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Stormwater
Demonstration Project
Stormwater runoff is one of the largest
sources of nonpoint pollution in Milwaukee and
throughout the United States. Polluted runoff from our
streets, roofs and yards rushes into our rivers and Lake
Michigan either directly or through stormwater sewer
systems.
In much of Milwaukee, however, the stormwater runoff is
combined with wastewater and sent through the combined
sewer system to treatment plants in order to be cleaned.
On rainy days, the volume can overwhelm the system’s
capacity, causing the combined sewerage system to
overflow into the Milwaukee River and Lake Michigan.
Friends of Milwaukee’s Rivers, American Rivers, and the
Milwaukee River Basin Partnership have initiated a
stormwater demonstration project that will curb the
amount of runoff that enters the combined sewers, thus
cutting down on the likelihood of combined sewer
overflows.
The project is located in the Johnson’s Park
Neighborhood on 18th Street between Walnut and Brown. We
have managed stormwater by disconnecting downspouts and
re-routing the runoff into rain barrels and rain
gardens, where it can either be re-used, or absorbed
into the ground.
The intent of the project is to demonstrate that these
practices can decrease flow to our sewers, minimize
sewer overflows and ultimately protect our Great Lakes.
We will be encouraging these practices within the City
of Milwaukee - both in combined and separated sewer
systems.
We’d like to thank the following funders for supporting
this project: Brico Fund, the John Ben Snow Memorial
Trust, the Joyce Foundation, the Wisconsin Department of
Natural Resources, and the Alliance for the Great Lakes.
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