/ It will be years before the long-blighted Burnham Canal springs to life as an urban wetland.
In recent years, Milwaukee’s rivers have gradually been revitalized becoming cleaner and more welcoming to fish, wildlife and humans.
Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District The Burnham Canal project (starred) is a small piece of the EPA-designated Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern.
But decades before cleanups began, manufacturers commonly dumped waste into the waterways. That toxic legacy contributed to the EPA designating the Milwaukee Estuary as an “area of concern.
Advocates say a series of projects, some underway and others proposed, will help lift that designation.
DNR hosts meeting on Milwaukee Estuary AOC May 7, 2021, by Eldin Ganic
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will host a public meeting to discuss the disposal of dredged material from the Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern.
“The public meeting will occur at 1 p.m. on Thursday, May 20, 2021, in Room 104 at the Port Milwaukee offices located at 2323 S. Lincoln Memorial Drive in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,” said DNR.
The meeting will also be available virtually via Zoom video conferencing.
On April 28, 2021, the DNR received a request from the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) to approve a low hazard grant of exemption to dispose of materials dredged from the Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern (AOC).
Project expected to cost over $100 million, take six years to complete. By Jeramey Jannene - Jan 8th, 2021 03:10 pm //end headline wrapper ?>Milwaukee’s harbor. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
After over a century of dumping, Milwaukee’s waterways were federally designated an “area of concern” in 1987. Now the city and its partners hope to spend the next six years completing cleanup work to get off the federal list.
The effort, which will cost over $100 million, was first announced in January 2020, and the city is now formalizing its financial commitment to the first phase of sediment removal.
Dave Misky to members of the Public Works Committee on Wednesday. “These were created when the city was built by foundries, tanneries, breweries and metal shops along the waterways. But we also have some responsible parties that still exist like We Energies.”