Monthly archive

Milwaukee Riverkeeper on Remarkable Milwaukee

January 31, 2012

Missed the fireside chat Remarkable Milwaukee, about the potential future of our fair city? Have no fear! It was covered in depth by Mary Louise Schumacher of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Milwaukee Riverkeeper Cheryl Nenn and Milwaukee Riverkeeper board member Eric Vogel made the cut, detailing their dreams for this fine town.

To read the full article click here.

Crew Begins Deep Tunnel Inspection

January 30, 2012

[excerpted from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel]

by Don Behm

An eight-wheeled vehicle began slowly cruising the cross-town segment of the deep tunnel Friday at a top speed of 30 feet per minute as its three-person crew videotaped the inside of the underground wastewater storage cavern for a once-a-decade inspection.

The speed of this tunnel crawl is governed by national standards for videotaping sewers, said Scott Royer, general manager for Veolia Water Milwaukee. The company operates two sewage treatment plants, regional sewers, deep tunnels and the Milorganite sewage sludge fertilizer factory under contract with the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District.

Your Voice Helped Save our Parkway! Now the next steps....

January 17, 2012

Milwaukee Riverkeeper would like to personally thank everyone who voiced their opposition to the proposed "Route B" high-voltage transmission lines slated to cut right through the Underwood Creek Parkway.

On Tuesday, the Milwaukee County Board’s Committee on Parks, Energy and Environment not only formally opposed "Route B," but passed a resolution opposing any current or future plans involving placement of high voltage electric transmission lines along "Milwaukee County Parkways, the Oak Leaf Trail, or wetlands and natural areas owned and managed by the County."

Success! But there's still more work to be done.

WUWM - Lake Effect Features Milwaukee River Report Card

January 13, 2012

Environmental Reporter Susan Bence recently ran a feature w/ Riverkeeper Cheryl Nenn. They discuss our inaugural Milwaukee River Report Card, which lays out Water Quality parameters and discusses the results of our volunteers data.

Click here to listen to the story at WUWM.com.

Haven't seen the 2010 Milwaukee River Report Card yet? Check out it today by clicking here.

Contact your Legislators: Protect our Wetlands!

January 13, 2012

The Wisconsin legislature released a bill (Assembly Bill 463/Senate Bill 368) last week that would negatively impact our state's wetlands regulations and weaken important protections.

Please contact your legislators and tell them, "Protect our Wetlands and our Environment!"

2012 Draft Watershed Plans & Impaired Waters List Now Available

January 5, 2012

Every two years, the WDNR publishes a statewide water quality report, develops an "Impaired Waters List" of lakes and rivers that do not meet state water quality standards, and submits plans for maintaining and improving water quality in a certain number of watersheds every cycle.

They are now available and the WDNR is accepting comments.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Features River Report Card

January 3, 2012

[excerpted from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

by Meg Jones

An environmental group has given the Milwaukee River Basin a passing grade in water quality while warning that many streams and river segments are not meeting water quality goals.

Milwaukee Riverkeeper issued its first Milwaukee River Report Card, giving a grade of B-minus because most water quality categories met the desired target 80% to 89% of the time. The report card was based on information about a variety of indicators such as dissolved oxygen, water temperature and clarity, bacteria and chlorides.

The report card was based on information collected at 50 sites by about 40 Milwaukee Riverkeeper volunteers between May and October 2010 as well as data from the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District and the Department of Natural Resources. Another report card will be issued next summer based on data collected this year.