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
http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/130541643.html
http://www3.epa.gov/epawaste/hazard/wastemin/minimize/factshts/pahs.pdf
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