 Photo Credit: Mark Riedel, WDNR
Lake Michigan Stakeholders invites you to Lake Michigan Day, Friday, August 10, at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc. This year's theme is Blue Accounting as it relates to Lake Michigan, featuring engaging and informative presenters. Registration is $20 and includes lunch.
Registration deadline: Wednesday, August 1, 2018
Agenda
Lake Michigan Day was started in 2014 to highlight the importance of this great water body to the basin’s environment and economy. The Lake Michigan Stakeholders promotes this basin-wide event to highlight the special connections people have to this unique world treasure.
The following is provided as background
information in response to inquiries we have received from Milwaukee River Basin stakeholders and community partners.
The Greater Milwaukee
River Basin (MRB) TMDLs effort was initiated by Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) as 3rd party
TMDLs (with WDNR and EPA guidance). As required by the Clean Water
Act and USEPA, the mechanisms for TMDL Implementation were presented in the
TMDL report, along with the “Reasonable Assurance” for TMDL Implementation (drafted
by WDNR). These explain the regulatory programs and statutes WDNR will
use to include TMDL targets in permits, towards NPS reduction programs, and how
the TMDL targets will be met.
WDNR conducted a series of
TMDL stakeholder outreach meetings last summer and included an extended public
comment/review period for the draft TMDL. While no dates have been
decided, we do anticipate we may have more focused stakeholder meetings
specifically addressing questions we are receiving from agriculture, NPS and
stormwater and other stakeholders. WDNR will continue to
publish our monthly Milwaukee Rvier Basin TMDL Implementation newsletter
as our primary means of communication, including announcements for future
meetings.
While there is no requirement under the Clean Water Act or state
statutes to publish a separate “TMDL Implementation Plan”, such plans are
valuable in conveying information and providing a framework to better
illustrate how TMDL goals may be met. MMSD is
recently embarking on the development of a Water Quality Improvement Plan
(WQIP). While the WQIP will focus on restoring the designated uses of
waters and be broader in scope than meeting TMDL targets, it will
include meeting TMDL reductions as part of the planning goals. These efforts
are being coordinated with numerous basin partners, WDNR, and
importantly, The
Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC), the
officially designated water quality planning agency for this region.
Josh Hiemstra, of Fond du Lac County, has been farming all of his life. He farms in partnership with his wife, 2 children and father near Brandon, Wisconsin. Hiemstra Dairy milks 180 Holsteins and farms 530 acres. Josh has been very conscientious of making sure that his operation uses sound conservation practices that help his land, while also being sustainable.
The Milwaukee River Watershed Clean Farm Families, working as part of the Milwaukee River Watershed Conservation Partnership, is providing a platform for producers and landowners to share ideas, concerns, priorities, and lessons learned about agricultural conservation efforts within the Milwaukee River Watershed.
Clean Farm Families promotes best soil and water conservation practices by working directly with area producers, Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Environmental Quality Incentive Program, and the Ozaukee County Land and Water Management Department.
Educating landowners and producers about cover crops, conservation tillage, low-disturbance manure injection, and other conservation practices allows for a better understanding of soil and water quality benefits, and ways in which these practices may improve a farmer’s bottom-line. Engaging the community to promote local agriculture, educate the public about farming in Southeast Wisconsin, and the highlight the effort farmers are taking to collaborate with partners to protect our waters.
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Head to Lakeshore State Park in downtown Milwaukee on September 29, 2018 to enjoy a day of free, family fun (and make a huge difference while doing it!). The festivities will include everything from games and crafts for kids, educational booths, great community partners, delicious local food trucks, and much more! (Plus, of course, the opportunity to sponsor and hand release a sturgeon into Lake Michigan!)
Sturgeon Fest celebrates Riveredge’s 25 year partnership with the Wisconsin DNR to bring back Lake Sturgeon, a critically important species both environmentally and culturally, to the Milwaukee River, where they haven’t been seen in over 100 years.
Starry Stonewort
Various efforts have been taken around Washington and Waukesha counties to control and prevent the spread of starry stonewort. Starry stonewort is an invasive macroalgae named for its starchy star-shaped reproductive structure. Waukesha County and Washington County are currently two of four counties in the state affected by starry stonewort. Here's an update on what's being done to control and prevent the spread of starry stonewort:
- Waukesha County:
- Little Muskego lake executed a 7 foot drawdown in the fall of 2017. The success of the drawdown to freeze out aquatic invasive species will be analyzed in August of 2018.
- Big Muskego lake will undergo a survey in July of 2018 conducted by the Wisconsin DNR and the Waukesha County AIS team to assess the current presence of starry stonewort.
- Racine County
- Wind Lake has engaged in chemical treatment and residual testing in June of 2018, progress will be analyzed throughout the summer of 2018.
- Washington County
- Green Lake is conducting a one acre chemical treatment with curtain
- Silver Lake is conducting a hydraulic dredging project with benthic barriers after the treatment
- Washington County recently partnered with the United States Army Corps of Engineers to deploy cameras in Pike Lake to monitor SSW growth.
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Is it a good day to head to the beach? With so many beaches in the greater Madison area, how is one to decide? What are the conditions at a specific beach? Is my favorite beach open or closed?
Milwaukee County Parks has worked with a number of partners to develop;
The Milwaukee Weather and Beach Conditions Portal
This effort aims to provide accurate and timely information to the public about the beach, nearshore and weather conditions at the many public beaches within the Milwaukee County Parks system. Beach conditions are updated hourly from June 15 through October 15.
July 19 @ 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Spend the afternoon on the banks of the Milwaukee River at Veterans Memorial Park with a pole in your hand and hopefully a few bites on your line! Learn how to tie a hook on your line, bait your hook, and safely cast your line into the water. With the assistance of a Riveredge Naturalist we will try to catch and identify each fish before releasing them back into their home: The Milwaukee River. Bait and poles provided or feel free to bring your own. Children ages 8 and under must be accompanied by an adult.
No need to pre-register! This day is free to Grafton residents as part of the Community Rivers Program. We’ll have a limited number of poles available on a first-come, first-serve basis, or feel free to bring your own!
Milwaukee
Water Commons Announces the First Ever Open Water Swim in the
Milwaukee River!
Milwaukee
Riverkeeper and Harbor
District are holding the city's first ever open water swim in
the Milwaukee River. The event is officially sanctioned by US
Masters Swimming and we are working with the US Coast Guard
and the Milwaukee Marine Police to ensure a safe experience for swimmers,
viewers, and others on the river that day. There will be lifeguards, an
EMT, and safety kayakers on duty during the race as well.
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of
funding that could provide as much as $5.5 billion in loans, which could leverage over $11 billion in water
infrastructure projects through the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program. Prospective
borrowers seeking WIFIA credit assistance must submit a letter of interest (LOI) by July 6, 2018.
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 Grant Information
Sweet Water compiles a list of upcoming and ongoing grant opportunities that are available for environmental and water quality projects in our region. We encourage our partner organizations and community members to seek funding for green infrastructure, conservation, and outreach projects.
Find the full list here!
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