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