Welcome
Welcome to the first edition of the Milwaukee River Basin TMDL newsletter, a publication of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The purpose of this newsletter is to keep you, our basin partners, stakeholders, customers, students, residents, business, communities, agricultural producers, EVERYONE in the Milwaukee River Basin informed on the progress of implementing the Milwaukee River Basin Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL).
Definition: TMDL - the maximum amount of a pollutant a water body can receive and still meet water quality standards.
Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) has developed TMDLs for the Menomonee River, Kinnickinnic River, Milwaukee River Watersheds and the Milwaukee Harbor Estuary, with oversight from DNR and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Development of the TMDL calculations is required for impaired waterways under the federal Clean Water Act as part of efforts to meet applicable water quality standards. The pollutants addressed in the calculations are fecal coliform bacteria, phosphorous and sediment.
MMSD initiated the TMDL project as a third party on behalf of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources using a contract consulting team to assist with the modeling and calculations. Development of the project has been a multi-year process building on previous watershed work conducted in the basin.
Citizen input invited
DNR is seeking feedback on the draft Milwaukee River Basin TMDL project. DNR conducted a series of informational meetings and has received few initial comments. The public hearing, scheduled for this fall, will formally open the official comment period. Please provide your comments via the following email address:
DNR Milwaukee Basin TMDL
Agriculture Sector Team
The Agricultural Sector Team will focus on nonpoint source pollution reduction in the rural areas of the Milwaukee River and Menomonee River Watersheds. Stakeholders will work together to address agricultural nonpoint sources, discuss new approaches to implementation, and coordinate our efforts to more efficiently meet TMDL goals. The Ag Sector Team met on June 30 and September 22.
If you are interested in participating in the Agriculture Sector Team, please contact Lisa Creegan, the Team Lead and Nonpoint Source Coordinator.
A recently formed Producer Led Watershed Group(Producer-Led Watershed Council) in Ozaukee County will be making strides towards our shared TMDL goals - by working to improve soil health and water quality in the Milwaukee River Watershed. Milwaukee River Watershed Clean Farm Families will provide a platform for farmers to share concerns, priorities and lessons learned regarding farm conservation efforts within the Milwaukee River watershed.
The group aims to showcase the best soil and water conservation practices specific to their farmland by working directly with farmers in the watershed. The group is also looking to try new innovative ideas and practices that will further farm profitability and enhance conservation efforts....Learn More
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Monitoring Sector Team
Numerous efforts and initiatives are already underway within the greater Milwaukee River Basin TMDL basin area. Just as with other Sector Teams, goals and efforts of the Monitoring team will ultimately be determined by members. Initially, we anticipate the team will focus on sharing of efforts and developing a monitoring strategy to support TMDL implementation. The Monitoring Sector Team will focus on coordinating efforts and resources amongst partners to best facilitate efficient implementation of monitoring activities across the Milwaukee, Kinnickinnick, and Menomonee River watersheds, as well as the harbor/estuary.
If you are interested in participating in the Monitoring Sector Team, please contact Rachel Sabre or Craig Helker, the Team Leads and Regional Water Quality Biologists
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Outreach Team
Outreach and customer service are vitally important to successful implementation of Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) projects, especially for ones as large and diverse as the Milwaukee River Basin TMDL. Numerous stakeholder and community partners are actively engaged in a wide variety of activities that pertain to, and help support implementation of the TMDL. The main purposes of the Outreach Team will be developed through consensus and attention to TMDL obligations. We anticipate they will include:
- provide transparency and reporting on TMDL Implementation progress,
- and provide a forum for basin stakeholders to coordinate efforts around the shared goal of restoring designated uses and water quality of our impaired waters.
If you are interested in participating in Outreach activities, please contact Mark Riedel, the Team Lead and TMDL Implementation Project Manager.
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Stormwater Sector Team
The Stormwater/MS4 Sector Team will focus on aspects of TMDL Implementation that affect our permitted MS4 communities in the greater Milwaukee River Basin. We conducted two meetings to present the draft TMDL and receive input and questions on July 21 and Juy 25.
If you are interested in participating in the Stormwater Team, please contact Bryan Hartsook, the Team Lead and Regional Stormwater Engineer.
Stormwater Success Stories
Have
a stormwater management success story?
Send
us your BMP photos and a brief project summary for possible inclusion in future
Milwaukee Basin Recovery newsletters. Doing so will help us transfer and
scale successful projects throughout the Basin.
There is growing concern over the environmental impact of road salt on water quality. This was discussed at a Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC) meeting held on March 19, 2014. SEWRPC is preparing a Prospectus for a study of the environmental impact of the use of road salt in winter road maintenance within the Region. The Prospectus, upon its completion and approval by the Commission, will be made available to the seven constituent county boards for consideration and potential action.
APWA Annual Conference
The 2016 American Public Works Association Wisconsin chapter fall conference will be held November 2-4, 2016 in Janesville, WI. The conference is being hosted by the City of Janesville Public Works Department and Janesville's Past Wisconsin APWA Presidents.
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Wastewater Sector Team
The Wastewater Sector Team will address topics and challenges faced by our permitted wastewater and industrial customers (WPDES permitted). We conducted two meetings to present the draft TMDL and receive input and questions on August 4 and August 15.
If
you have questions related to Wastewater permits, please contact Laura Dietrich, the Team Lead
and Regional Wastewater Specialist.
The final MDV package was mailed to the EPA on March 30, 2016. Upon EPA approval, the multi-discharge variance package will become an additional tool for WPDES permit holders facing restrictive phosphorus limitations. As the department works with EPA towards approval of the multi-discharger variance package, additional status updates will be provided.
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 Grant Information
Grant
Southeastern Wisconsin Watershed Trust (aka Sweet Water) has announced their 2017 Mini-Grant program. Application Deadline is November 1, 2016 at midnight. Sweet Water’s signature Water Quality Mini-Grant Program distributes grants every year of $1,000 - $5,000 to established non-profit organizations, community, and civic groups for projects or activities that advance the objectives of Sweet Water, which is to protect and restore our shared water resources. Funding is available for eligible projects located in any of the five watersheds located in Southeastern Wisconsin which include the Kinnickinnic (KK), Menomonee, Milwaukee, Root, and Oak Creek.
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