Rivers Report 2013 Fall issue

8/14/2019 Rivers Report 2013 Fall issue

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Sweet Water hasencouraged the

development ofwater quality tradingin Wisconsin asa tool to cost-effectively achieveimproved waterquality. radinginvolves a pointsource that facesrelatively highpollutant reductioncosts compensatinganother party to

achieve less costlypollutant reduction to achieve the same orgreater water quality benefit. In 2010, Sweet

Waters Steering Council urged the WisconsinDNR to move forward with developing atrading framework in line with a white paperand recommendations from Sweet WatersPolicy Committee.

Following meetings with Sweet Water and otherstakeholders, the DNR issued a draft frameworkfor water quality trading in July 2011. InSeptember 2012, the Steering Council reaffirmed

its support for development of trading andoffered Sweet Waters encouragement andassistance to DNR in its efforts to enable waterquality trading to be utilized in Wisconsin. InMarch 2013, the DNR issued a draft Guidanceand How to Manual regarding water qualitytrading and solicited comments on the draftdocuments. In late August and early September,the DNR issued final versions of both documents,available at http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/SurfaceWater/WaterQualityTrading.html.

rading is a tool that may provide some pointsources with greater flexibility in meeting theipermit requirements. rading in Wisconsin isnot limited to discharges of phosphorus, but mabe most applicable now to point sources whichneed to comply with recently tightened limitson phosphorus, and perhaps with limits on totsuspended solids. Te new DNR documentsinclude some changes to trade ratios, includingelimination of a reserve trade ratio in the dradocuments, and modifications to trade ratiosapplicable to some agricultural practices.

otal Maximum Daily Load (MDL) allocatioessentially a pollution diet plan for dischargeto the Kinnickinnic, Menomonee, and MilwaukRiver watersheds, are scheduled to be calculatelater this year as requirement of the Clean Wat

Act. Many point sources expect the MDLs wrequire them to reduce their discharges, so thpotential flexibility available through tradingshould be of great interest to a broad audiencestakeholders in southeastern Wisconsin.

Te new DNR MDL Guidance is the moretechnical of the two documents, and the Howto Manual is directed to a more general audienTe Manual provides a clear explanation of thnature of trading, and a step-by-step outline

of how a permittee can determine whether toconsider using a trade to comply with its permrequirements, and if so, how to implement a trad

Copies of necessary forms, and examples oftrading agreements and other documents areincluded as part of the Manual. Sweet Water

will continue its outreach and educationalefforts, as well as its work with partners andother stakeholders regarding trading, toimprove water quality in our watersheds.

Mark yourcalendars!Our Holiday Party will be

held December 5 at

Riverfront Pizzeria Bar

& Grill, 509 E. Erie Street

in Milwaukees 3rd Ward.

RiversReportFALL 2013 |VOLUME 4 NO. 4

DNR Issues Guidance andHow-to Manual for WaterQuality TradingDENNIS GRZEZINSKI, MIDWEST ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCATES; EZRA MEYER, CLEAN WISCONSIN

AOC Update..........................2

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

DNR Technical Standard .......4

Research to ReducePhosphorus Runoff ............... 5

KK River FloodManagement ........................ 6

Retrofits for GreenInfrastructure ....................... 7

Events. ................................. 8

Insidethis Issue

Learning for life

Bluff overlooking Bradford Beach

Algae bloom in stream


2/8Page 2 FALL 201

Good News for the Milwaukee EstuaryArea of Concern!MEGAN OSHEA, WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

The Area of Concernreceived a considerable

boost during the GreatLakes Week activities that

were held in Milwaukeein September. Tat week,EPA announced that theMilwaukee Estuary wouldbe the first recipient in 2013of Great Lakes RestorationInitiative funds. In all, DNRreceived $1.5 million dollarsfor several multi-year projectsthat will help us make

significant strides towarddelisting the AOC. Ifyoure interested, you cansee the press release here:

http://fyi.uwex.edu/aocs/?p=4332. With those funds, well be ableto make progress on improving fish and wildli fe populations,addressing recreational restrictions in the AOC, and determiningthe status of our benthic and planktonic communities.

We also have several other activities that are underway in the AOC.Tis spring, USGS sampled 200 white suckers to determine if there

were contaminant-related tumors presentthe existence of such tumorsis suspected but has never been confirmed. Habitat in the AOC isalso being improved through several grants that were leveraged thisyear, including the Greenway Gateway Restoration, which will takeplace on the west bank of the Milwaukee River just downstream of

the former North Avenue dam and the removal of five partial fispassage barriers on the Menomonee River (in Wauwatosa betweeSwan Blvd. and Harmonee Ave.). Tese projects, along with currein-stream work underway to improve fish passage by removing concrlining just downstream on the Menomonee River near Miller Coor

will help us make good strides in improving habitat in the AOC ovethe next couple of years.

With regard to cleaning up contamination, we are also gearing upfor the second phase of the Lincoln Park Sediment RemediationProject. Last year, phase 1 was completed, and we are hopeful that

well be able to start phase 2 next year.

Weve also got ways for you to participate in improving the AOC.We have a volunteer aesthetics monitoring program that began lastyear and wil l continue for several years. Were always recruitingnew volunteers. Contact me if youre interested and I can put youin touch with our volunteer coordinators. John Gurda is also doinga local lecture tour featuring the AOC that is free and open to thepublic. More information about that can also be found at the weblink listed above.

So what does this all mean? For almost every impairment we have osuspect could exist for the AOC (following the International JointCommission guidelines about beneficial use impairments), theressome kind of action underway to do something about it, or to helpus better understand it so that we can do something about it. o teyou more about our plans, weve developed the first annual RestoratioReportthat explains what we plan on tackling in the coming year.Tese also can be found on the website mentioned above. All in allits been an eventful year!

Volunteer engaged in aesthetics

monitoring along KK River

Dam removal as part of Ozaukee Fish Passage Project

Volunteers learning about beach assessment

Photo:GailEppingOverholt

Photo:OzaukeeCountyFishPassageProject


3/8FALL 2013 Page

Its been a solid few months for theSweet Water team, both in projectsand in planning work. Heres a summary

of particular initiatives and events:

2013 SWEET WATER HOLIDAY PARTY

Help Sweet Water thank its many partners

for another year of hard work! Join us on

Tursday, December 5th from 5 PM to

8 PM for our annual holiday party at the Riverfront Pizzeria

located on the Milwaukee River at 509 E. Erie Street in the

3rd Ward. Well have great food and a variety of water-themed

door prizes. Join us for good cheer and camaraderie with some

of the best friends of Milwaukees watersheds.

MILWAUKEE TOTAL MAXIMUM DAILY LOAD (TMDL)

SCHEDULE DELAYED

According to plans revised last spring, the Milwaukee MDLswere to be completed in October. Tat timeframe has been

adjusted. Tis fa ll, the MDL Development eams efforts,

led by CDM Smith, have focused on adjusting existing Water

Quality Initiative models for determining the allowable loads

for phosphorus, SS, and bacteria in each river reach and the

estuary. Te estuary model adjustments have taken longer than

anticipated. Because of this, the MDL stakeholder workshop

planned for October was postponed until late November, at

the earliest. CDM Smith is working to complete the allocated

loads as quickly as possible and once done, the MDL load

info will be posted on MMSDs MDL web pages for review

and presented at the next stakeholder meeting. Te final MDLsare still expected to be complete in December 2013. At that

time, development of the MDL implementation plan will start,

with three additional stakeholder workshops planned.

All information about stakeholder workshops and MDL

e-updates are provided via email. o be added to the list,

send your email address to [email protected]. Sweet

Water cont inues work with MMSD in engaging MDL

stakeholders. Four Sweet Water representatives serve onthe MDL Development eam.

SWEET WATER PARTNERS GATHER AT WINGSPREAD

Te Sweet Water board and all key nonprofit partners of theorganization met at Wingspread in October to review and renewour collaborative structure and goals. Tanks to the JohnsonFoundation for hosting the group, and to the Mott Foundation

for providing a supporting grant to the Institute for ConservationLeadership, which helped to organize the workday.

REVAMPED WEBSITE LAUNCHED IN OCTOBER

Our new website launched in early October. Te effort was ledby Kate Morgan. Early work on the project was done by thevolunteer team of John Hacker and Christine Leung. Final designfor the site was done by DesignIt Lab.

Special thanks to Sean McMahon, MMSD webmaster, forhis time and expertise in the technical elements of the launch.Tank you to Christine and John for their on-going supportof our websites!

SAVE THE DATE THE 10TH CLEAN RIVERS, CLEAN LAKE

CONFERENCE- MAY 1ST, 2014

Our Planning Committee volunteers have been meetingand already, the 10th annual conference line-up islooking strong. Plan to attendTursday, May 1st atthe Harley-Davidson Museum.

A Sweet Water ReviewJEFF MARTINKA , SWEET WATER

Jeff Martinka

Harley-Davidson Museum site for 2014 conference

Meredith Emmitt, Institute for Conservation Leadership, facilitating

Sweet Waters meeting at Wingspread

Photo:Harley-DavidsonMuseum


4/8Page 4 FALL 201

Sweet Water can help you plan activities for your students,church, troop, youth group, non-profit, or civic organization

if you apply for a Sweet Water mini-grant by November 15.Te activity is sure to provide all the benefits that come withpeople joining together in a common goal, which is alleviatingpolluted storm water runoff by installing green infrastructuresuch as rain gardens, native and prairie plantings, and rain

barrelsto name a few. How can you and your group usea mini-grant?

Are you a teacher? What about replacing some of thatplayground asphalt with trees or native plants? Its a greathands-on approach to learn about green infrastructure!

Do you belong to a mosque, synagogue or church? Teyusually have property that may need landscapingwhy notinstall some rain barrels, or create a beautiful rain garden?

What about you and your friends or your co-students?Student groups can use the activity to make a differenceand socialize.

Are you the program coordinator for a local youth groupor a scout troop leader? Tis would be a fun outdoor activit

with physical exercise and an educational component!

Do you belong to a neighborhood or civic organization?Almost every community needs beautification projectswhy not create them with green infrastructure?

It can be fun to create cleaner water in southeastern Wisconsinhow about it? o apply,visit swwtwater.org and scroll downon the home page.

Technical Standardfor PermeablePavement in

DevelopmentPETE WOOD, WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

Plan Your GroupsActivities witha Sweet Water

Mini-GrantJOAN HERRIGES, SWEET WATER

In cooperation

with designers,contractors, industryexperts and municipalrepresentatives, the

Wisconsin Departmentof Natural Resourcesand StandardsOversight Council

are in the process of developing a technical standard for permeablepavement systems. When finalized, this technical standard

will establish design, construction and maintenance criteria forpermeable pavement systems that will be used to meet state andlocal storm water management requirements.

Permeable pavement systems include pervious concrete, porousasphalt, permeable interlocking concrete pavers and other similarsurfaces that allow storm water to pass through the pavementsurface rather than runoff directly to storm sewer systems and

waterways. As a result, storm water pollutants are controlled bya combination of filtration through the permeable pavementsurface and infiltration into the soils located below the pavement.

Te proposed technical standard includes a unique underdraindischarge credit that will allow permeable pavement systemsto be used as filtration practices in areas where infiltration tonative soils in not feasible or limited. An intensive monitoring

project is underway in Middleton, Wisconsin to confirm thefiltering capabilities of permeable pavement systems.

Te technical standard development committee is hopeful thatthe technical standard will adequately address any questions orconcerns regarding the use of permeable pavement systems forstorm water management in Wisconsin. A draft of the technicalstandard should be available for public review and commentbefore the end of this year. Our goal is to publish the final versionof the technical standard in spring 2014.

Chicago green alley

Hayes Elementary School students at Urban Ecology Center

Photo:chicagogatewaygreen.b

logspot.com

When finalized, this technical standard

will establish design, construction and

maintenance criteria...to be used to

meet state and local stormwater

management requirements.


5/8FALL 2013 Page

Changes in Wisconsin law and new DNR guidancedocuments have set the stage for water quality trading

(WQ). Research being conducted by the Electric PowerResearch Institute (EPRI) and co-funded by We Energies andMMSD is aimed at making what was envisioned by lawmakersa reality. EPRIs team also includes the Sand County Foundation(SCF) and the University of Wisconsin (UW).

Research is underway in the northern parts of the Milwaukee

River watershed to evaluate how changes in agricultural practicescan lead to reduced phosphorus runoff. Tis work includesa study of how land application of flue gas desulfurization(FGD) gypsum can reduce phosphorus runoff. FGD gypsum(calcium sulfate) is a high quality form of gypsum producedfrom emission control systems at coal-fueled power plants.

Most FGD gypsum is beneficially used for drywall productionand an increasing percentage is now going toward agriculturaluse as a soil amender. Research by EPRI and others establishedthat FGD gypsum can be safely and beneficially used inagriculture to improve overall soil quality and crop yields.

Development of economical practices to prevent loss of nutrientsin runoff is the key to reducing agricultural non-point sourcepollution. Field-scale demonstrations being conducted bythe UW and SCF will serve as the basis for developing bestmanagement practices (BMPs) to minimize phosphorus lossfrom agricultural fields to surface water. Te project alsoincludes an educational outreach component. Te goal is thatthe development of nutrient management plans and the use ofBMPs become readily transferable.

Soils amended with gypsum have been proven to enhance waterinfiltration, improve soil chemistry, reduce nutrient runoff, andimprove farm yields. If the gypsum treated agricultural landsin southeast Wisconsin were to have an average phosphorus

index reduction from 6 to 2, there would be a regional reductionof about 4 pounds of phosphorus runoff/acre/year. Assuming 25to 50% of these reductions result in a verifiable credit, therecould be the potential for cumulative trades amounting to severalhundred thousand pounds per year.

Nutrient management and gypsum application is currentlybeing done at the expense of the farmer. After this researchis complete, the goal is to have a template whereby nutrientmanagement and modeling can be used to predict phosphorusrunoff reduction attributable to gypsum application BMPs.

Farmers that make this investment in nutrient management

and gypsum use would own these credits that become onemore tradable commodity produced by the farm. Because

farmers are currently economically motivated to use gypsum,

this existing soil amending technique can provide sustainedlong-term phosphorus runoff reduction.

Tere are still research and WQ details to be worked out.Nevertheless, use of nutrient management and gypsumapplication appears to be both a cost-effective and sustainablepractice that can make a difference in reducing phosphorusimpacts on local waterways.

Water Quality Trading UpdateDAVID LEE, WE ENERGIES

Algae bloom in inland lake

Algae fowling Lake Michigan


6/8


7/8FALL 2013 Page

PartnershipsAdvance GreenInfrastructure

RetrofitsSEAN FOLTZ, AMERICAN RIVERS

AmericanRivers has

been busy overthe last severalyears connectingbusinesses, schoolsand churches tofunding programsset up to help

supplement thecost of retrofitting

their properties with green infrastructure. Tese retrofits helpinfiltrate the amount of stormwater that runs into our localrivers and eventually Lake Michigan; improving water qualityand helping to abate flooding. Te Milwaukee MetropolitanSewerage District, Sweet Water and the Fund for LakeMichigan have all played a role in supplementing many ofthe completed projects.

J.W. Winco a major supplier of standard industrial machinecomponents in New Berlin, Wisconsin, recently completedinstallation of a green roof system on its manufacturing facility.

MMSD funding covered 29% of the cost of the project. Tis15,800 square foot green roof is now one of the largest in thestate, and is capturing over 18,000 gallons of stormwater duringa 1-inch event. Te sedum used on the roof was grown locallyby Hanging Gardens.

Te green roof willnow greatly reduceheating and coolingcosts, lower energyusage, improve airquality, increase

urban green space,extend the rooflife and reduce

J.W. Wincos stormwater fee paid to the city. J.W. Winco is alsoworking with American Rivers on retrofitting their 2 acre parkinglot with a combination of bioswales and porous pavement inthe coming year.

If you are interested in learning more about this project, availablefunding programs or green infrastructure in general, pleasecontact me at [email protected] 414-727-2292.

Photo:AmericanRivers

Photo:AmericanRivers

Pike RiverRestoration PlanReleasedSUSAN GREENFIELD, ROOT-PIKE WIN

The completed written plan for the Pike River WatershedRestoration, also known as Pike River Future, was introduced

to the public this September. Te presentation included a summaryof the 10 most critical projects for restoration. Exhibits featuredrecent restoration work completed and planned for the PikeRiver and the water quality monitoring that is still underway.

Planning began in September 2011. welve meetings wereheld with 140 people having attended one or more meetings.Citizens in the Pike River Watershed were also invited to

express their concerns about the river in an online survey;more than 100 people responded.

Te first year of the two-year project focused on engagingpeople from all walks of lifeproperty owners along the river,fishermen, farmers, scientists, paddlers, public officials andriver groupsthrough a series of meetings and online surveys,culminating in a visioning session, where participants selectedthe goals for the written plan.

In the second year, an Advisory Group of interested citizensand public officials met regularly with a professional planningfirm to advise on the development of the Pike River watershed

restoration plan. Te plan identifies critical areas for restorationand recommends specific actions, lead organizations forimplementing each project, prioritized projects and providesa timetable, estimates costs and potential funding sources.

Te Pike River planning is funded by Fund for LakeMichigan and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.Te planning effort is led by Root-Pike WIN in partnership

with Hawthorn Hollow Nature Sanctuary and Arboretumand UW- Extension.

Pike River in winter

After green roof installation

Before green roof installation

Photo:MarkCz.com


8/8Page 8 FALL 201

University of Wisconsin Extension

9501 W. Watertown Plank Road

Wauwatosa, WI 53226

PHONE(414) 256-4632

WEB naturalresources.uwex.edu

EMAIL [email protected]

Learning for life

Sweet Water

600 East Greenfield Avenue

Milwaukee, WI 53204

PHONE (414) 382-1766

WEB swwtwater.org

EMAIL [email protected]

[email protected]

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

Wednesday, November 13

Menomonee River WatershedAction Team Meeting3:00 PM 5:00 PM

West Lawn Gardens5555 N. 62nd Street

Milwaukee

For information contact

Cheryl Nenn at (414) 287-0207 x2

or Sean Foltz at (414) 727-2292

Now through

Thursday, November 14Milwaukee Estuarystakeholders Invited review

of Remedial ActionPlan feedbackGo to: http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/

greatlakes/documents/Milwaukee

RAPUpdateDraft.pdf

For information contact

Megan OShea:

[email protected]

Saturday, November 16Albertas Oil Sands: A visit to

the Heart of the Industry10:00 AM NOONUrban Ecology Center

1500 E Park Place

Milwaukee

Wednesday, November 20

Webinar: Adapting toAdaptive ManagementNOON 2:00 PM

University of Wisconsin, MilwaukeeMilwaukee School of

Continuing Education

For more information

http://www4.uwm.edu/sce/course.

cfm?id=27963

Wednesday, December 4

John Gurdas Built on Water7:00 PM

Discovery World

500 N. Harbor Drive | Milwaukee

Thursday, December 5Sweet Water Holiday Party5:00 PM 8:00 PM

Riverfront Pizzeria Bar & Grill

509 E. Erie Street | Milwaukee

Thursday, December 19

Milwaukees Home GR/OWNInitiative Public Forum

6:30 PM 7:30 PMUrban Ecology Center

1500 E. Park Place | Milwaukee

For information, contact

Jamie Ferschinger at

[email protected]

Upcoming EventsEach year, the conference provides participants

with exposure to the latest information

on key water quality challenges, policy

updates, and restoration initiatives taking

place in the rivers of southeastern Wisconsin,

their watersheds and Lake Michigan. Te

event provides an important forum for over300 participants to network at one of the

largest annual gatherings of the best friends

of our rivers and Lake Michigan in hopes

of stimulating conversation for new tactics

that will advance local, regional, and national

watershed restoration goals.

Past conferences have addressed a very

broad range of issues facing our regions

waters, including green infrastructure,

water policy innovations, climate change

impacts and agricultural/nonpoint runoffsolutions. A list of specific themes we would

like to incorporate into the 2014 conference

can be found on the RFP document posted

on Sweet Waters website at swwtwater.org.

Te RFP includes evaluation criteria and

a simple on-line application to use for

submissions. Te application submission

deadline is November 15th, 2013 and

should be emailed [email protected].

We hope to gain a wide variety of application

submissions making this the best CleanRivers, Clean LakeConference yet. Get

those submissions in!

Continued from page 6

Rivers Report 2013 Fall issue

Documents

Transcript of Rivers Report 2013 Fall issue