A More Natural Menomonee River, Yes. Conduit For Waukesha Wastewater? Maybe Not
Wonderful piece by Don Behm about the planned removal of some of the artificial concrete 'channelization' that had been added to the Menomonee River.
Former Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist and other environmentalists had long pushed this policy. Among the benefits on the horizon: a real salmon run.
But it was hard to miss one of the comments under the piece:
The commenter is referring to the Underwood Creek/Menomonee River wastewater return flow route currently listed as the preferred option in Waukesha's Lake Michigan diversion application.Chucksa -
This would be part of Waukesha's new sewage disposal system too.
At stake: how does Waukesha meet, in an environmentally-sensitive manner, its legally-mandated obligation to return, as waste water, what it diverted from Lake Michigan without creating flooding and water quality issues for property owners on or near the Creek and River?
Or along any alternative route, since Waukesha has ruled out returning the water, via a pipe, for treatment by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage System.
Though with the City of Oak Creek to Milwaukee's south now Waukesha's preferred, new water supplier - - replacing Milwaukee - - there is more behind-the-scenes talk that the City of Racine, despite State Rep. Cory Mason's strong statements to the contrary, will end up as the eventual Waukesha wastewater discharge route outflow point into Lake Michigan, via the Root River once Waukesha and the DNR green-light Waukesha's application for a diversion of Lake Michigan water.
We'll see. Look for a final decision by Waukesha and the DNR within 60 days, give or take.
4 comments:
Walkersha is really just a cesspool or corruption, election fraud, and racist hate.
It is a shame to see this entire quadrant of the state turned into one giant urinal for the sake of walkersha -- especially since that community supports the destruction of watersheds, wetlands, rivers and stream up north for out-of-state multinational corporations and the ecological mining disaster they bring.
We still don't have a decision by the Town of Waukesha whether to be included in the service area, or not.
The Town Chair is most likely in the hot seat with her neighbors.
The WDNR has decided that Waukesha could not return flow to the Fox River during flooding/high water events. This was previously the plan, due to Underwood Creek's "flashiness" or drastic changes in flows, which made returning any additional water during storms problematic. Now that WDNR decided that would set a bad precedent, which we agree with, to send flows down Underwood (and then to the Menomonee) they would have to create storage for flooding events, which would be expensive. The storage requirement is what kyboshed the MMSD alternative from being further considered. Underwood Creek is also listed as impaired for bacteria under a Federal list, and so technically the State isn't supposed to allow new or increased discharges of bacteria to it. This all tends to lean toward the Root River as the return, although they also have impaired sections and other issues. It will be interesting.
riverkeeper -- walkersha will be happy to launch a fight with the feds so that they and walker can grandstand and pretend to provide needed "leadership".
We know walker is being groomed for bigger things and that, if he escapes culpability for the crimes behind his ascent to "rock star" status, the national party will have to tap him BEFORE the consequences of his "divide and conquer" are so great even the oligopoly Wisconsin media echo-chamber will not be able to cover up the mess he leaves behind.
Just like the mining bill, folks behind this are looking forward to having a public fight with the feds -- they will spin it (with the help of a compliant Lee Enterprises, Journal Communications, Gannett, and Clear Channel) as the big-bad feds picking on folk-hero little scottie walker with his louisville slugger.
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