Milwaukee County Moves Ahead with Plans to Repair Estabrook Dam

Despite Milwaukee County’s stated intention of repairing the Estabrook Dam (see article below), Milwaukee Riverkeeper will continue to press for its removal.  Our lawsuit against the County for violation of state dam safety regulations is still pending in Milwaukee County Circuit Court and we are committed to moving forward with the litigation.  
The County has a long history of missing deadlines to repair the dam and we have no reason to believe that it will meet the new deadline of October 31st.  Even the Department of Natural Resources does not believe that deadline can be met. 

As noted in the article below in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, while the County has set aside 2.1 million for repairs, they lack the millions needed to clean up the contaminated PCB sediment behind the dam.  In addition, the County lacks funds to maintain the dam should it be repaired, estimated at $80,000 per year. 

With estimated costs for removal of the dam ($650,000) being far less than for costs of repair (1.5 million, not including future maintenance costs, which add up to $2 million over the next 20 years), the only reasonable action is for the dam to come down.   Removal of the dam is in the best interest of taxpayers and in the best interest of a free-flowing river. 

[excerpted from Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

by Dan Egan

Milwaukee County is moving forward with plans to repair the aging Estabrook Dam - a key step to bringing back a 100-acre impoundment that's been a recreational attraction since the 1930s but is opposed by environmentalists who favor a free-flowing river.

Major hurdles remain before water levels are allowed to rise, turning a portion of the Milwaukee River north of Estabrook Park into a lake deep enough for speed boats and water skiers.

Although $2.1 million has been set aside for repairs, no money has been allocated for the cleanup of contaminated sediment above the structure.

Industrial pollutants, including polychlorinated biphenyls, have accumulated near the dam and upstream.

Farther upstream in Lincoln Park, crews are removing contaminated sediment in a $20 million project that will be largely finished by year's end, state officials say.

Members of the County Board's Parks, Energy and Environment Committee were told Tuesday that repairs to the dam were expected to start in the spring and be completed by fall.

The Department of Natural Resources has told county officials that the dam, once repaired, can't operate until the pollutants have been removed.

Kevin Haley of Milwaukee County Parks told committee members that the cost of the cleanup could approach $10million, although the final cost is not known. Typically, state and local governments must pay 35% of the cost while the federal government pays for 65%.

"We're finally getting there - I can't wait to get this thing repaired," said Supervisor Theo Lipscomb, whose district includes areas upstream of the dam.

Supervisor Patricia Jursik raised concerns about the cost of a cleanup and warned that approval of funding was far from a done deal.

"I don't remember committing ourselves to a $10 million project," Jursik said.

The county has a deadline from the DNR of Oct. 31 to repair the dam and clean up the river, though DNR officials acknowledge the timeline is not realistic and they have asked the county to suggest a new schedule to get the work done.

The state and county have met on plans for the cleanup, with the state agreeing to pick up the tab for the 35% local share of an estimated $1million in planning and design work.

The next steps: Conduct a study of the project, apply for federal funding and negotiate between the state and the county on paying for the local share of the project.

No Money Budgeted

No money has been set aside for the project in state or county budgets, officials said.

"We need to make this a comprehensive solution," said Marsha Burzynski, who manages cleanup projects for the DNR in southeastern Wisconsin.

Once the dam is repaired and sediments removed, the area would be the last on the river targeted for environmental cleanup.

But it's been controversial for years.

Environmentalists called for the removal of the dam after the DNR ordered the county to open the gates of the structure in late 2008 to relieve pressure on the dam. The result has been drastically lower water levels upstream.

Environmentalists said removing the dam would return a section of the river to its natural state, improving water quality and fish and wildlife habitat.

The Estabrook Dam is "ridiculous and anachronistic," said Gerry Broderick, chairman of the parks committee in an interview before Tuesday's meeting,

Lipscomb said neighbors are worried about property values and aesthetics if the pool is never allowed to fill up. He wants the dam operating and the impoundment full.

"Anything other than that is unnatural," he said in an interview.