Participation in River Passage

Due to public demand, multiple organizations are working to resolve the issue of damming in Wisconsin’s rivers. The River Alliance of Wisconsin works to educate people on the effects of dams and provide resources so anyone can remove dams in the rivers they care about.

http://www.wisconsinrivers.org/images/Documents/Dams/Dam%20Removal%20-%20A%20Citizens%20Guide%20to%20Saving%20Rivers.pdf

Ozaukee County has gone a bit further in their initiative. In 2006 they started receiving grants of $10 million to improve fish passage in streams in the Milwaukee River watershed and Lake Michigan basin. The Milwaukee Audubon society has taken on the project to reconnect 142 miles of streams back to the Milwaukee River. As of December 2013, 126 miles of streams have been reconnected to 8,295 acres of wetlands. This initiative is increasing the numbers of threatened and endangered fish species, providing jobs and volunteering opportunities for local people, and providing education on stream ecology. Volunteers can contact the project director to receive a worksheet and document an impediment. They have them mapped but it's time consuming to gather minor details, though they may be very important when determining whether or not a fish can pass through. Volunteer involvement is very important here.

Because of human activity and some natural causes, rivers and streams have been blocked and fish can't pass through to their spawning grounds in the wetlands. Some passages are man made, like culverts but poorly designed. The metal bottom and narrow sides of culverts cause water to move more quickly so some fish can't swim through. Some culverts are placed too high for fish to jump into and some have been over grown or filled with sediment and the water can be too shallow. Dams completely block fish passage in most cases. Other impediments include railroad ballast deposits -- where crushed stone that is placed on track bridges fall through the cracks into the river below, creating a dam. Natural blockages will also form from fallen branches and built up debris. This is affecting fish populations, including some species of concern. 

Source: http://www.co.ozaukee.wi.us/2102/Types-of-Large-Scale-Impediments

Some of the improvements the Audubon Society has made include redesigning road crossings and converting culverts to in-stream structures and open span bridges. These provide fish passage during any flow event and minimize flood risks by being as close to natural river systems as possible. They improve sediment flow and water quality. And they have minimal effect on the roads they pass under so they have low maintenance costs. Removing dams is the most effective way of opening fish passage, but it can also be very expensive. In addition to improving the river's ecology, the removal of dams improves recreational purposes of rivers and eliminates the need for maintenance.

In their most innovative and costly construction The Audubon Society created a fish passage to go around the Mequon-Thiensville dam. The dam was constructed in 1982 and provides hydropower for a mill. The water level difference is 6.5 ft and causes a 700 acre impoundment. The fishway meanders 800 ft and includes pools and riffles to allow fish to swim up stream past the dam. The long distance allows even weak swimmers to make their way upstream. This and other Ozaukee projects use the northern pike as a reference fish because they are not very strong swimmers and jumpers. If the northern pike can pass the impediment then mostly native fish will be able to as well. There is also a livestream showing all the marine life that passes through the fishway. Anyone who watches the video can fill out a report on what they saw and contribute to the ongoing monitoring of the project.

The stream can be found here: http://www.co.ozaukee.wi.us/1248/Fishway-Camera

Source: https://wi-ozaukeecounty.civicplus.com/957/Mequon-Thiensville-Fishway

Source: https://wi-ozaukeecounty.civicplus.com/957/Mequon-Thiensville-Fishway

http://www.co.ozaukee.wi.us/619/Fish-Passage

Milwaukee's Waterways Actors Analysis

Milwaukee has been home to some very effective initiatives that have focused on cleaning up our local waterways.  While many Milwaukee initiatives are primarily volunteer based, strong local organizations have captured the attention of local citizens and created vast volunteer networks.  The Milwaukee River Greenway Coalition is a great example of how vast Milwaukee's volunteer networks are and boasts members that include: Urban Ecology Center, River Revitalization Foundation, Milwaukee Riverkeeper, Milwaukee Environmental Consortium, Village of Shorewood, City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Friends of Estabrook Park, Milwaukee Friends Meeting (Quakers), and Cambridge Woods Neighborhood Association.  The Milwaukee River Greenway Coalition is a clear example of network governance on a local scale.  Private landowners, state organizations, and NGOs have banded together to combine volunteers and resources.  Collectively they have removed PCBs, established nature preserves, and generated public awareness to the severe pollution problems that negatively impact Milwaukee's waterways.  Generating public awareness can result in an ever increasing amount of volunteers and resources that will continue to improve our local rivers and waterways into the future.  Local volunteers have also been able to preserve natural habitats in Milwaukee County Parks and fight against invasive species.  Unfortunately for Milwaukee, the intensive pollution of our rivers before the Clean Water Act was enacted in 1972 has resulted in the high number of volunteers and resources needed to revitalize our waterways.  Milwaukee has a rare responsibility to ensure the cleanliness of our waterways because of our proximity to Lake Michigan.  PCB and invasive species control has been found to be difficult in our rivers and smaller waterways, but removing toxins and controlling invasive species in the Great Lakes is almost impossible.   

(below shows the Milwaukee River watershed-can see how it flows into Lake Michigan)

The eight hypothesis presented by Evans in our textbook were very thought provoking, and I think some of them can directly be seen in the revitalization of Milwaukee's waterways.  

Networks and Markets are the best things that we have 

From the perspective that networks are the best things that we have, I would argue that Milwaukee has shown that networks can be the most effective way to govern waterways.  Clear networks like The Milwaukee River Greenway Coalition have proven to be very effective in increasing public awareness to waterway pollution, generating volunteers and resources, and establishing specific initiatives with specific goals.  The fact that we currently do not have a universal solution to water pollution that could be implemented by a hieratical governance entity shows the importance of focusing on local networks.  Local actors can establish clear goals like the removal of the Estabrook Dam, and this can further strengthen local networks. 

(below shows volunteers working to clean up the Milwaukee River)

 

Governments matter 

Even though governance has been shifting towards a more local level, government entities and policies are still important.  The Clean Water Act is a great example of a government policy being enacted and stopped point-source pollution into Milwaukee waterways.  The shortcomings of the Clean Water Act have been well documented, and today Milwaukee is still affected by non-point source pollution.  Another issue with the Clean Water Act is how the protection of water gets fuzzy between surface and ground water.  Although the shortcomings are apparent, the Clean Water Act is still very important regarding Milwaukee's waterways.  The Milwaukee Riverkeeper has a link on its website where citizens can report pollution affecting local waterways.  Milwaukee Riverkeeper then directs the information to the EPA and appropriate action can be taken.  The EPA helped remove significant amounts of PCBs from Lincoln Creek through a $20 million clean up project in 2011.  Even though environmental governance has shifted away from governmental entities like the EPA, these entities still have significant resources that can be funneled into local projects.  Evans also makes an interesting point that network governance might provide a stepping stone towards regulatory change.  Local actors working together here in Milwaukee might establish more effective or efficient strategies to remove PCBs and these strategies could be then spread through government entities and applied in other areas that have similar pollution.  

(below shows the area that was cleaned up in Milwaukee River and Lincoln Creek)
 


Sources:
http://milwaukeeriverkeeper.org/milwaukee-river-greenway-coalition/
http://www2.epa.gov/milwaukee-estuary-aoc/lincoln-creek-milwaukee-river-channel-legacy-act-cleanup
 http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/115447964.html

Milwaukee Parks Volunteering

Milwaukee County Parks has lots of volunteer opportunities available to citizens. Anyone over the age of 16 can sign up to monitor the wetlands, plant trees along the trails, help in the office, or lead activities run by the parks. Groups of people, individuals, and corporate groups are all welcome.

Wetland monitoring is important for habitat conservation for various amphibians, reptiles, and invertebrates. Some of these species are very susceptible to changes in the environment and the data collected will help the department learn how to better care for these sensitive species. in 2009 the parks were found to contain 400 ephemeral wetlands. The volunteers are needed in the spring when they train them and provide supplies. Then they go to their designated wetland and do fieldwork at their own pace throughout the coming few months.

Blue-spotted Salamander, a common species in Wisconsin wetlands

The Wehr Nature Center also has a lot of opportunities that are very flexible. They have options based on how often you would like to volunteer -- for events held once a year, once a week, various activities in the evenings and on weekends, or just walk in any time.
Some of the yearly events include tapping maple trees for sap and making syrup, Earth Day celebration and activities, bird watching, apple harvest and cider making, or Halloween celebration and pumpkin carving. Weekday volunteering involves walking the trails, recording observations, weeding and invasive species removal, pruning, crafts and art, collect seeds, or teaching. None of these have requirements, but they do provide training.
Milwaukee County also compensates their volunteers with an annual "thank you" dinner, volunteer field trips, library privileges, and special discounts on programs.

http://county.milwaukee.gov/ImageLibrary/Groups/cntyParks/Natural-Areas/CitizenScience/CBWM_BrochureRev.pdf

Milwaukee River Greenway

The Milwaukee River Greenway Coalition was originally a grass roots effort when it started in 2006.  The idea behind the coalition was to protect six miles of urban river from environmentally insensitive development right here in Milwaukee.  The Greenway is 878 acres of greenspace that spreads from North Avenue to Silver Spring Drive.  What makes this Greenway unique is the fact that it includes a dozen public parks as well as privately owned land.  The Coalition first received shoreline protection from the Village of Shorewood in 2006, and then the City of Milwaukee also granted protections in 2010.  With the backing of Shorewood and Milwaukee, the Coalition established the Milwaukee River Greenway Master Plan: A Vision for Recreation and Restoration in 2010.  This master plan laid out the details for a restored urban wilderness and shared recreational opportunities covering three municipalities right here in our own backyards.  The plan included the development of a 13 mile trail for non-motorized recreational use.  Throughout this trail, trail-heads are marked with recycled locally produced signs to promote a sense of community.  Another important aspect of the master plan is that it includes provisions to re-route trails where they damage wildlife habitat, trespass, or traverse the floodplain.  Habitat studies have also been completed for a more comprehensive restoration and preservation effort of the natural resources throughout the Greenway.  Some specific aspects of the master plan’s projects include:

Rotary Centennial Arboretum

·         Regions first Arboretum that was created by the Rotary Club, Urban Ecology Center, River Revitalization Foundation, Milwaukee Urban Rivers Foundation, and private landowners. 

·         Opened in September 2013 and features 1200 trees of 70 different native species

Cambridge Woods Nature Preserve

·         Most biodiverse area in the Greenway

·         Focuses on invasive species removal and native plantings

Wheelhouse Gateway

·         Turned a former industrial site into a canoe and kayak launch

PCB Removal

·         DNR, EPA, Milwaukee County, and MMSD worked together to remove PCB’s from the Lincoln Park lagoon and channel

·         Key in improving river recreation and overall river health

The Milwaukee River Greenway Coalition is a great example of how network governance can be very effective in the protection and revitalization of waterways.  Private landowners, state organizations, and NGO’s all working together to establish and maintain this great Milwaukee greenspace.  A current list of coalition members and allies include: Urban Ecology Center, River Revitalization Foundation, Milwaukee Riverkeeper (my original blog post), Milwaukee Environmental Consortium, Village of Shorewood, City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Friends of Estabrook Park, Milwaukee Friends Meeting (Quakers), and Cambridge Woods Neighborhood Association.  The River Revitalization Foundation took over the Coalition in 2013 and projects continue today.  This Greenway is a great model for river/environment revitalization taking place in an urban setting.  The following link is a video that further explains the River Revitalization Foundation

          https://vimeo.com/ivanlabianca/riverrevitalizationfoundation

This Greenway is especially important to me because I frequently mountain bike on this trail in the summer.  It’s a great workout and allows a unique opportunity to escape from the city while actually still being quite close to my house.  I’ve personally seen the development of the trails and the increased focus of removing invasive species and reintroducing native species.  This Greenway is a great asset to our community, and I highly recommend checking out the trails.  Even if hiking or biking doesn’t interest you, the Estabrook Beer Garden is located right above this Greenway so after enjoying a beer go and check out the beautiful waterfall directly below. 

 

Sources:

http://city.milwaukee.gov/Zoning-Topics/Milwaukee-River-Greenway.htm#.VkunN3arS71

http://riverrevitalizationfoundation.org/greenway/

Pollution in the Milwaukee River

Living in Milwaukee, every once in a while you'll look over to see some drunk guy jumping in the Milwaukee River. It does run along Water st. behind a lot of popular bars. But any sound minded person knows that's not the best place to go for a swim -- even if there are ladders posted every few meters. 

Karen M. Schapiro, JD, executive director of the Milwaukee Riverkeeper said on the matter, 

"The river does not meet the water quality standards of the Clean Water Act that would make it suitable for swimming. The river is far less polluted than it was decades ago, but there are still problems like bacteria and pathogens (fecal coliforms and E. coli at excessive levels) in some areas, phosphorus pollution, contaminated PCB laden sediments in some areas, etc." 

They recommend boating or kayaking if you really want to get in the river. 

The UWM School of Freshwater Sciences has looked into the fecal contamination of the Milwaukee River. These are human fecal coliforms, not cattle or pet run off. It has been detected on both rainy days and dry days where there was no chance of sewer back up. This indicates that sewer lateral lines must either be leaking into the groundwater, or sewer lines have been mistakenly connected to the storm drains instead of the municipal sanitary mains. Of course this presents serious health risks to anyone in the river. 

In the 1960's and 70's PCBs or chlorinated biphenyls were commonly used in industry as lubricants and flame retardants and as in paints, varnishes, and inks. Before the Clean Water Act of 1972 PCBs and other chemicals were freely dumped into rivers. Since then the EPA has labeled PCBs as a toxic contaminant and their manufacture has been banned. It's been shown to cause cancer in humans and other serious health effects in immune, reproductive, endocrine, and nervous systems in a variety of animals. 

The PCBs are still present in the Milwaukee River in contaminated sediments. These can be consumed by fish and the toxins bioaccumulate, making fish consumption the largest source of PBCs in people. 

In 2011 Milwaukee and the EPA began a $20 million clean up project to remove PCB contaminated sediments from Lincoln Creek, a tributary of the Milwaukee River. This area contained 70% of the Milwaukee River's total PCBs. The clean up is still continuing today, and so far 140,000 cubic yards of sediment has been removed. This included 5,000 pounds of PCBs and 4,000 pounds of PAHs -- a byproduct of burning coal or oil and probable carcinogen. 

Phosphorous pollution in the Milwaukee River comes from farm run off upstream. Phosphorous fertilizer itself has no known serious health effects, but the algae it grows does. The phosphorous in the Milwaukee River is a main contributor to eutrophication and algal blooms in Lake Michigan. These algal blooms are well known to Milwaukee beach goers, who sometimes can't set foot in the lake without being coated with green slime. Besides being unsightly these algal blooms can produce toxins that hurt marine life and sicken the people that eat the toxic seafood. This has an effect on the lake's ecosystem and our local economy. Algal blooms also limit visibility for fish and their ability to find food, and enough algae can suck the oxygen out of the water creating a dead zone. Luckily Milwaukee hasn't seen such a serious case of eutrophication yet.

Although we as citizens can't really help if our sewer lines are leaky, we can do a few things to keep our rivers clean. Don't use chemical fertilizers or compost much before expected rain. Pick up after your pets and don't feed geese or birds. And of course support local groups like the Milwaukee Riverkeeper and volunteer!

http://onmilwaukee.com/buzz/articles/riverswim.html

http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/human-fecal-bacteria-detected-in-harbor-water-samples-131833298.html

Health Effects| Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)| Wastes ...

http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/130541643.html

http://www3.epa.gov/epawaste/hazard/wastemin/minimize/factshts/pahs.pdf

Clean Water Act

The Clean Water Act (CWA) was created in 1972 with the mission of "protecting all waters of the United States."  Although the CWA is often viewed as the first major U.S law to address water quality, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1948 was the actual first.  The Act was amended in 1972 and the CWA was officially established.   

The specific amendments  included: 

• Established the basic structure for regulating pollutant discharges into the waters of the United States. 
• Gave EPA the authority to implement pollution control programs such as setting wastewater standards for industry. 
• Maintained existing requirements to set water quality standards for all contaminants in surface waters. 
• Made it unlawful for any person to discharge any pollutant from a point source into navigable waters, unless a permit was obtained under its provisions. 
• Funded the construction of sewage treatment plants under the construction grants program. 
• Recognized the need for planning to address the critical problems posed by non-point source pollution. 

The CWA still plays a major factor today for Milwaukee waterways.  Point-source pollution was deemed unlawful and this was an important step in reducing pollution in rivers/lakes.  Milwaukee RiverKeeper today works to make sure that the CWA and other laws that protect Milwaukee waterways are strictly followed.  The Milwaukee RiverKeeper website even has a link that allows the public to report any pollution that is found throughout the region.  Reporting pollution to Milwaukee RiverKeeper using the specific river name and closest street crossing, as well as providing a picture of the pollution, allows the information to be passed along to the EPA.  The Milwaukee RiverKeeper website also provides the contact information for the DNR spill hot-line in case of an emergency like an oil or sewage spill.  The Milwaukee RiverKeeper shows that advocating for the compliance of the CWA can be effective in reducing and preventing river pollution, but what about other waterways?  How can the CWA be amended to protect our waterways even more effectively?   In our class we often discuss the importance of words and how certain laws or topics are worded.  The CWA is no exception and this has caused wetlands, lakes and streams to be put at risk of pollution.  Two examples of the wording of the CWA being loosely interpreted by the Supreme Court include: Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County vs. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (SWANCC) (2001) and Rapanos vs. United States (2006).  These are two examples of the CWA being weakened and limiting what waterways are protected under the CWA. The link below details what a weakened CWA could mean for Wisconsin.   

http://www.nwf.org/pdf/State-Fact-Sheets/Wisconsin_WeakeningTheCleanWaterAct.pdf 

What can be done to maintain the strength of the CWA?  

The National Wildlife Federation website details a potential change to the CWA that was proposed on March 25, 2014 by the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers.  This rule proposes to restore protection to all of the tributaries of waters already covered by the Clean Water Act, and all of the  wetlands, lakes, or other waters within or adjacent to the floodplains of these tributaries.  While this proposal would be an improvement, many waterways would still remain unprotected (Carolina bays, vernal pools, playa lakes).  Even though many of these waterways aren't abundant in Milwaukee, it does bring up an important fact that ALL UNITED STATES WATERS are important and need protection in order to fully combat river pollution.  Creating a more concrete definition of "U.S waters" will reaffirm the importance and effectiveness of the Clean Water Act.

Sources:
http://www.nwf.org/What-We-Do/Protect-Habitat/Waters/Clean-Water-Act.aspx
http://milwaukeeriverkeeper.org/
http://www2.epa.gov/laws-regulations/history-clean-water-act
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolina_bay
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid_Waste_Agency_of_Northern_Cook_County_v._Army_Corps_of_Engineers