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Kinnickinnic River Restoration
The Kinnickinnic River (KK River), which flows through the south-side of Milwaukee, is often referred to as Milwaukee’s forgotten river, because it has not received as much attention in recent years as the Milwaukee or Menomonee River. But a group of people is determined to change that - and you’re invited to get involved in these efforts. See what’s planned (and hoped for) with the KK River Action Plan, the KK River Trail and several environmental restoration projects planned or contemplated for the watershed.
KK River Trail – Visioning Event
Picture yourself on Milwaukee’s newest bike trail, bypassing all the cars, trucks and buses on 1st or 2nd Street in Walker’s Point. It’s way too soon to ride on the abandoned railroad that will host the trail. The debris in the area could easily cause a flat tire on even a mountain bike (believe me), and it’s very hard to tell where to access or exit the trail. But stay tuned! The City of Milwaukee has committed to install this bike trail in 2007 – and it will connect downtown with Bay View and Lincoln Village.
Over 100 design professionals, environmentalists and community members joined forces in October 2006 to brainstorm ideas to enhance the trail and better connect it to the surrounding neighborhoods in a workshop hosted by Sixteenth Street Community Health Center, the National Park Service Rivers and Trails Program, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the City of Milwaukee, the University of Milwaukee Community Design Solutions and Groundwork Milwaukee. A map of the proposed trail and visuals from the planning event along with a book are available for download below.
Groundwork Milwaukee is partnering with the National Park Service Rivers and Trails Program to spearhead fundraising efforts to implement ideas from the workshop such as Trail Head amenities and interpretative signage. Groundwork has started implementing some of the visions of the workshop by collaborating with crews from the Milwaukee Christian Center and the Student Conservation Association in clearing invasive trees and plants from a very overgrown area along the KK River between E Lincoln Avenue and S. Chase Street. The work is opening up views to the river and creating access to the river for environmental education activities.
A Vision for the Kinnickinnic River Trail Corridor - PDF
KK River Clean-up
Join the cleanup on Saturday October 13, 2007. Hundreds of volunteers have assisted in removing over 125,000 pound of debris in just four cleanup events organized by the Bay View Neighborhood Association, Friends of Milwaukee's Rivers, Sierra Club, Sixteenth Street Community Health Center and United Water. Be a part of the effort to remove 30 years of accumulated trash! Meeting place: UMOS Parking Lot - at Chase and Rosedale. Sign-in starts at 8:30 and the clean-up runs from 9:00 a.m. to noon. Wear old clothes and boots and be prepared to get wet and dirty. Gloves - and food - provided.
KK River Clean-up Postcard - PDF
Concrete Channel Study
Even though the KK River watershed is the smallest in the greater Milwaukee area (the KK River drains 33 square miles, while the Milwaukee River watershed is a 900 square mile basin), it's the most densely populated, with over 5,800 residents per square mile. The KK River watershed is highly urbanized, that means that all but 10% of it has been developed. So instead of rain being absorbed by the soil, rain picks up pollution as it runs off roads, parking lots, and rooftops and into the river.
The majority of the KK River and its tributaries are lined with concrete channels because of historical flooding. The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District has hired a consultant team (led by Hey & Associates) that is studying the possibility of removing 12,000 linear feet of concrete lining along the River from approximately S. 6th Street upstream to S. 27th Street. The primary goal of the project is the safety of surrounding community residents, minimizing drowning risks and managing the risk of flooding. The consultant team is developing and evaluating alternatives to the concrete lining. Public meetings will be held in late fall of 2008.
Sediment Remediation
East of Chase Avenue, the waters of the river mix with those of Lake Michigan and this portion of the River is referred to as an estuary. The water and riverbed in the estuary are very polluted, and have been designated as an “Area of Concern.” A plan to clean the riverbed of polluted sediments has been developed - called a Remedial Action Plan or RAP. As part of the RAP, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resource is leading an effort to address the causes of the biggest problems. One of the solutions is to dredge the KK River of 170,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediments.
WDNR - Kinnickinnic River Environmental Restoration Project - Link
Resources
Opportunities for Financing Great Lakes Cleanup
As you might expect, it is extremely expensive to dredge 170,000 cubic yards! This article from the Northeast Midwest Institute outlines potential financing options for the project.
Economic Benefits of Sedimentation Remediation- Report
With a potential price tag of $17 million one may wonder why bother to clean up the river? In additional to the environmental benefits, this (technical) article outlines the economic impacts on both residential and commercial property that a community (Buffalo New York).
