 201

he Milwaukee WaterCommons (MWC)project fully launched last fall,

with a bold set of initiativesdesigned to catalyze fresh

leadership for Milwaukeeswater future that is centeredon stewardship and broadcommunity involvement.

Milwaukees identity has long been intertwined with water, as isevident in a widely shared passion for Lake Michigan and the citysrivers. Although that sense of connection has not always translatedinto rigorous water protection, it is giving rise today to a growinginterest in how Milwaukees own future is linked to that of its

waters, with initiatives arising in policy, infrastructure and research.

MWC was inspired by a belief that Milwaukee has the elementscare, commitment, innovation, capacityto become a true watercity, and a recognition that it wont happen without the engagementof the whole community. As we saw it, everyone in the city sharesa stake in our waters, and therefore should be part of enjoying thebenefits, responsibilities and decision making related to them.

Tis past year we embarked on several efforts to renew a vibrantlink between the citys residents and its waters. Believing that

water is runs through every aspect of our citys life, we have tappedleadership across the citys sectorspublic health, science, food,faith, arts and othersbringing people together to conceive of a

sustainable water future and water ethic for our city. On June 3 thatwork culminated in a townhall meeting with 130 leaders gathering tolearn about water related initiatives, including those of SWW, andto discuss how to grow and link stewardship efforts across the city.

MWC also piloted a four-session neighborhood water leadership

training at 5 diverse community sites outside the usual environmentalcircles. Tirty emergent water leaders discussed water issues andsolutions, created water-themed art and designed community-engaging water projects. Te resulting projects included a youthcampaign to replace bottled water with refillable containers, decorativstorm water capture for community gardens and design work foran educational and contemplative water fountain.

On August 3 we held an evening lakefront celebration of our waters,We Are Water. Hundreds of Milwaukeeans help our artist inresidence, Melanie Ariens. illuminate a sand art installation of theGreat Lakes with candles accompanied by a rich array of culturalofferings including the Strawberry Moon Singers, DanceCircus,spoken word, and the Overpass Light Brigade.

Its been an inspiring first year for the Milwaukee Water Commonand we look forward to year two. o learn more find us on Facebookand MeetUp, visit our webpage at the Great Lakes Commons websitehttp://www.greatlakescommons.org/watercommonscommunitiesor

write us [email protected].

Milwaukee Water Commons CatalyzingCommunity Leadership for Our WatersANN BRUMMITT AND ALEXA BRADLEY, MILWAUKEE WATER COMMONS

Neighborhood Water Leadership Training combined education, art making

and project development.

The Urban Underground youth led a project to encourage refillable water

bottle use.

Inset:

The Overpass Light Brigade at the We Are Water lakefront water celebratio

Photo:MilwaukeeWaterCommons


5/8FALL 2014 Page

OrganizingAround WaterLARRY KROLIKOWSKI, COMMON GROUND

Faith CommunityExtends Mission toWater StewardshipSEAN FOLTZ, AMERICAN RIVERS

Afew weeks ago the roof at ippecanoe Presbyterian Churchwas transformed into a working intensive agricultura lvegetative green roof. It is one of the first of its kind in the state.Te roof showcases the benefits of stormwater management, whileproviding job training and produce for the less fortunate membersof the congregation and surrounding neighborhood. Te roofinfiltrates stormwater, and cisterns onsite supply water to thevegetation during periods of drought. American Rivers, theFund for Lake Michigan, MMSD, Hanging Gardens, PresbyterianChurch USA and Plant Land were partners on the project.

It is estimated that the roof will infiltrate and reuse up to

4,500 gallons of stormwater per storm event while potentiallyproviding up to 100 pounds of produce for the homelesscommunity. Tis project shows the growing importance of

water reuse, and how it will play a vital role in meeting the goalsof MMSDs Regional Green Infrastructure Plan, and the Cityof Milwaukees Sustainability Plan.

Urban gardening and green infrastructure are helping to transformthe highly urbanized Kinnickinnic River Watershed. Te churchsits in one of the most highly impacted subwatersheds of the river.Tis project is one of many in the Wilson Park Creek sub-watershed

which help reduce peak flow and nutrient loading to the creek.It is another step in reducing the 100-year storm peak flow while

reducing otal Phosphorus, Fecal Coliform and otal SuspendedSolids through the continued clustering of best managementpractices and implementation of green infrastructure projects

within the subwatershed.

Tis project also keeps Milwaukee moving forward as a leaderin green infrastructure, andalso helps serve as a model for otherbusinesses and community organizations for water resourcemanagement and environmental justice. Te city has embracedthe idea of a garden for every food pantry, and this is a goodfirst step in that direction.

Common Ground is a congregation-based communityorganization that strives for positive change in the Milwaukearea. Tey have organized for foreclosure abatement in ShermaPark and for a health insurance cooperative, to give just tworecent examples. Now, one of their member churches, UnitariaUniversalist Church West (UUCW) in Brookfield, has set itssights on water. Here is how we did it.

UUCW has a history of working on environmental issues. It fiwith the core principles of Unitarian Universalism. So last yearwe began a process of selecting an environmental issue wherewe could have an impact. We considered public transit, localfood sourcing, and banning the use of plastic bags, but in theend, the church voted in October 2013 to form the CommonGround Green Initiative to work on water.

Starting with a December tour by 50 church members of theJones Island sewage treatment plant, we spent the next four montmeeting with as many water people as possible. Tis researchincluded 30 individual meetings. We met with governmentofficials, private companies, and non-profits, looking for anopportunity to bring Common Grounds organizing expertise tobear on an issue that already has many interested participants.

In the end, UUCW decided to focus on storm water managemenSpecifically, we are working in three areas. First, we are studying

the possibility of incorporating a bio-swale into plans to reconstrucNorth Avenue in Brookfield. Second, we are beginning toimplement an overflow alert system to ask that people use less

water during major storms when a sewer overflow is likely. Andthird, the Green Initiative is investigating creative options for fixinleaky sewer laterals that contribute to sewer backups and overflow

We have learned quite a bit about water in the past year. Ournext step is to take action in the areas outlined above, growingand building on people power to make change happen. Weintend to add the Green Initiative to Common Grounds list osuccesses in our community.

Karen Jagen, pastor of Tippecanoe Presbyterian Church, surveying the

new green roof

Common Ground/UUCW at Jones Island

Photo:AmericanRivers


6/8Page 6 FALL 201

Artists VoicesMELANIE ARIENS, MILWAUKEE WATER COMMONS, AND EDDEE DANIEL, MENOMONEE VALLE

Art speaks a universal language. Art can create bonds between people and withthe earth. We are two artists who share a passion for the environment and useour creative talents to express the beauty in our own backyard and to communicateour values. Water is a common theme for both of us. Melanies multidisciplinary

work focuses on the Great Lakes and freshwater issues. Eddees artistic practice,which includes writing as well as photography, explores Milwaukees waterways and

what he refers to as urban wilderness, or places where nature and civilization intersectBoth of us can trace our love of nature to childhoods that included camping, hikingand neighborhood exploring. In college Melanie studied science as well as art. Adeep concern for environmental health has developed into a studio practice thatemphasizes the preciousness of our water resources. Melanie makes shrines, prayerflags, and other artwork as a way to honor the Great Lakes and fresh water. Sheconsiders her work a meditation and hopes that it will move people to reflect onhow important water is to life and to be stewards of this vital and amazing resource

Eddee has been an environmental advocate as well as an artist all his life; but onlyrecently has he begun to combine the two. A local issuesaving the MilwaukeeCounty Groundsinspired him to create a body of work that advocated for itspreservation. Empowered by its success Eddee has continued to make art that

expresses his love of nature and culture and places where they intersect. Milwaukeesthree rivers and urban parks are among his favorite subjects.

Tough we work in different media our art is formed by and inextricably linkedto our lives of environmental activism. Awareness and engagement come in manyforms, such as education and study, lectures, and reading. We have chosen tocommunicate our concerns for the environment through our art because art engagesthe heart and spirit in ways that traditional activism doesnt. We both share thebelief that art can help people reconnect with nature and with resources like water.

When people can make a heartfelt connection with a resource, realizing their lifedepends on it, they are more likely to protect it. It takes all forms of communicationand awareness to inspire stewardship, and art is our tool.

Restoration by Eddee Daniel depicts the development

of Three Bridges Park on the Menomonee River

Water Shrine by Melanie Ariens set up at the confluence of the Menomonee and Milwaukee

Photo:EddeeDaniel


7/8FALL 2014 Page

Going Beyond Capping toWetland RestorationPATRICK ELLIOTT, MILWAUKEE METROPOLITAN SEWERAGE DISTRICT

he Burnham Canal is in the Menomonee River Valley,just south of downtown Milwaukee. Te thousands ofacres of deep and shallow marsh wetlands that originally madeup the Valley were eliminated, starting in the late 1800s, toaccommodate commercial shipping and urban land uses. TeBurnham Canal was one of several canals created for commercialnavigation to connect the inland industries to the Milwaukeeharbor. Since the 1950s, the shipping use declined and thecanal no longer has a navigable waterway designation.

Unfortunately, what remains of the Canal is a repository forcontaminated sediment and an environmental liability for theMilwaukee Estuary and the Great Lakes. Metals and polycyclicaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds contaminate sedi-ment throughout the Canal. Concentrations of these contami-nants are significantly higher west of S. 11th Street which isidentified as a Superfund Alternative Site.

Te Miller Compressing Company is the cooperating responsibleparty. Te primary source of contamination, a wire reclamationfurnace, ceased operation in the mid-1980s. Te SuperfundRecord of Decision (ROD) requires the excavation of soil andsediment at the west end of the Canal and the installation of a

12-inch cap over the remaining sediment from the west end toS. 11th Street. Although the RODs actions are an important steptoward improving environmental conditions, it provides limitedhabitat improvement and does not address the contaminatedsediments east of the bridge.

MMSD proposes a betterment to the 12-inch sand coverrequired in the ROD by replacing this cover with 15-20 feetof clean fill material and extending project east of 11th Streetto the Canadian Pacific Railroad located near the mouth ofthe canal. Te fill area will be graded to perform as a wetland

with emergent vegetation and will restore features to improvethe Canals water quality, improve the Canals fish and wildlifehabitat, and enhance the quality of Lake Michigan.

Te wetland will not only cap the existing contaminated sedimentbut will also create approximately 7 acres of thriving wetland,

which will make fish, wildlife, and benthic populations morediverse and numerous. Tis project will also increase publicaccess to the canal, which will provide an important naturalasset to the cultural ly diverse, low income population livingblocks from the project area.

MMSD and Miller Compressing are currently working torevise the ROD to replace the 12-inch sand cap with a materialthat will not only provide the same benefits as the sand cap butbe strong enough to support the proposed wetland. In addition,MMSD and Miller Compressing are updating an agreement todefine Miller Compressings funding contribution to the overall

wetland project based on the estimated costs of the constructionand long term maintenance of the sand cap. Tis amount offunding will not cover the entire cost of the wetland and soMMSD continues to seek additional outside funding to coverthe remaining costs.

Te US Army Corps of Engineers is performing the wetlanddesign under an agreement with MMSD. It is anticipated thatthe project team will hold public meetings in the 1st quarterof 2015 to obtain feedback on the preliminary design prior tocompleting the final design in the summer of 2015.

For questions regarding the project, please feel free to contactthe MMSD Project Manager, Patrick Elliott, at (414) 225-2168or [email protected].


8/8Page 8 FALL 201

University of Wisconsin Extension

9501 W. Watertown Plank Road

Wauwatosa, WI 53226

PHONE(414) 256-4632

WEB naturalresources.uwex.edu

EMAIL [email protected]

Learning for life

Sweet Water

600 East Greenfield Avenue

Milwaukee, WI 53204

PHONE (414) 382-1766

WEB swwtwater.org

EMAIL [email protected]

[email protected]

MANAGING EDITOR

Kate Morgan, Sweet Water

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Gail Epping Overholt, UW-Ex tension

This publication made possible in part through

the generous support of

RiversReport PARTNERS

October 10:

Deadline for applications

Watershed-based Grant Program Accepting ApplicationsRoot Pike Watershed Initiative Network

http://www.rootpikewin.org/index.

php?option=com_ content&view=

article&id=165&Itemid=171

October 15

Milwaukee RiverkeepersRiver Regale6:00 PM 8:00 PM

Discovery World500 N. Harbor Drive | Milwaukee

http://www.mkeriverkeeper.org

October 21

Webinar: Landscape-scaleIdentification of ActuallyRestorable Wetlandsown and Country Resource

Conservation and Development

3:00 PM 4:30 PM

http://www.tacrcd.com/wetlands-

webinars-2014.html

November 4: VoteWisconsin General Election

http://gab.wi.gov

November 7

Seismic ShiftTe Impactof Changing DemographicsConferenceMonona errace Convention Center

Madison, WI

1000 Friends of Wisconsin

www.1kfriends.org

November 14:

Deadline for submissions

Call for Presentations for 20thWI Wetlands Conference

WI Wetlands Association

For more information, contact W WA

at [email protected]

http://www.uwlax.edu/conted/wwa/

call-for-presentations.html

November 14:

Deadline for submissions

Water Quality Mini-GrantProgram Request for ProposalsSoutheastern WI Watersheds rust

www.swwtwater.org

For more information, contact

Joan Herriges at [email protected]

Events andImportant Dates

Nearly 40 percent of the roof is covered withdeciduous and evergreen plants to slow rainwaterrunoff and reduce thermal gain while a series ofrain barrels further controls rainwater flow.

Specifically, RadioMilwaukees green roof reducesrun-off load on sewer systems by holding rainwateruntil it is natura lly absorbed into the plantsystem and released as atmospheric vapors. Tegreen roof further serves as insulation to keep thebuilding cool in the summer and warm in the

winter to reduce the mechanical systems energyload. And looking beyond a single building,green roofs such as RadioMilwaukees collectivelymitigate the urban heat island effect in summer.

For RadioMilwaukee, the green roof is part of

its mission to engage community members withpublically inviting spaces, from the interior commonsto sidewalk seating outside the coffee shop to theroof, where they can enjoy a performance in agreen setting overlooking the Hoan Bridge anddowntown skyline.

Radio Milwaukee story continued from page 1

Green roof ambiance for rooftop event

Photo:88Nine

rivers report fall 2014

Documents