The Milwaukee Watershed

A Brief History
Lifted and 'smithed from this DNR report.

The Milwaukee River Basin
[1]

The Milwaukee River Basin ranges from a height of 1360 ft above sea level in the Northern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest to 580 ft at the Milwaukee Harbor.  Formed by glacial deposits superimposed on underlying bedrock, the surface of the basin slopes downward from the north and west to the south and east.  The Milwaukee River from start to finish occupies two thirds of the basin area (584 sq mi), further dividing the watershed into the Milwaukee River North, Milwaukee River East-West, and Milwaukee River South. About 18% of the land area of the basin is covered by urban uses, while the remainder is considered rural.  Agriculture is still dominant in the northern half of the basin.






The Milwaukee River

[2]Headwaters
The Milwaukee River mainstem is the longest river in this watershed (53 miles), beginning in wetlands in Fond du Lac County, flowing in a southeasterly direction until meeting the North Branch Milwaukee River near Waubeka. Upstream of Kewaskum, wetland drainage, river straightening, especially the smaller headwaters streams, dams and agricultural runoff are the major factors keeping the rivers from fully meeting their potential.  Downstream of Kewaskum, the river is increasingly affected by urban land uses and five major dams, leading to degraded habitat and water quality from nutrient and sediment inputs.


Middle and Lower Reaches
The Milwaukee River South Watershed covers about 168 sq mi and is located in portions of Ozaukee and Milwaukee Counties.  The Milwaukee River mainstem enters the watershed west of the Village of Fredonia and flows for about 48 miles before entering the Milwaukee Harbor. Land cover in the watershed is a mix of rural and urban uses.  Overall, the watershed is about 33 % urban, with agriculture (25%), grasslands (21%), forests (12%) and wetlands (6%) making up the rest of the major land cover types.  Fourteen cities and villages are found in this watershed. As with the other watersheds in the basin, the streams in the Milwaukee River South Watershed exhibit a wide range of quality.  Over 35 stream miles within the Milwaukee South Watershed are listed as areas of concern*.  The Milwaukee Estuary area of concern encompasses the Milwaukee Harbor, the Milwaukee River downstream from the abandoned North Avenue Dam, the Menomonee River downstream from 25th street and the Kinnickinnic River downstream from Chase Avenue.  

*The International Joint Commission (IJC) and U.S. EPA designated the Milwaukee Estuary in 1987 through the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement as one of 43 Great Lakes Areas of Concern.  These areas are usually industrial in nature, with a history of pollution.  In the Milwaukee Estuary, sediments contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and heavy metals are linked to degraded water quality, impaired fish and wildlife populations, and restrictions on dredging.  


Some other demerits...

• About 12 % of the total stream miles in the basin do not meet water quality standards on a consistent basis.  With few exceptions, the lower quality streams are located in the most densely populated areas in the basin.  Many of these streams were modified by straightening, enclosure or concrete lining to move water off the land and more quickly downstream.  

• Nearly 15% of all perennial stream miles in this watershed are significantly modified to the extent they have limited ability to sustain diverse biological communities.  Many of these streams were straightened, enclosed or lined with concrete to facilitate water movement downstream to alleviate flooding concerns.  This method to control flooding, while popular 35 years ago is now considered somewhat ineffective.  From a water quality and biological standpoint this type of river modification causes wide fluctuations in water levels over short periods of time, increases channel scour, and provides little to no habitat for aquatic life.  Establishing a meandering stream helps create more diverse habitat for biological activities.  The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) is implementing major flood water storage and where possible and is supportive of river restoration activities.

• Most of the tributary streams in the Milwaukee County portion of this watershed are only capable of supporting populations of more pollution tolerant fish species like common carp.  Non-native species such as rainbow trout, coho, and chinook salmon migrate from Lake Michigan into the Milwaukee River during their seasonal spawning runs.  Habitat and water quality are not sufficient to allow for successful reproduction of these species in the rivers where they spawn so annual stocking of these species is needed to maintain recreational fishing opportunities.  

The Parks System >>>


Refs--



Wisconsin. Department of Natural Resources. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 July 2012. <http://dnr.wi.gov/water/basin/milw/milwaukee_801.pdf>.

Images:
[1] http://watershedmke.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/greater_milwaukee_watersheds.jpg
[2] http://www.swwtwater.org/home/images/MilwaukeeWatersheds%20Map.jpg