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One Inch of Rain on MMSD's Service Area = 7.1 Billion Gallons of Water
Join the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District at its new center that can help you create natural solutions to water pollution. This service is open to the public. They can help you:
- develop a project and make sure it's the right type and size for your needs,
- connect you to funding resources,
- and answer your water resources questions!
Event Information:
When: Thursdauy, October 12th from 4:00 - 7:00PM
Where: Global Water Center
247 Freshwater Way, Suite 440
Milwaukee, WI 53204
For more information about MMSD's green infrastructure programs and resources,
We appreciate your
patience in the development and approval process of the TMDL. Internal review of the Milwaukee TMDL has concluded. The final draft TMDL package is being prepared. Once submitted, EPA has 60 days to conduct their review of the TMDL package.
TMDL Implementation
A TMDL Implementation meeting was conducted to provide updates on the status of the draft TMDL, share updates from team members involved in drafting the TMDL, and discuss how to transition from the development to implementation phase of the TMDL. As with previous meetings conducted earlier this year, more focused "team" meetings will be held to address specific topic areas/sectors that are affected by the TMDL. These include;
- Agriculture/nonpoint
- Education/Outreach
- Monitoring
- MS4 stormwater
- Wastewater
While specific dates for the next team meetings have not yet been determined, stay tuned to this newsletter as we are in the process of planning activities and will announce them here.
If you have previously participated in these meetings, and/or received email updates, you will continue to receive this information via email. Updates from each of these teams will also continue to be provided in future editions of this newsletter. If you would like to be added to one of the teams to receive updates, please contact the sector team leads under the "DNR Contacts" section of this newsletter, located in the lower left panel.
Cover Crops Conference
In partnership with Sheboygan County UW Extension, Washington and Ozaukee County Land Conservation Departments, and Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, Michael Fields Agricultural Institute (MFAI) will be helping host the 2017 Wisconsin Cover Crops Conference, a tour examining the role of cover crops in soil and water quality, October 4, 9:30am-4pm in Jackson WI.
The cost of the conference is $10 and includes lunch and materials, registration is required: see the agenda and register online here or return the form with payment. Information on the conference is also available online. Five (5) CEU’s in crop management are available.
Wednesday October 4, 2017 9:30 – 4:00
Jackson Town Hall 1346 Division Road Jackson, WI 53037
Contact: Devon Hamilton, MFAI Assistant Policy Director, (608) 238-1440
FREE Soybean Nematode Testing
The WI Soybean Marketing Board (WSMB) sponsors free nematode testing to help producers stay ahead of the most important nematode pest of soybean, the soybean cyst nematode (SCN). The soil test report indicates the number of eggs in the sample and is useful for selecting the right variety for the next soybean crop. The soil test report will indicate which pest nematodes are present and at what quantities and their damage potential to soybean and corn based on the numbers recovered.
For more information on SCN testing and management practices or to request a free soil sample test kits please contact: Jillene Fisch at (freescntest@mailplus.wisc.edu) or at 608-262-1390
The National Wildlife Federation is accepting applications for farmers and conservation professionals, i.e. “champions”, to conduct outreach to promote cover crops and provide region-specific information and farming knowledge to farmers and crop advisors. Selected applicants will receive financial support for time, travel, and presentation materials, a training on messaging and presentation tools, and access to an elite network of other cover crop champions. Due to our funder’s priorities in the Mississippi River Basin, applicants are only sought from the following states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin.
Need a tractor rollbar? Contact the ROPS hotline, 1-877-ROPSR4U![]( "Call: 1-877-ROPSR4U") (1-877-767-7748![]( "Call: 1-877-767-7748") ), or go to www.ropsr4u.com and click on Wisconsin. The program reimburses up to 70 percent (maximum of $865) toward the total cost of purchasing, shipping and installing individual ROPS.
A ROPS is an operator compartment structure (usually cab or rollbar) intended to protect farmers from injuries caused by overturns or rollovers. More than half the tractors in Wisconsin do not have this protection. A ROPS, when used with a seatbelt, is 99 percent effective in preventing injury or death in the event of an overturn. Read the full release.
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The 2016 Impaired Waters List was approved by EPA on August 29, 2017. A copy of the EPA approval documents and a comprehensive alphabetical 2016 Impaired Water List are available on our Impaired Waters website.
The impaired waters list is a management tool to identify waters that need restoration and to track their restoration status. Waters are removed from the list when new data indicates that water quality standards are attained. Ten impairment listings were removed in the 2016 list update;
- Four beaches were delisted for E. coli impairment of recreational use,
- two lakes were delisted for mercury impairment of contaminated fish tissue,
- two river segments were delisted for sediment/total suspended solids,
- one river segment was delisted for total phosphorus,
- and one river segment was delisted for chloride.
The rationale to delist these waters was supported by additional data and information compiled by WDNR Water Quality staff.
WDNR Biologists are actively working on the 2018 list and will have a draft ready for public comment this fall.
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Are you interested in learning more about the TMDLs in the greater Milwaukee River basin? Would you like to get involved with monitoring, helping reduce stormwater runoff, improve fisheries habitat, or similar activities? A good place to start is by checking in with the Southeastern Wisconsin Watershed Trust (aka SWWT Water)
"You can make a difference. Healthier water resources start with individuals. There are several meaningful ways you can help us protect and restore the water quality in our Greater Milwaukee watersheds."
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Green Infrastructure Examples
MMSD maintains the Green Luminaries program to recognize examples of green infrastructure to protect water quality and reduce stormwater runoff. These local projects throughout the MMSD service area provide great ideas that can be adapted and utilized in many different settings.
"It takes vision and foresight to sustainably manage water where it falls. Green luminaries ultimately help protect our rivers and Lake Michigan by adapting practices that harvest rainfall for other uses or mimic nature by draining it into the ground to reduce water pollution. Green luminaries are led by true champions who recognize not only the need to manage stormwater, but also the need to innovate and grow, to create lasting good works that connect people and prosperity to the environment."
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Wastewater Permits and Implementation
Are you curious about what progress in TMDL Implementation via WPDES permits might look like? While much of the requirements for implementing the TMDL via permits are spelled out in statutes and guidance documents for WPDES permit holders, we can look west to the Rock River basin to see an example of the progress with TMDL permits.
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 In the Rock River, the TMDL was formally approved September 2011. There are currently 77 individual WPDES permits in the basin. By January of this year, approximately 95% of facilities have had permits reissued with effluent limits consistent with the TMDL. Sixty percent of facilities are now in the 3rd or 4th year of their permits, meaning they are already in the process of facility planning, optimization, and if elected as an option, pursuing either Water Quality Trading or Adaptive Management to reduce watershed TSS and Phosphorus loading. Additionally, some facilities have notified DNR they are choosing to pursue the Multi-Discharger Variance while they further explore their compliance options.
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