 The mission of Harbor District, Inc. is to lead the revitalization of Milwaukee’s Harbor District by connecting people to place, supporting a healthy business community, and improving the quality of our natural environment.
Join Harbor District Milwaukee, Milwaukee Riverkeeper, and Riveredge Nature Center at Harbor Fest for another year of family fun celebrating all things fish, water, and boats! Harbor Fest will take place on Sunday, September 25, 2022 from 11am -4pm in front of UWM’s School of Freshwater Sciences (600 E. Greenfield Avenue).
Release a baby sturgeon with Riveredge Nature Center, cheer on the artists and their boat floats during the Milwaukee Riverkeeper Boat Parade, and enjoy the live music, local food, and activities at Harbor Fest!
Attendees will be able to:
- Tour the UW-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences
- See the Milwaukee RiverKeeper MKE Boat Parade
- Release a baby sturgeon with Riveredge Nature Center
- Learn how to filet a fish with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
- Take a free pontoon boat ride in the harbor
- Watch art in the making
- Connect with Harbor District businesses and environmental groups
- Climb a rock wall
- Enjoy lunch from local food trucks and beer
- Dance the afternoon away with special performance
WHAT: HARBOR FEST
WHEN: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25TH FROM 11 AM – 4 PM
WHERE: 600 BLOCK OF EAST GREENFIELD AVENUE IN THE HARBOR DISTRICT
Watershed planning in the region is lead by the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC), in coordination with the Wisconsin DNR.The Nine Key Element (9KE) framework is being used to guide the implementation of the Milwaukee Basin TMDLs. This strategy and development of these 9KE Implementation Plans is spelled out in the Water Quality Improvement Plan (WQIP). SEWRPC, along with the Southeastern Wisconsin Watershed Trust (aka SWWT, aka Sweet Water) and Milwaukee River Keeper, numerous municipal, county, regional, and local partners, have been working to develop 9KE Watershed Implementation Plans for the greater Milwaukee River Basin region. These are summarized below:
Sector Team Updates
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) is accepting applications for 2023 Producer-Led Watershed Protection Grants through September 16, 2022. These grants are awarded to producer-led groups to help support and advance farmer participation in local watershed conservation efforts.
Through 2021-2023 budget, Governor Evers authorized an increase to annual program funding. DATCP will award up to $1 million in Producer-Led Watershed Protection Grants in 2023. Eligible groups can receive up to $40,000. The grants aim to help farmers find and promote conservation solutions best suited for their watershed, based on topography, soil, types of operations, and other factors that differ among regions of the state.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicants must be groups of at least five farmers whose farms are in the same watershed. Each farm must have produced at least $6,000 in gross farm revenue last year, or $18,000 over the past three years. Each group must partner with a county land conservation department, the University of Wisconsin-Extension, or a nonprofit conservation organization. New and established groups are eligible to apply.
How to Apply
Grant information and application materials are available at https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/Programs_Services/ProducerLedProjects.aspx and must be submitted to DATCP through email in Microsoft Word. For more information, contact DATCP Producer-Led Watershed Manager Dana Christel at dana.christel@wi.gov or (608) 640-7270.
Program Information
Since its inception in 2015, DATCP has awarded more than $4.2 million to 41 groups in watersheds across the state. Grant projects have focused on providing conservation education to farmers, conducting on-farm demonstrations and research, issuing incentive payments for implementing conservation practices, organizing field days, and gathering data on soil health and water quality.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension’s Badger Crop Connect And UW Madison Nutrient and Pest Management Program will be hosting the third annual webinar series for the 2022 growing season. The purpose of this series is to provide agronomists, crop consultants, and farmers with timely crop updates for Wisconsin. These free webinars will be offered, on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month at 12:30 PM, with the summer webinars beginning in June. Registration is required. The entire series is split into three sets of webinars: spring, summer, and fall. Once you register for one summer webinar you are registered for all webinars in the summer session. Information on upcoming webinars is below or check out:
https://cropsandsoils.extension.wisc.edu/programs/badger-crop-connect/
|
August 20
Join Milwaukee Riverkeeper and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resource’s Mussel Biologists in the East Branch of the Milwaukee River subwatershed to learn more about our native mussels and participate in a mussel survey. At this event, you will learn about mussels’ critical importance to our waterways, their unique lifecycle, and what characteristics to use to help identify them. Following the classroom portion of this event, participants will be able to join in a instream mussel survey.
Participants will learn how to identify and make observations using the iNaturalist app, which uploads data directly to the WDNR’s Wisconsin Mussel Monitoring Program. Data collected from this project will help us better understand the population health of this threatened group.
LOCATION
Ice Age Visitor Center – Kettle Moraine State Forest Northern Unit (N2875 WI-67, Campbellsport, WI 53010)
Because mussel surveys need to be completed when the river’s water level is low, this event is subject to cancellation pending the water lever at the time of the event.
Register
|
DATE: Thursday, September 8th, 2022
TIME: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM w/ Happy Hour to follow
LOCATION: MATC-Mequon Campus
Early Bird registration is now open. Join us IN PERSON for the 18th Annual Clean Rivers, Clean Lake Conference! Learn about:
- TMDL implementation plans
- BMP inspections
- GI as natural habitat
- and much more!
Follow this link to get a preview of the agenda. Get your tickets today before the price of admission goes up!
Check out the recordings from prior Wisconsin Land & Water NR 151 webinars:
Farm Production Area Contamination (Held July 27 - webinar coming soon)
Farm production areas can be the source of many different types of pollutants. The resource concerns they present differ, the way they enter the environment differs, and conservation planning to address them differs. They can result in runoff individually, or they can converge between origination and runoff and pose a lot of challenging questions for boots on the ground conservationists. Thankfully, many prevalent farm runoff sources are well-defined in statute.
10:00 am - 10:15 am – Presentation introduction.
10:15 am – 11:00 am – Categorizing and interpreting pollutant sources outlined in Wisconsin Statute.
- Farm production site pollution sources (with visual examples)
- Unconfined Manure Pile
- Contaminated Runoff: Leachate; Process Wastewater; Milking Center Wastes
- Feedlots and how they differ from winter grazing areas or a bare soil area such as a cattle lane, or a supplemental feeding area located within a pasture.
- Manure storage systems, facilities, structures.
- “Adequate” self-sustaining vegetative cover, or lack thereof.
- Clarifying factors to consider when making a compliance determination
11:00 am – 11:30 am- Q&A.
|
On July 20, EPA published new “interim” guidance relating to how NPDES permitting authorities may implement their MS4 programs in light of recent changes to the U.S. Census Bureau’s urban area mapping criteria. The interim guidance is available at: https://www.epa.gov/npdes/interim-guidance-census-elimination-urbanized-area-definition.
On March 24, 2022, the Census Bureau finalized revisions to its criteria for defining urban areas based on the results of the 2020 Decennial Census. As part of that action, the Census Bureau ceased distinguishing between different types of urban areas, which includes “urbanized areas.” This means that the Decennial Census, starting in 2020 and into the future, will not identify “urbanized areas.” Because the Phase II regulations are written to cover MS4s located in “urbanized area[s] as determined by the latest Decennial Census,” questions have arisen about what effects the Census Bureau’s new change has on which systems are considered regulated small MS4s moving forward.
EPA is currently evaluating next steps to provide clarity on this issue, including whether revisions to the Phase II stormwater regulations may be appropriate. This interim guidance is intended to provide permitting authorities with implementation suggestions during the period of time prior to EPA taking additional steps to address this change.
For further information, please contact Heather Huddle at huddle.heather@epa.gov.
|
July 1, 2022: The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announces the issuance of the Mineral (Nonmetallic) Mining and/or Processing General Permit, WPDES General Permit No. WI-0046515-07-0. Pursuant to ss. 203.12 and 205.08(10)(e), Wis. Adm. Code, the DNR has made a final determination to reissue the general permit. The general permit is effective January 1, 2023. The general permit will be in effect for five years and will expire on December 31, 2027.
The mineral (nonmetallic) mining and/or processing general permit covers storm water and wastewater discharges to waters of the state from nonmetallic mineral mining operations, nonmetallic mineral processing operations or other similar activities identified by Standard Industrial Classification Codes (SIC Codes) 1400 to 1499, except discharges within Indian Country. Wastewater discharge activities covered under this permit include process generated wastewater, mine dewatering water, pit/trench dewatering water, vehicle washwater, dust suppression water from controlling dust at the site and other similar wastewaters as determined by the department to be applicable under this general permit on case-by-case basis.
This permit is issued under the statutory authority granted to the DNR pursuant to ss. 283.33 (storm water discharge permits) and 283.35 (general permits), Wis. Stats., and applies to new and existing storm water and wastewater discharges for facilities that discharge to waters of the state meeting the applicability criteria of the general permit as of the effective date. This general permit contains requirements specified under Chs. NR 140, NR 151, NR 205, NR 213, NR 216, NR 269, Wis. Adm. Code.
The final general permit, fact sheet, and response to comments are available on the DNR webpage here.
Facilities that have previously obtained permit coverage for their operations under a storm water permit can confirm this notice is applicable by using the permitted facility search function here.
Further information concerning the DNR’s response to comments, the final general permit and related documents may be obtained by contacting:
Jason Knutson, P.E.
Wastewater Section Chief – Water Quality Bureau, Wisconsin DNR
P.O. Box 7921, Madison WI 53707-7921
Jason.Knutson@wisconsin.gov or 608-977-0713
Regional Contacts are also able to assist:
Storm Water Contacts: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Stormwater/contacts.html
Wastewater Contacts: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Wastewater/GeneralPermits.html
Reasonable costs (usually 20 cents per page) will be charged for copies of all information excluding public notices and fact sheets.
Those desiring further adjudicative review of this final determination may request a public adjudicatory hearing, as provided by s. 283.63, Wis. Stats., and ch. 203, Wis. Adm. Code.
A request shall be made by filing a verified petition for review with the DNR’s secretary within 60 days of the date the notice of the final general permit was issued.
Further information regarding the conduct and nature of public adjudicatory hearings may be found by reviewing ch. NR 203, Wis. Adm. Code, s. 283.63 Stats., and other applicable law, including s. 227.42, Wis. Stats.
|
|
