 Most of the contaminated sediment from Milwaukee’s rivers is planned to be placed in the proposed DMMF. A DMMF is an area specifically designed and engineered for the containment of dredged material and control of potential releases of contaminants to the environment.
The Milwaukee Waterway Restoration Partnership announced the state assembly, by unanimous vote, passed a bill authorizing MMSD (Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District) to finance & construct a dredged material management facility (DMMF) in Milwaukee. The DMMF will be the constructed facility to receive dredged material from the estuary restoration project (learn more HERE). This is a BIG step forward in the work to cleanup Milwaukee's waterways.
- The State Assembly authorized Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District to finance and construct a dredged material management facility located in the city of Milwaukee.
- DMMF for MKE AOC is approved through a legislative action for MMSD to finance and build facility. A variety of funds will be used to construct the facility, one of which is largely a Fed. Loan (WIFIA). DNR sed. Bond $$ has been funding design
- It will move to the Governor’s desk for a signature. We will keep you updated on the timing as we learn more.
- This was a unanimous vote.
- More info available here.
The Waterway Restoration Partnership is a group of long-standing, trusted partners in the community who have been working together for years to improve water quality in the area. With a once in a generation opportunity on the horizon, the organizations are formalizing their partnership and redoubling their commitment to work together to clean up the Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern.
Sector Team Updates
Feb 10: 10am - 2:30pm
Port Washington, WI
You are invited to attend the Clean Farm Families Soil Health Workshop, Thursday, February 10th featuring Gabe Brown, nationally recognized farmer and soil health leader. Please refer to the attached flyer for details.
It really is a “big to do”, and very exciting to have Gabe Brown here to present information on how to achieve healthy soils and gain the many benefits. You will find his soil health information very useful and his soil health journey very interesting and perhaps applicable.
Registration is free and lunch is provided.
Topics Covered:
- No-till & Cover Crop System
- Economic Impact
- Return on Investment
- Planting Green
Register HERE, or Andy Holschbach (262) 284-8271
Wisconsin Land and Water maintains a comprehensive calendar of conservation workshops, training, and educational opportunities for our entire state. The calendar allows visitors to search by date, location, and topics. Please visit their website for more information.
February 18, 2022: 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Location: Online
Tread through the standards and learn to better read and speak the language. Join us for an hour with DNR veterans for a deliberate walk-through of NR 151, the history of revisions, and an emphasis on expounding the standards/terminology most commonly asked about.
Tue Feb 22: 9am-11am
Evaluations are a requirement under s. NR 243. 16 for new permittees, facilities that haven’t been approved, or for specific reasons, e.g. age. When evaluation reports are submitted in a clear and readable format and contains sufficient information, the review process goes faster and potentially without the need for another evaluation submittal. These evaluations are highly recommended and benefits all involved. The purposes of the workshop include:
- Improvement opportunities in evaluation submittals
- Evaluating waste storage ponds
- Evaluating feed storage
- Evaluating production area runoff controls
- Days of storage information and expectations
Registration: Register by Friday, Feb 9th (Free - no fees).
For more information, contact:
Jeff Krieder 608-212-6547, or
Bernie Michaud 608-512-2065
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The Water Action Volunteers (WAV) citizen stream monitoring program is an ongoing partnership between the University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) and Wisconsin citizen volunteers.
The program aims to preserve, protect and restore Wisconsin’s 86,000+ miles of streams and rivers by educating and empowering volunteers to (1) gather high-quality stream data useful for decision-making and natural resource management, and (2) share their data and knowledge.
Annually, more than 500 volunteers and an estimated 2,000 supervised students monitor 600+ stream locations throughout the state.
How do I get involved (click this link for more info)?
To get started as a WAV volunteer, you must 1) complete the Online Introduction to WAV course, and 2) attend a 4-6 hour in-person field training at a stream near you! In-person field trainings are held throughout the state from late April–May and combine classroom instruction with hands-on field training to teach you how to measure the six WAV parameters of stream health. You may have a local WAV coordinator based in your area who can tell you when local trainings are scheduled, or you can check our Events page to see upcoming training sessions. We typically post our spring training schedule in late February.
Additional information can be found in this factsheet, “How to get started as a volunteer.”
Washington and Waukesha Counties are in the process of hiring a new Aquatic Invasive Species coordinator. The link to the job announcement is here:
Washington and Waukesha County AIS Coordinator Job Announcement
The Counties plan on having someone hired before Springtime. In the meantime; the people to contact for AIS issues for each county are:
Washington County: Paul Sebo 262-335-4805
Waukesha County: Alan Barrows 262-896-8307
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The Wisconsin Land+Water - Executive Committee made the painful decision to shift the in-person 2022 Annual Conference scheduled for March 2-4 to a virtual setting. The Executive Committee felt the move was necessary due to the rapid increase in Covid19 infections and the uncertainty looking forward. Our number one priority is the health and well-being of our staff along with everyone that would be participating in the Land+Water conference. Read the memo from Executive Director Matt Krueger.
Pivoting to a virtual conference that’s six weeks away (instead of six months like last year) means we will make some adjustments. The conference will have fewer sessions, but will still include the high-quality content you've come to expect. Sessions will take place via Zoom (with no concurrent sessions), at a pace that allows for comfortable breaks in between. Some previously planned breakout sessions may instead be included at our July County Conservation in-person meeting, and others will be offered as WI Land+Water trainings. We appreciate your understanding and continued support.
We plan to have the new agenda and registration distributed the week of January 24. Read more...
The Harbor District is looking for its next Executive Director who will work with a dedicated and hardworking team to execute the Harbor District's mission and goals. The Harbor District's next Executive Director will facilitate the creation of a renewed, shared, and focused vision for the next phase of both the organization’s and the district’s life cycles, and lead the effort to deliver on this vision. If you or someone you know would like to apply, please submit a cover letter and resume (in PDF format only) to search@harbordistrict.org. You can view the job description by clicking the button below.
Harbor District Executive Director
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Urban Nonpoint Source & Storm Water (UNPS & SW) Construction Grant applications for projects beginning in 2023 are now available on the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR)’s grant program webpage.
The following eligible applicants have until April 15, 2022 to submit applications for 2023 construction projects: cities, villages, towns, counties, regional planning commissions, tribal governments and special purpose lake, sewage and sanitary districts.
The Urban Nonpoint Source & Storm Water grant program offers local governments competitive grants to control pollution that is carried by storm water runoff from diffuse urban sources. The grants reimburse costs of construction projects that control this type of pollution. Eligible construction projects include:
- Construction of structural urban best management practices including wet detention
- Infiltration, or wetland basins, or infiltration trenches
- Engineering design and construction services for best management practices installation
- Land acquisition and easement purchase, including appraisal cost
- Storm sewer rerouting and removal of structures
- Streambank and shoreline stabilization
Please note that Urban Nonpoint Source & Storm Water planning grant applications will not be solicited in 2022 but will be solicited again in 2023.
Join Us: Urban Nonpoint Source Application Webinar
The DNR and UW-Madison Division of Extension will host an Urban Nonpoint Source Application Webinar from 1 – 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 15, 2022.
The webinar offers an overview of the Urban Nonpoint Source Construction grant program, what's changed since the last grant cycle and what makes a good construction project.
Register in advance for the webinar here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with meeting details.
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WPDES Permit Progress and Tracking Updates
With the start of 2022, over 60% of facilities now have, or are in the final stages of, WPDES permits with limits consistent with the four Milwaukee Basin TMDLs (Kinnickinnick, Menomonee, and Milwaukee Rivers, Milwaukee Harbor/AOC). One year ago, this number was 40%. The TMDL was approved in March 2018. For 2022, the following permits are tentatively scheduled to be renewed with TMDL compliance limits (major facilities are in bold; municipal facilities (m) and industrial facilities (i)):
- Random Lake Village POTW (m)
- Kewaskum Village POTW (m)
- Cedarburg Wastewater Treatment Facility (m)
- General Mitchell Intl. Airport (i)
- Schreiber Foods Inc. - West Bend (i)
- WI Electric Power Co. - Germantown (i)
- Newburg Village POTW (m)
- Jackson POTW (m)
- Badger Meter (i)
- DRS Naval Power Systems (i)
To better understand the spread of COVID-19 in Wisconsin, the Dept. of Health Services is testing samples of wastewater across the state to look for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. This project is a collaboration between the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Monitoring wastewater is used for early detection of COVID-19 within a community. For people with COVID-19, the virus can be detected in their feces shortly after they are infected with the virus, even before they experience symptoms or if they are infected but asymptomatic. By testing wastewater, we can measure the amount of the virus and see whether the levels are increasing or decreasing. This can be an early warning sign of increasing COVID-19 cases within a community. Read more...
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Grants
Targeted Runoff Management (TRM) grant applications for projects beginning in 2023 are now available on the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR)’s grant program webpage.
The following eligible applicants have until April 15, 2022 to submit applications for 2023 Targeted Runoff Management projects: cities, villages, towns, counties, regional planning commissions, tribal governments and special purpose lake, sewage and sanitary districts.
The Targeted Runoff Management Grant Program offers local governments competitive grants to control nonpoint source pollution. There are four types of grant projects: large-scale total daily maximum load (TMDL), large-scale non-TMDL, small-scale TMDL and small-scale non-TMDL.
Eligible projects include:
- Construction of structural best management practices
- Implementation of non-structural cropping practices
- Staffing costs to plan and install management practices
- Agricultural projects implementing state agricultural performance standards and prohibitions
- Agricultural or urban projects designed to meet TMDL goals approved by the Environmental Protection Agency
Join Us: Targeted Runoff Management Application Webinar
The DNR and UW-Madison Division of Extension will host a Targeted Runoff Management Application Webinar from 9 - 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 15, 2022.
The webinar offers an overview of the Targeted Runoff Management Grant Program, with particular focus on the agricultural application, including both large- and small-scale Targeted Runoff Management projects and TMDL and non-TMDL projects. The webinar will provide an overview of what’s changed since last year and review project eligibility filters and how to pro-rate eligible costs (when applicable). Register in advance for the webinar here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with meeting details.
The Sustain Our Great Lakes Program is pleased to announce the 2022 Request for Proposals
The Sustain Our Great Lakes (SOGL) program is soliciting proposals to benefit fish, wildlife, habitat and water quality in the Great Lakes basin. The program will award approximately $11.2 million in grants in 2022 to improve and enhance: 1) stream, riparian and coastal habitats; 2) water quality in the Great Lakes and its tributaries, including a focal area within Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan Watershed. Details about this funding opportunity are provided in the Request for Proposals. The submission deadline for pre-proposals is February 25 2022 Additional application information is available at www.nfwf.org/greatlakes.
In 2022, grant funding will be awarded in six categories:
- Restore and Enhance Stream and Riparian Habitat
- Restore and Enhance Coastal Habitats
- Expand Green Stormwater Infrastructure in Great Lakes Communities
- Maintain and Enhance Benefits of Habitat Restoration through Invasive Species Control
- Restore and Preserve Natural Areas and Biodiversity in Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan Watershed
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Accelerate Implementation of Conservation Practices and Regenerative Agriculture on Working Lands
To be eligible for funding, projects must occur within the Great Lakes basin. Eligible applicants include non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and state, tribal and local governments.
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