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RiversReportSUMMER 2012 | VolUME 3 no. 3

Take it from Sparkles, our spokesperson, or should I say spokesdog, for the Sweet

Water/Root-Pike WIN outreach campaign, Respect Our Waters! With the help of Sparkles, we hope to raise awareness about pollution carried by stormwater and importantly, key actions that people can do around their homes to help reduce that pollution.

The campaign has two main components: a TV ad campaign including stories and features from June-September with our media partner, WITI Fox 6 and a complementary outreach effort July - September at nearly thirty community events throughout the region. At each event, the first 100 people to visit the Respect Our Waters table will receive pet waste bags. In addition, residents can register to win a rain barrel and Milorganite. Thank you to MMSD for their support of this campaign through the donation of rain barrels and Milorganite!

To recap the development of the campaign—in February, Sweet Water and Root-Pike WIN joined forces to develop a region-wide campaign for 2012, with a two-year campaign budget of $250,000, which includes WI DNR grants awarded to both Sweet Water and Root-Pike WIN and support from their respective municipal partners. Thus far, Sweet Water has raised more than $29,000 from 12 area municipalities to match municipal

funds provided by Root-Pike WIN. The 2012 effort is highly leveraged—for our cash investment of about $120,000 this year, we are expected a media impact value of about $240,000.

A request for qualifications was developed and sent to 20 ad agencies. A group of agencies responded to the RFP. After a review of their RFPs, we invited three to give presentations to the combined communications committees. Eichenbaum/Associates was chosen to lead the iniative. After a review of options, a TV-focused campaign was determined to be the best venue to reach our audience. The outreach campaign was launched on June 27th.

Eichenbaum/Associates created a campaign using humor and a dose of role-reversal. Eichenbaum staff created a dog puppet of an American water spaniel named Sparkles that serves as our spokesperson for the campaign. After script approval, a series of television campaign ads were taped, with Sparkles being animated by national comedian Jeff Cesario, a Kenosha native now in California. Four regional actors played the roles of local residents.

So we are off and running! You can help spread the word about the campaign, better yet, help spread the messages! To learn more about the campaign, visit respectourwaters.org and our Facebook page facebook.com/RespectOurWaters. •

“Clean water is a matter of proper training!” KATE MoRGAn, SWEET WATER

Pet Waste Focus ....................... 2

Volunteer Monitors ................... 2

Sweet Water Update ................ 3

Green Infrastructure ................. 4

Watershed Action Teams ........... 7

Upcoming Events ...................... 8

Inside this Issue

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Pet Poop Pickup Rises to Competitive HeightsNANCY GREIFENHAGEN, MENOMONEE FALLS

On May 10, 2012, the Village of Menomonee Falls hosted the 3rd Annual Stormwater Expo that took place at Fire Station #3 on Lilly

Road. There were 350 seventh grade students from North Middle School that learned about stormwater water quality and participated in the “Take the Pet Poop Pickup Challenge,” a timed competitive game that had kids running across the lawn picking up pet poop (fake of course) and answering questions about why it is important to pick up pet waste.

Sable, the Sewage Sniffing dog, also visited the students at the Expo along with his owners, Scott and Karen Reynolds, from Environmental Canine Services. Sable is trained to seek out and detect any human waste leaking into the storm sewers indicating a leaky pipe or cross connection with a sanitary sewer. His invaluable nose can quickly distinguish the difference between animal waste from human waste in our stormwater, saving time and money to find a source of human waste getting into our rivers and lakes.

The Waukesha County Humane Animal Welfare Society HAWS co-received a SWWT mini-grant and partnered with the Village of Menomonee Falls to coordinate the installation of ten pet waste bag stations within the Milwaukee Metro area, including along the Oak Leaf Trail, Lincoln Park and several dog parks in Milwaukee to encourage the picking up of pet waste. •

Help Assess the Attractiveness of Milwaukee’s Waterways!MEGAN O’SHEA, DNR-AREA OF CONCERN

Over the last 20 years, the Milwaukee waterfront has changed substantially. The Wisconsin Department

of Natural Resources needs your help to determine if the aesthetics along the community’s major waterways have improved over the past few decades.

Aesthetics can be one of the main obstacles to enjoying the water and can be an indicator of poor public and ecological health. We’re also interested in identifying areas where waterfront appearance could be improved.

In order to do this, we’re testing an aesthetics monitoring program. As a volunteer aesthetics monitor, you will go out three times to three different sites in 2012, either river sites or beach sites, (see the map below) and fill out a form telling us how the site looks, and noting any issues. We want to know about the appearance of the water and shoreline, and if there are other problems that interfere with public use of the waterway. This will help us understand what you think is important in improving the aesthetics of the waterways in Milwaukee. The information you collect may also help us determine if there are ways we can fix the issues that you identify.

If you are interested in monitoring river sites, please contact Chad Thomack with the Urban Ecology Center (414-964-8505); for monitoring of beach sites, please contact Todd Brennan of the Alliance for the Great Lakes (414-559-0317). Milwaukee has positioned itself to be a freshwater capital; help be a part of that vision by becoming a volunteer for this work! •

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Students listen to Scott Reynolds from ECS, Environmental Canine Services about how Sable detects human bacteria in storm sewers. – Village of Menomonee Falls

WI DNR

Check out Sweet Water on Facebook!facebook.com/SE.WIWatershedsTrust.org

AESTHETICS MONITORING SITES1. BradfordBeach2. McKinleyBeachJetskiLaunch3. McKinleyBeach4. SouthShoreBeach5. SouthShoreRockyBeach6. BayViewBeach7. NorthAvenueDamBridge8. HarleyDavidsonMuseum9. ValleyFields10. BarnacleBud’s11. LincolnField12. PereMarquettePark

SUMMER 2012 Page 3

I t has been a productive spring

and summer for our partnership. Looking back, our 8th Annual Clean Rivers Clean Lake Conference at Discovery World Museum on April

30th was a success, attracting 255 registrants, up about 15%. The speakers were strong, with attendee evaluations ranking more than 85% of the presentations as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’. Spirited plenary sessions were led by EPA Region 5 Administrator Susan Hedman; WI DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp; Dean of the UWM School of Freshwater Sciences David Garman, and others. Special thanks is offered to our 11 conference sponsors and to our conference planning committee volunteers—Marsha Burzynski (WI DNR), Claus Dunkelberg (MKE Water Council), Gary Korb (SEWRPC), Nancy Greifenhagen (Menomonee Falls), Tom Grisa (Brookfield), Andy Holschbach (Ozaukee County), Scott Mathie (Metropolitan Builders Assn.), Gail Epping Overholt (UW Extension), and Karen Sands (MMSD). The next conference is set for late April 2013; plan to attend.

In stellar news from May, we learned that the Trustees of the Joyce Foundation awarded Sweet Water a major new three-year grant to continue its work. That decision culminated a nine-month grant planning and submission process for SWWT and its partners. We are grateful to our friends at Joyce for their continued commitment to our work in the watersheds; the importance of their endorsement cannot be overstated.

Early this summer, Sweet Water expanded its Geographic Information Systems (GIS) efforts. We hired William Mobley to take over Sweet

Water GIS work from the late Artency Davis. William is helping our Watershed Action Teams with continuing project site planning. He is also working under a new SWWT contract to support CH2M Hill in its work on Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District’s regional green infrastructure plan.

In a major policy initiative, our EPA-funded Menomonee River Watershed-Based Permit (WSBP) Pilot Project is nearing its completion in July. That year-long effort has had strong participation by Menomonee River watershed municipalities, EPA, WI DNR, MMSD, SEWRPC, and Sweet Water’s NGO partners. SWWT will next work with SEWRPC and WI DNR on a multi-tier outreach effort to Menomonee municipal leaders. We are very hopeful that an innovative group storm water permit will be adopted; one which includes municipalities that constitute the vast majority of the Menomonee River watershed.

Finally, SWWT’s strategic planning efforts are now proceeding. Under a Nonprofit Management Fund grant, Sara Wilson of Mayes Wilson Associates is now organizing a series of interviews with key SWWT stakeholders, conducting an on-line survey with about 60 others, and then guiding a retreat with SWWT’s Steering Council and our Joyce Foundation NGO partners. Information gathered will be used to create a new SWWT strategic plan. Stay tuned for details. •

A Summer Sweet Water Report JEFF MARTINKA, SWEET WATER

We are grateful to our friends at Joyce for their continued commitment to our work in the watersheds; the importance of their endorsement cannot be overstated.

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Sweet Water Partners and Staff. Back row: Jeff Martinka and Tina Kroening, Sweet Water; Nancy Frank and Peter McAvoy, UWM; Kim Wright and Dennis Grzezinski, Midwest Environmental Advocates; Molly Flannagan, Joyce Foundation; Vicki Elkin, Fund for Lake Michigan; Kim Gleffe and Theresa Morgan, River Revitalization Foundation; Cheryl Nenn, Milwaukee Riverkeeper. Front row: Ann Summers, Brico Fund; Ezra Meyer, Clean Wisconsin; David Lee, WE Energies; Christ Clayton, River Alliance; and Joan Herriges, Sweet Water.

Page 4 SUMMER 2012

Green infrastructure is becoming an increasingly important tool for managing and protecting water resources. US EPA defines green infrastructure as “an approach to wet weather management that is cost-effective, sustainable, and environmentally friendly. Green infrastructure management approaches and technologies infiltrate, evapotranspire, capture and reuse stormwater to maintain or restore natural hydrologies.” In short, green infrastructure helps store, convey and use rainwater in more natural ways than traditional “grey infrastructure.”

The SE WI Regional Water Quality Management Plan Update, MMSD’s long-term plans, and the watershed restoration plans for the Kinnickinnic and Menomonee River watersheds all call for expanded reliance on green infrastructure throughout area watersheds as a necessary step to improve water quality and reduce human and ecological problems resulting from excess stormwater runoff from our developed urban environment.

In this issue of the Rivers Report, we want to provide a snapshot of the many initiatives promoting and supporting green infrastructure in the Greater Milwaukee area. Due to these diverse and broad efforts in the area of green infrastructure, our region is on the cutting edge nationally. It is truly an exciting time to be engaged in water quality work.

Development of the menomonee RiveR WateRsheD-baseD stoRmWateR peRmit

A collaborative effort to develop a framework for a watershed-based stormwater permit has been underway since 2011, involving Sweet Water, Menomonee River watershed municipalities, Wisconsin DNR, US EPA, MMSD, SEWRPC, and several NGO partners. This innovative effort will produce a watershed-based permit for municipalities in the Menomonee River watershed by the end of this year.

The draft watershed-based permit includes: 1] a broader and more effective coordinated public education and outreach program; 2] the ability to jointly devise approaches to detect and eliminate sources of untreated sewage contaminating our rivers and lake; 3] cost-effective opportunities for reducing discharges of suspended solids, even if those opportunities are located in neighboring municipalities; and 4] implementing a watershed project, either individually or jointly. Green infrastructure projects represent a significant portion of potential watershed projects, and the permit could encourage greater adoption of green infrastructure by municipalities in the Menomonee River watershed during its five-year term.

sWeet WateR mini-gRant pRogRam

Sweet Water supports and encourages small-scale green infrastructure projects through its mini-grants program.

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Numerous Efforts Underway to Advance Green Infrastructure in the Region EZRA MEYER, CLEAN WISCONSIN AND DENNIS GRZEZINSKI, MIDWEST ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCATES

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Planting rain gardens as part of the KK River Neighborhood Stormwater Project.

SUMMER 2012 Page 5

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Grants have been awarded for a variety of projects including: rain gardens, rain barrels, cisterns, planting of stormwater trees, community garden rainwater collection systems, and stormwater best management practices in a neighborhood park. The mini-grant pilot program began in 2007 with eight grants totaling $8,400 awarded to organizations, associations and neighborhood groups for small-scale projects.

In 2010, Sweet Water expanded the pilot program including securing its necessary funding. In 2011, over $52,000 was awarded to 17 projects. In addition to the beneficial impacts on the area’s watersheds, these projects educate residents about the effectiveness and benefits of green infrastructure by serving as visible, public demonstrations of its feasibility and attractiveness.

mmsD’s Regional gReen infRastRuctuRe plan

This summer, MMSD is leading an effort to create a regional green infrastructure plan. In this first phase of the effort, due to wrap up early next year, the District and its consultants will develop a blueprint for the region highlighting opportunities for green infrastructure on private and public lands that will help meet regional water quality goals. The plan will also support the District’s strategic objectives to realize its 2035 vision of zero combined sewer overflows and no basement backups. Sweet Water is excited to be a partner with the District in this important effort.

mmsD’s gReen Roofs paRtneRship pRogRam

For a third year, MMSD reached out this to private and public sectors in search of eligible green roof projects that it could help to fund through its green roofs partnership program. Through this and a predecessor program, the District has assisted with the construction of nearly nine acres of green roofs in the region.

The benefit of these projects includes, but is not limited to, the retention of over one million gallons of stormwater runoff that would otherwise have flowed off the urban landscape carrying associated pollutants into the area’s rivers and Lake Michigan.

mmsD’s gReen infRastRuctuRe paRtneRship pRogRam

The District also has a Green Infrastructure Partnership Program aimed at assisting communities and other private and public entities in the region with the installation of a variety of green infrastructure practices. Two awards are pending this summer. There will be a second round of project solicitation yet this summer and additional awards later in the year. Details at www.h2ocapture.com/Learn/Green-Roofs.

uWm ReseaRch on gReen infRastRuctuRe’s impacts on pRopeRty values Researchers at UW-Milwaukee are gathering data about areas adjacent to several specific green infrastructure projects around Milwaukee and evaluating the correlation between green infrastructure and surrounding property values. The results of the study are due out later this year. Preliminary results suggest a positive relationship between green infrastructure and increasing property values of neighboring parcels of land.

evaluating cReative mechanisms foR financing gReen infRastRuctuRe

Three different Chicago-based organizations focusing on Great Lakes issues are currently working on separate projects to evaluate mechanisms for financing widespread implementation of green infrastructure in the Milwaukee area. MMSD is a partner on all of these efforts. The hope is that what is learned through these efforts can inform the approaches pointed to

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Wauwatosa rain water cistern installation.Menomonee Falls Community rain barrel initiative.

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Green roof on Brookfield’s Wirth Park Pool House.

in the regional green infrastructure plan. The organizations involved in this research include Landen Consulting and the Alliance for the Great Lakes, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and Environmental Consulting & Technology.

gReen infRastRuctuRe poRtfolio stanDaRD pilot pRoject

American Rivers, the Center for Neighborhood Technology, and the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative are working with the City of Milwaukee and MMSD on an EPA-funded green infrastructure portfolio standard pilot project. The project aims to test an approach whereby a city could steadily plan for and implement green infrastructure “retrofits” that would incrementally, but substantially over time, reduce the volume of stormwater and pollutants entering the sewer system and/or the environment.

milWaukee’s 30th st. inDustRial coRRiDoR

The City of Milwaukee and MMSD, along with consultants and other partners, are working together to evaluate the proper mix of green and grey infrastructure practices which can be retrofitted into this established industrial corridor for enhanced water quality and flood management benefit.

milWaukee’s 6th st. “gReen coRRiDoR”

The City of Milwaukee’s Common Council recently declared South 6th Street between Howard and College Avenues the “Green Corridor” after three years of continuous work by groups including American Rivers, Gateway to Milwaukee, Energy Exchange, the Garden District Neighborhood Association,

the City of Milwaukee, General Mills and other partners. The next phase of work will include retrofitting the large expanse of impervious surface with green infrastructure practices. Fifteen bio-swales along 6th street were recently completed. The plans include over 12 acres of additional green infrastructure projects in the area.

gReen infRastRuctuRe enhances public housing pRoject

The Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee and American Rivers are working together to transform a 75-acre public housing development into a vibrant, new mixed-income and mixed-use community featuring green infrastructure practices centrally in the plans. The Westlawn development is located on the northwest side of Milwaukee and borders Lincoln Creek, a tributary to the Milwaukee River. The Fund for Lake Michigan is funding some of the green infrastructure for the Westlawn project.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

As these examples show, green infrastructure is making its mark on the water quality landscape in southeastern Wisconsin. Many of these ongoing efforts are likely to accelerate the tremendous progress we’ve seen to-date. There are more green infrastructure projects and initiatives underway that we didn’t cover in this issue. We will continue to cover as many as we can in coming issues of the Rivers Report in hopes of keeping the momentum going and moving us closer to our goals of swimmable, fishable rivers and Lake Michigan as quickly and cost-effectively as possible. •

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SUMMER 2012 Page 7

Excuse our dust. The Watershed Action Teams (WATs) are in a transition from watershed planning efforts to project

implementation. Moving forward, the WATs will play a different role with an emphasis on pushing projects forward and establishing working groups to prioritize our work. Please check the Sweet Water website for updates as to future meetings and ways to get involved!

spRing menomonee Wat meeting focuseD on Dog paRk solutions

WAT members gave feedback toward the end of 2011 recommending that WATs continue to meet on a quarterly basis, which would allow more energy to be spent on project implementation efforts between meetings. While WAT meetings could and should be used as a venue for project updates and to provide information on funding and collaboration opportunities, participants felt that meetings could also focus on discussion of events and activities within a geographical location, a specific skills training, or a project demonstration.

With this suggestion in mind, the Menomonee WAT held a meeting on April 12th at Dretzka Park to discuss River Revitalization Foundation’s (RRF) Granville Dog Park Restoration Project. Attendees included WAT regulars as well as local neighbors, dog park advocates, and Milwaukee County Parks’ representatives. Participants brainstormed

solutions to address the severe streambank erosion and degradation at Granville Dog Park adjacent to the Menomonee River and discussed needed amenities and improvements for the dog park. RRF and their consultants are working on the restoration plan for this site and hope to move into implementation work soon.

WoRk plans anD RoaD map foRWaRD

Following the Joyce Foundation’s announcement that Sweet Water will receive a second, 3-year grant to support its activities, WAT coordinators and Sweet Water partners are developing work plans for the next grant period that clearly outline specific tasks, responsibilities, and next steps related to WATs; Science, Policy, and Communications Committees; and new initiatives such as enhanced outreach to the agricultural community.

From a WAT perspective for both the Menomonee and Kinnickinnic, we plan to work with stakeholders and key technical advisors to complete a list of priority projects (as identified in the Watershed Restoration Plans and Implementation Plans) in each of the categories below by the end of 2012.

• Low impact stormwater and green infrastructure• Riparian habitat restoration• Streambank erosion control/stabilization • Fish passage (Menomonee only)• Human bacteria find-and-fix• Agricultural run-off (Menomonee only)

Many excellent projects were proposed as part of our planning efforts, but it’s now time to focus our efforts on advancing priority projects that will have the greatest impact on water resources. As part of this prioritization process, we will convene working groups to help us determine appropriate criteria to help prioritize projects such as riparian restoration projects.

Sweet Water’s Science Committee is working to develop criteria to prioritize other projects such as bacteria monitoring and finding/fixing bad stormwater outfalls. Please check the Sweet Water website and sign up for Sweet Water’s e-newsletters to learn of ways to get involved in WAT activities. •

Watershed Action Team UpdateCHERYL NENN, MILWAUKEE RIVERKEEPER

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Page 8 SUMMER 2012

August 2

Granville Dog Park Stakeholder Meeting River Revitalization Foundation 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Dretzka Park Clubhouse 12020 W. Bradley Rd. | Milwaukee, WI

For information, visit www.riverrevitalizationfoundation.org

August 2Kinnickinnic River Hike 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Meet at the Urban Ecology Center 1500 E. Park Place | Milwaukee, WI Register at www.urbanecologycenter.org

August 11Hank Aaron State Trail – 5 K Run/Walk Registration: 7:00 a.m. – 8:15 a.m. | Step-off: 8:30 a.m. Klement’s Sausage Haus at Miller Park 1 Brewers Way | Milwaukee, WI

Free parking available in East Lot of Miller Park http//www.hankaaronstatetrail.org/hank-aaron-run-walk.html

August 13Macro Invertebrate Mayhem: Learn About Water Quality Through the Study of Aquatic Insects 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Hubbard Park | 3565 N. Morris Blvd. Shorewood, WI

Register at www.urbanecologycenter.org

September 7 - 9National and International Urban and Small Farm Conference WI State Fair Park | 640 South 84th Street West Allis, WI

For more information, visit www.growingpower.org

September 13Schlitz Park 5K Challenge 1555 N. River Center Dr. | Milwaukee, WI Registration: 4:30 p.m. | Step-off: 5:30 p.m. Awards and post-race events: 6:15 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

For information, visit http://www.milwaukeeriverkeeper.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=173

September 19 - 21WI Water Association Conference Radisson Paper Valley Hotel 333 W. College Ave | Appleton, WI

For information and registration, visit http://www.wiawwa.org/wwa-annual-conference

October 9 - 10Water Council’s 2012 Water Summit: Building the Water Centric City Discovery World | 500 N. Harbor Dr. | Milwaukee, WI

For information and registration, visit http://www.thewatercouncil.com/watersummit/?page_id=31

October 10Clean Water Act 40th Anniversary 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Discovery World | 500 N. Harbor Dr. | Milwaukee, WI

For information, contact Paul Schwarzkoph at 414-287-0207 ext. 1 or pschwarzkopf@milwaukeeriverkeeper.org

visit http://www.milwaukeeriverkeeper.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=189

For a full calendar of Sweet Water’s events, visit our website at www.swwtwater.org.

University of Wisconsin Extension9501 W. Watertown Plank RoadWauwatosa, WI 53226

PHONE (414) 256-4632WEB clean-water.uwex.eduEMAIL gail.overholt@ces.uwex.edu

Learning for life

600 East Greenfield AvenueMilwaukee, WI 53204

PHONE (414) 382-1766WEB swwtwater.orgEMAIL martinka@swwtwater.org morgan@swwtwater.org

MAnAGInG EDIToR

Kate Morgan, Sweet Water

ConTRIBUTInG EDIToRS

Jeff Martinka, Sweet Water

Gail Epping overholt, UW-Extension

This publication made possible in part through the generous support of

RiversReport PARTnERS

Upcoming Events

This material is paid for in part by support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, under Assistance Agreement No. GL00E00651-0.