RiversReport

SPRING 2013 | volume 4 no. 2

Photo: Kate Morgan

Identifying Barriers to Green Infrastructure in the Menomonee River Watershed

KATE MORGAN, 1000 FRIENDS OF WISCONSIN & SWEET WATER

Learning for life

The project also advances the efforts of the Menomonee municipalities with their pilot watershed-based stormwater permit by bringing added capacity to the group to position green infrastructure as an integral component of a watershed-based approach to address nonpoint pollution.
Lake Michigan sunset

16th St. Community Health Center Green Infrastructure Project

Conference Photos!
Check out images from the Clean Rivers, Clean Lake Conference on pages 4 & 5. More photos are available our Facebook page: facebook.com/SE.WI WatershedsTrust.org

000 Friends of WI continues its work in SE WI with the support of a major grant from the Fund for Lake Michigan for a project titled: A Strategic Plan for Code and Ordinance Revisions to Advance Green Infrastructure in the Menomonee Watershed. Our partners for this initiative include Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, Milwaukee County Department of Environmental Services, and Sweet Water, the Southeastern Wisconsin Watersheds Trust. Municipal partners include: Germantown, Menomonee Falls, Brookfield, Elm Grove, Greenfield, Wauwatosa, Butler, West Milwaukee, and the City of Milwaukee. Juli Beth Hinds of Birchline Planning, a nationally recognized expert, is our consultant for the project.

While the project focuses on the Menomonee River watershed, the approach will be replicable and help to facilitate the development of strategic code and ordinance revisions in other communities leading to potentially greater adoption of green infrastructure practices in our region.

Inside this Issue

Milwaukee Estuarys Stakeholder Delegation.........................................2 Spring Sweet Water Update............3 Clean Rivers, Clean Lake Conference................................4-5 Municipalities Building Momentum................................. 6-7 New Steering Council Members......8 Events...........................................8

Permeable pavers used for parking areas along streets

Three goals drive the project: 1] to clearly outline barriers to green infrastructure in current codes and ordinances that prohibit or inhibit greater adoption of green infrastructure; 2] to increase the potential for the adoption of code revisions supportive of green infrastructure by prioritizing recommendations; and 3] to streamline the work by providing new language for the codes tailored to municipal needs as well as by developing strategies to aid their adoption.

We have been invited to present about the project at the American Planning Association/Wisconsin Chapter Conference June 13 -14 in Sheboygan and at the International Low Impact Development Conference in Minneapolis August 19 - 21. Wed like to take this opportunity to thank the Fund for Lake Michigan for their support of this project.

A Snapshot of the Milwaukee Estuarys Stakeholder Delegation

Gail Epping Overholt, Regional Natural Resource Program/UWEX

ere in the Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern (AOC), the Stakeholder Delegation serves as an idea incubator and sounding board for enhancing opportunities for stakeholder involvement in the Area of Concern. They are also the doersworking together to get things done, whether its creating a brochure, reviewing or learning more about the issues. This year the ideas they generated led to a set River clean-up day of projects and programs that will provide fabulous opportunities for any stakeholder to learn more, explore more or volunteerExplore & Restore Milwaukees Magnificent Waters!
Photo: UWEX Photo: UWEX

Citizen-based Aesthetic Monitoring Program (CAMP)

Two effortsBeach CAMP, led by the Alliance for the Great Lakes and River CAMP led by the Urban Ecology Centerwill bring a new type of monitoring to local rivers and beaches, aesthetics monitoring. Volunteer trained in aesthetics monitoring will look for items (such as strange odors or trash) that detract from the beauty and usability of Milwaukees rivers and beaches. Data collected will help identify important information about the status of our waterways that will help in the planning of corrective actions.
Photo: UWEX

Enjoying the view of the city from the Milwaukee River The River Ambassador Program

Volunteers for the river clean-up

In Wisconsin, the Department of Natural Resources provided approximately $90,000 in grant money through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to enhance public engagement in Wisconsins five Areas of Concern. Milwaukee Estuary AOC Partners received approximately two-thirds of the grant money available statewide to support these ideas! Supported by the University of Wisconsin-Extension (UWEX) and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Explore & Restore Milwaukees Magnificent Waters illustrates a Stakeholder Partnership that brings us the following set of programs to look forward to this year.
Explore & Restore Expeditions

Trained by Groundwork Milwaukee, the River Ambassadors inform and educate citizens at locations where they interact with rivers and interpret restoration projects throughout the processbefore, during, and after the project. The River Ambassadors will deliver messages at venues throughout the summer. Ambassadors will be deployed to places and events along the rivers at locations where projects can be observed.
Built on Water An Illustrated Lecture Tour of the Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern with Milwaukee Historian John Gurda

John Gurda revises his successful lecture, A Region Built on Water, integrating the story of the Area of Concern as a part of Milwaukees history and future. Adding a visual element will intrigue and bring people closer to the story. The purpose of the lectures is to inform a broad audience of the changes and improvements that have occurred in the areas water resources. For more information about these and other efforts of the Stakeholder Delegation, visit http://fyi.uwex.edu/aocs/milwaukee/upcoming-events.

Led by the Urban Ecology Center, these programs connect people to the Estuary and the rivers through hikes and canoe river tours highlighting restoration efforts.

Page 2

SPRING 2013

A Spring Check-In on Sweet Water

JEFF MARTINKA, SWEET WATER Menomonee River Watershed-Based Permit Underway
Photo: Root River Education Community Center

weet Water and its partners are working on a broad front this spring and summer. Heres a survey of project updates.

and placing targeted Respect Our Waters ads on regional social media. More info is available at www.respectourwaters.org.
Progress on the Root River Watershed Restoration Plan

The EPA-funded Menomonee River Watershed-Based Permit (WSBP) was formally approved in November 2012; Jeff Martinka Sweet Water was a major player in the effort. The permit is the first true watershed-based stormwater permit in the country and joins 11 municipalities and about 90% of the Menomonee watershed under a single stormwater permit. The first meetings of the WSBP group were held at Brookfield City Hall in March and April. Two subcommittees of municipal leaders and NGO partners are starting work; one on illicit discharge detection and correction methodologies and a second on the selection of joint watershed projects.
Sweet Waters Respect Our Waters Campaign Growing in 2013

In the regional water quality planning arena, SEWRPCs work on the Root River Watershed Restoration Plan continues and is now slated for completion by May 2014. Well-attended Root River partner meetings are being held Canoeing along the Root River regularly as part of the plan development process; the most recent was in early May. Sweet Water raised the $305,000 to fund the Root River WRP.
Milwaukee Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Project Schedule Adjusted

Sweet Water and Root-Pike WIN are expanding a region-wide, two-year $260K campaign, funded by WI DNR grants written by Sweet Water and Root-Pike WIN and support from more than 30 municipal and private partners. The effort is raising public awareness of the harm caused by nonpoint source pollution, and offers tips on ways residents can help.

The TMDL consultants at CDM Smith have received approval to shift the four third party TMDL completion date back to late 2013; the date for the TMDL implementation plans is now late 2014 plans. Sweet Water continues work with the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District in engaging stakeholders in our region. The first five TMDL stakeholder meetings have been held at the Wauwatosa Public Library, each with 75 to 105 representatives of municipalities, treatment plants, and state water quality permit holders. More than 80 attended the most recent meeting on March 26th. In addition, Sweet Water, Ozaukee County, WI DNR, and River Alliance of WI produced a water quality/ TMDL forum held in late January in Port Washington; fifty attended that event. Information on TMDL progress, including notes from all prior meetings, is available at www.mmsd.com click on the Water Quality Research tab at the site. Emailed updates also started this month. Contact Sweet Water at info@sweetwater.org if you want to be added to the list for the TMDL meetings; the invite list is nearly 500 individuals. All invitations are by email and social media.
Sixteen New Sweet Water Mini-grants

Sparkles the Water Spaniel

With Sweet Water acting as fiscal agent, the 2013 campaign will expand on last years efforts. After reviewing proposals from area TV stations, WITI Channel 12 (an NBC affiliate) was selected as primary broadcast sponsor. In addition, Sweet Water will be promoting the campaign on 3 million Milwaukee Journal Sentinel bags, appearing at more than 20 local events,

The winners of a total of $55,000 in Sweet Water mini-grants received their checks at the Clean Rivers, Clean Lake conference. Projects will be located in all 5 Sweet Water watersheds and range widely in focus; see www.swwtwater.org to learn more. Mini-grant supporters in 2012 included MMSD, the Fund for Lake Michigan, and CH2M Hill, with administrative support from the Joyce Foundation. Sweet Water is now seeking funds for a 2013 mini-grant roundif successful, a September mini-grants deadline is expected.

SPRING 2013

Page 3

9th Annual Clean Rivers,

JEFF MARTINKA, SWEET WATER

udging by the smiling faces, Sweet Waters Clean Rivers, Clean Lake Conference was a successboth in water knowledge shared and in networks strengthened. Held on April 25th at the HarleyDavidson Museum on the Menomonee River, the conference was extended this year to include both daytime and evening attractions, with 31 speakers on more than 20 topics and running from 8 am until 8:30 PM. The formal daytime event attracted 300 registrants, up from 255 at Discovery World last year. The new nighttime public event was popular too, with nearly 250 guests. Conference highlights included a presentation on the State of Oregons experience in implementing Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plans and in initiating a water quality trading program; a panel offering perspectives on dam removal with case studies from Illinois and Wisconsin; reviews of economic incentives for water quality work, and updates on a series of important regional water quality studies that will be completed this winter and spring. At the evening public event, regional celebrity historian and Milwaukee native John Gurda offered a visual history of the Milwaukee areas relationship with the areas rivers, wetlands, and Lake Michigan and UWMs Jim Wasley described dreams for Milwaukees inner harbor re-birth. All Clean Rivers, Clean Lake presentation slides are available now on at www.swwtwater.org. In addition to our speakers, planning committee and registrants, we thank our conference sponsors: the Milwaukee County Parks, GRAEF, CH2M Hill, CDM Smith, HNTB, Strand Associates, Milwaukee Riverkeeper, and SEWISC. Our in-kind sponsors included MMSD, the Joyce Foundation and UWM School of Freshwater Sciences.

Page 4

SPRING 2013

Clean Lake Conference

In addition to informative presentation on issues facing our waterways and innovations in watershed restoration, the conference provided a wonderful opportunity to catch up and network with colleagues from around the watershed. The conference presentations are available online at www.scribd.com/collections/4242222/9th-Annual-Clean-Rivers-Clean-Lake-Conference. Additional pictures are also available on our Facebok page. All photos courtesy of Nancy Greifenhagen

SPRING 2013

Page 5

Local Municipalities Building Momentum for Green Infrastructure and River Restoration
Following the Road MapMenomonee River Restoration Implementation Plan Project by Project
Cindi Debruine, Village of Butler

Eroded bank looking east

he MN River Restoration Implementation Plan and Priority Project List identified several stretches of the Menomonee River flowing through the Village of Butler as priority projects for erosion control, stabilization of banks, and restoration of native vegetation.

Project will restore a 125 linear foot section of riverbank. Located at Frontier Park, the project will also allow better access to the river and will provide an aesthetic improvement for park visitors. The project brings together several departments within the Villageengineering, public works, and maintenance. The Village is also working in partnership with Milwaukee Riverkeeper who is providing assistance with the restoration efforts and volunteer recruitment for the project.
Eroded bank looking west

During times of heavy water flow, the eroded banks contribute silt to the river which ultimately enters Lake Michigan. Some of the banks have 4 to 6 feet of vertical drop from the top of the bank to the base of the bank, making it nearly impossible to grow vegetation on it to stabilize the bank. The Village of Butler decided to tackle this priority project and secured financial support for the project through the Fund for Lake Michigan. The Frontier Park Streambank Restoration

The Village of Butler is hopeful that this project will spark enthusiasm among their citizens to take on more projects along the river and be a part of the ongoing restoration of the river.

Milwaukees Green Streets Stormwater Management Plan in Action

Tim Thur, City of Milwaukee

Through Milwaukees Green Streets Stormwater Management Plan, the City has so far retrofitted four different locations with successful green infrastructure Best Management Practices (BMPs), including:
Overview of Greenfield Ave. plan

anaging stormwater has become an important issue that many urban centers face. Managing Milwaukees stormwater effectively helps reduce flooding, improves the quality of runoff entering waterways, and enables the City to become better suited to a changing climate. More recently, green infrastructure is being incorporated into urban planning for stormwater management. Green infrastructure is an environmentally-friendly and cost-effective approach that incorporates natural ecosystems to collect and treat polluted runoff at the site before discharging into the storm sewer system.

North 92nd Street from West Capitol Drive to West Good Hope Road West Grange Avenue from South Howell Avenue to South 27th Street North 27th Street from West Capitol Drive to West Roosevelt Drive South 6th Street from West Grange Avenue to West Howard Avenue

The City of Milwaukee is continuously striving to incorporate various BMPs into its stormwater management program by coordinating with proposed street reconstruction projects. As part of the roadway reconstruction of East Greenfield Avenue from South First Street to the Kinnickinnic River, the City is incorporating green infrastructure Continued top of page 5
SPRING 2013

Page 6

Continued from page 4 consisting of bio-swales and permeable pavers. A total of eight bio-swales will be constructed between the Chicago North Western (C&NW) railroad right of way and the Kinnickinnic River in the terrace areas behind the City of Milwaukee bio-retention facility curbs and the new cul-de-sac. Permeable pavers will be installed in the parking areas. The street runoff will be treated by infiltrating into the permeable pavers and then further percolating through a gravel storage layer beneath the pavers. Additional treatment is provided by the bio-swales, when the runoff is discharged into the engineered soil through drains beneath the pavers. The engineered soil is composed of sand, compost and topsoil, which is proportionally designed to maximize treatment of Total Suspended Solids (TSS). The bio-swales were designed to remove approximately 80% of the TSS from the contributing runoff. Both of these BMPs will help reduce the peak flow of stormwater and improve water quality. The bio-swales will include native grasses, shrubs and perennials which will aesthetically enhance the area. Located near the proposed University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences campus, the BMPs will also offer an outdoor classroom for students to study the benefits of stormwater management. An informational sign will be installed to explain how the BMPs work and highlight the Citys overall Green Street initiative. Along with the other Green Street projects, the East Greenfield Avenue project will showcase Milwaukee as the Water Capital of the World, and a leading city in green infrastructure. All work is expected to be completed by the end of 2014.

Rotary Park River Bank Stabilization

Jeff Nettesheim, VILLAGE OF Menomonee FallS

otary Park in Menomonee Falls, WI is a popular local destination which is bisected by the Menomonee River. The park contains stands of mature trees, many shelters, recreational fields, equipment and features a multi-use trail paralleling the river and continuing upstream along an expansive parkway. The park has a footbridge over the Menomonee River with significant erosion at the westerly abutment. The combination of the structural concerns and water quality due to the eroding river banks around the bridge led to the need for action; armor the abutment and stabilize the surrounding riverbanks with native vegetation and trees.

Graded bank with erosion-control matting and native plantings

maximum slope of 3 feet horizontal to 1 foot vertical by Village Water Utility operators. The river flow was unusually low in October when work was started due to the extreme drought of 2012. This allowed grading from the toe of the slope of the bank. We were able to remove significant sediment that had slumped onto the river bed. In some spots, we uncovered up to a three foot width of original river bed. Large natural rock boulders were placed around the western bridge abutments.
Grading stream bank to stabilize buffer zone

The river banks were being undercut and slumping into the river. The sediment was covering parts of the gravelly river bottom. The existing banks were vegetated with invasive brush, reed canary grasses. These shallow-rooted plants are not sufficient to provide stability in the banks. In collaboration with the Milwaukee Riverkeeper, we secured a grant from the Fund for Lake Michigan to stabilize the riverbanks on either side of the footbridge and to create riparian buffers along a section of Lily Creek. Invasive species were removed or eradicated. The banks were then graded back at a

After the grading, Applied Ecological Services (AES) placed wet prairie seeding on the bank. This was covered with erosion control matting. After the matting was stapled in place, 29 trees of various species were planted near the top of the slope to further buttress the river bank. We will continue the project by installing emergent and riparian plant plugs with AES staff and volunteers. This project will greatly reduce the erosion of river banks reducing total suspended solids, establish a natural system of anchoring the banks with native vegetation, provide much better habitat, provide a safer environment for river viewers and secure the bridge abutment.

SPRING 2013

Page 7

Sweet Waters Newest Steering Council Members

Tina Kroening, SWEET WATER

Upcoming Events
May 29 | 10:00 AM - NOON Root River Plan Chapter Development SC Johnson iMET | 2320 Renaissance Blvd. Sturtevant, WI (Auditorium is to the left through the doors with the yellow awning) info@rootpikewin.org or 262-898-2055 http://www.rootpikewin.org May 30 | 8:00 AM 4:30 PM Water Law for Sustainable Management University of WI School of Continuing Education Grand Avenue Mall | Wisconsin Avenue | Milwaukee, WI For information contact Murali Vedula at 414-227-3121 or mvedula@uwm.edu http://www4.uwm.edu/sce/course.cfm?id=20882 June 1 | 3:00 PM 4:30 PM Root River Paddle N. Beach Parking Lot | 89 Kewanee St. | Racine, WI For information call 262-898-2055 http://www.rootpikewin.org/index.php?option=com _content&view=article&id=153 June 13 - 14 American Planning Association/WI Chapter Conference: Creating Healthy Communities Blue Harbor Resort | Sheboygan, WI http://www.wisconsinplanners.org/comingevents.html July 22 | 6:15 PM 9:30 PM Milky Moonlight Paddle River Alliance of WI Milwaukee Rowing Club | 1990 N. Commerce St. Milwaukee, WI http://www.wisconsinrivers.org/details/25-milkymoonlight-in-milwaukee-2013

t the February 19th meeting in Wauwatosa, three new members were elected to serve on the Sweet Water Steering Council: Brian Depies, Ursula Twombly, and Don Berghammer. Brian Depies was nominated by outgoing Steering Council member Scott Mathie to take his place as the Metropolitan Builders Association representative on the board. Mr. Depies is a project planner with Yaggy Colby Associates where he is involved in a variety of land management projects including stream buffer installation and land acquisition as well as planning project for communities within the Rock River watershed. Brian grew up on a farm in Ozaukee County and has been active in Menomonee River watershed issues. Ursula Twombly, AIA, LEED, AP, co-founded Continuum Architects + Planners in 1996 and has over 25 years of experience of planning and programming facilities, focusing on urban development. She has extensive education and involvement in sustainable development. As an advocate for sustainability, she considers the long-term effects of her projects on future generations. Continuum Architects is one of the key firms working on the UWM School of Freshwater Sciences new facility currently under construction. Don Berghammer, P.E, was elected to replace Brett Wallace as the WI Department of Transportation (DOT) representative on the Steering Council. Mr. Berghammers background is in engineering, development, and public works. He has been with the Wisconsin DOT for 13 years as an environmental supervisor. Dan is interested in working with Sweet Water because dealing with water is his primary focus and concern in his current position. He previously worked on the construction of MMSDs deep tunnel projects. Our three new members add valuable representation from the business and construction sectors. This diverse group of board members provides us with necessary leadership to guide Sweet Waters efforts in Southeastern Wisconsin.

RiversReport
Sweet Water 600 East Greenfield Avenue Milwaukee, WI 53204 382-1766 WEB swwtwater.org EMAIL martinka@swwtwater.org morgan@swwtwater.org
PHONE (414)

PARTNERS
MANAGING EDITOR Kate Morgan, Sweet Water

Learning for life

University of Wisconsin Extension 9501 W. Watertown Plank Road Wauwatosa, WI 53226
PHONE (414)

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Jeff Martinka, Sweet Water Gail Epping Overholt, UW-Extension This publication made possible in part through the generous support of

256-4632 WEB clean-water.uwex.edu EMAIL gail.overholt@ ces.uwex.edu

Page 8

SPRING 2013