Menomonee River

Watershed Action Team Update

Cheryl Nenn, Milwaukee Riverkeeper

Menomonee River Watershed

• 136 Square Miles; 55 Miles of Rivers/Streams; 28 Miles Mainstem

Little Menomonee River Honey Creek Underwood Creek Dousman Ditch Willow Creek Little Menomonee Creek Butler Ditch Lilly Creek Nor-X-Way Channel Grantosa Creek

Menomonee River Watershed

• 16 Municipalities: Brookfield

Greenfield

Mequon

Milwaukee

New Berlin

Wauwatosa

West Allis

Brookfield

• 335,000 Residents

(2463/sq. mile)

Germantown Lisbon Richfield Butler Elm Grove Germantown Greendale Menomonee Falls West Milwaukee

Menomonee River Watershed

Current Land Use:

• agriculture in N. 1/3,

densely urban in

lower 1/3, and rest is

rapidly urbanizing

• 60% Urban, 40% rural

• 90% of the population

receives sanitary

sewer service

Land Use Changes

• Land use changes and increased

imperviousness in the watershed has

caused habitat degradation and stagnated

fish diversity.

• Development has created many

impassable culverts, has filled in/ altered

habitat, and created other artificial barriers

like small dams and drop structures.

Menomonee River Watershed Elevation Profile

0 5 10 15 20 25 30500

550

600

650

700

750

800

850

900

Men River - Near Future Cond (8-16-05) Plan: Near Future 8-2005

Main Channel Di stance (mi )

Ele

vatio

n (ft

)

Legend

Ground

Menomonee River Watershed

Major Pollutants:

• Urban stormwater – Wildlife, pets & lawns

– Construction site erosion

– Illicit Discharges

• Rural nonpoint sources – Eroding agricultural lands

– Eroding streambanks

• Sanitary & combined sewer overflows

Riparian Corridors Conditions

Greater than 75 feet 51 - 75 feet 26 - 50 feet Less than 25 feet Enclosed conduit

Stream Condition--SEWRPC

(SEWRPC_TR-39)

Menomonee River

Biological

Conditions

Fishery Poor

but improving

due to removal

of Falk Dam and

Miller Brewery

Dam.

Menomonee River Watershed

Existing Initiatives to Build On:

– Menomonee River Flood Management Efforts (Elm Grove, County Grounds, Hart Park, Valley Park)

– Menomonee River Valley Redevelopment

(Stormwater Park, 3 Bridges Park)

– MMSD Greenseams

– Municipal Work/Group Stormwater Permit

Purpose of the Watershed

Restoration Plans

• Develop plan to improve our watersheds based on science and input from stakeholders

• Identify cost effective water quality and habitat improvements

• Incorporate the public’s desire for improvements along the waterways

• Identify actions (both short and long term) to achieve our water quality goals and objectives

Menomonee River Watershed Assessment Points & Reaches

•18 Assessment Point Areas in the Menomonee

•Hot spots identified for TSS, Phosphorus, and Bacteria

•Colored assessment point areas are in “top five” for pollutant loading for 1-3 pollutants of concern

Foundation Actions

ADDRESS THREATS TO PUBLIC HEALTH

(BACTERIA)

• Identify places where recreation and body

contact with the river are currently

occurring.

• Identify areas where recreation/body

contact is suitable or desired.

• Prioritize measures to reduce bacterial

contamination in the areas identified above:

• Identifying riparian buffer opportunities

• Managing pet waste

• Identifying areas where waterfowl congregate

• Municipal actions such as repair of leaking or

incorrectly discharging sanitary sewers.

Foundation Actions (cont.)

REDUCE LAND-BASED IMPACTS TO THE RIVER

• Reduce water quality and quantity impacts from stormwater runoff, because excessive stormwater flow causes water quality, fish/wildlife habitat, flooding, and safety problems:

• Green Infrastructure and other Stormwater BMP’s

• Restore floodplain

• Reduce nutrient concentrations in the river, with a primary focus on phosphorus. Excess phosphorus fuels algae growth and excessive aquatic plant growth in the river and lake:

• CSO/SSO Reduction, TSS Removal

• Phosphorus Controls (fertilizers, non-contact cooling water)

• Identifying riparian buffer opportunities

• Reduce salt use

• Monitoring and education

Foundation Actions (cont.)

• IMPROVE HABITAT FOR FISH AND OTHER AQUATIC LIFE IN THE RIVER

• Remove concrete channel, starting downstream on the main channel and working upstream.

• Identify and remove barriers to fish passage, beginning on the main channel and moving second to the river’s tributaries.

• Identify aesthetic improvement opportunities – clean ups, reforestation, etc.

• Remove invasive species and identify habitat restoration opportunities.

• Improve access to enhance citizens’ ability to use and appreciate the River.

Case Study: Menomonee Bacteria Loading

Find and Fix Activities

Case Study: KK & MEN Commercial &

Industrial Retrofit Prioritization Project

Case Study: Menomonee Riparian Work

Sweet Stream Stabilization

Prioritization & Design

Fish Passage Project Goals

• Removing artificial barriers to aquatic life passage will increase access for Lake Michigan and other native fish to pass to upstream spawning habitats (e.g., vegetated wetlands, etc.);

• Improve fish productivity;

• Enhance recreational opportunities; and

• Provide a more cost-effective alternative to restoring degraded habitats or creating new ones further downstream.

Menomonee River Watershed Inventory

Menomonee River Watershed Fish Passage Impediments

Milwaukee Ozaukee Washington Waukesha Totals

Dam / Weir 1 2 3

Low Water Crossing 9 1 1 1 12

Railroad Culvert

Barrier 1 2 1 4

Road Culvert Barrier 3 4 4 9 20

Rocky Debris Major 2 1 12 15

Sediment Debris

Major 1 1

Waterfall / Cascade 3 3

Woody Debris Major 43 13 4 60

Total Impediments 62 19 12 25 118

"Passable/Minor"

Impediments 140 74 35 15 264

Total Survey Points 202 93 47 40 382

Example Reach Map from our Fish Passage GIS

Example

Barrier

Survey

Form

(from our

Microsoft

Access

Database)

Tier 1:

Connection

to Lake

Michigan

Tier 2:

Connection

to Mainstem

Tier 3:

Connection

to highest

quality areas

SEWRPC

Prioritization

Potential Spawning Habitat

• 75 areas of promising

spawning habitat

were identified.

• Major tributaries with

the best potential for

spawning habitat

include the Little

Menomonee River

and Creek, Nor-X-

Way Channel, and

Dretzka Park Creek

among others.

Priority SEWRPC Projects To Improve The Fishery Within Menomonee River Watershed

Instream Measures (1) Removal of approximately 1,000 linear feet of concrete (within reach MN-18) in the vicinity of Wisconsin Avenue and IH-94 to reestablish fish passage to upstream reaches from Lake Michigan. (2) Removal and/or retrofitting of five low-gradient structures within the vicinity North Menomonee River Parkway between Swan Boulevard and Harmonee Avenue (within Reach MN-17A).

MMSD Concrete Removal

1

2

3

4

5

Menomonee Low Flow Barriers

Crossing 3 – Removal or Ramp

Upstream Work

Citizen Monitoring

Policy Tools • Menomonee River Watershed Based Permit

– Requires new IDDE protocol to detect human sewage and requires monitoring of minor outfalls (with relaxed monitoring of clean “major” outfalls)

– Requires group (or individual) projects

• TMDLs (and Implementation Plans) for bacteria, TSS, and Total P

• Compliance Tools: Adaptive Management, Water Quality Trading

• 1000 Friends of WI—Menomonee Municipality Ordinance Project