West Bend Wetlands Preservation

Sometimes, protecting the rivers is more about what happens next to them, rather than directly in them. That's certainly the case with the West Bend Airport, which sits on the north side of the Milwaukee River, just east of the city of West Bend. Expansion of this airport, as has been proposed, would require moving Hwy 33, and destroying or degrading nearly 150 acres of high quality wetlands along the river.

These wetlands provide important aesthetic and wildlife values, but are also critical to cleaning stormwater runoff, preventing flooding, and recharging the groundwater. There are also financial problems with the project. Expansion of the airport would require significant state transportation funds at a time when the Wisconsin DOT is already facing shortfalls of billions of dollars. How can it be good fiscal policy to spend taxpayer dollars destroying wetlands when downstream, state, regional, and private dollars are being spent to protect and restore wetlands? 

 

Milwaukee Riverkeeper has worked with the Wisconsin Wetlands Association and West Bend area citizens to create a larger coalition of groups working to shed light on this project. Other coalition partners include the River Alliance of Wisconsin, Midwest Environmental Advocates, Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, the Sierra Club, and the Milwaukee County Conservation Coalition.

We continue to monitor the situation and advocate for the protection of wetlands.