February 15, 1999
Communities seek flood solutions, Carlise Newman
When floods raged through parts of the Milwaukee area in 1997 and 1998, some residents were left without homes, others were left with scads of contaminated possessions. All are fearful of a repeat performance and want something done before it happens again.
To address the flooding problems, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District has formed the Watercourse Policy Group. The group consists of MMSD and other groups seeking ways to reduce the risk of flooding along six Milwaukee-area waterways.
But before deciding on a plan of action, any proposal must satisfy all sides: the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR), homeowners who live along creek beds and communities concerned about the costs.
Further compounding the problem, each of the watersheds in the study possesses a different set of difficulties. The watersheds are: the Kinnickinnic River, the Menomonee River, Oak Creek, Root River, direct drainage to Lake Michigan and some Milwaukee River tributaries.
To reach common ground, the Watercourse Policy Group began meeting last month with community residents and others who have a stake in the watersheds. The meetings have served as a sounding board for residents, Milwaukee County, the DNR, Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC) and the state Department of Transportation.
Workable solutions
The committee recently finished a study of how the water flows through the water systems and where the damages are occurring.
The group is studying alternatives to solve flooding problems. The next step will be to formulate advanced planning and design. If all goes well, work will begin next year, potentially lasting for two years.
"At this point, we're still looking at all of the problems and determining how to fix them," said Chris Magruder, project manager for MMSD. "But there are complicating factors. For one, watersheds do not stop and start at the borders of a municipality or county."
In addition, each watershed varies in severity of flooding, which will prolong the process, Magruder said. He said the meetings have produced several solutions for all the watersheds:
Storage areas for water could be built and incorporated into a park-like setting for multi-purpose use;
Detention ponds could be built to hold water temporarily while the river is high;
And a buyout of existing homes along the watersheds, a proposal that has met with approval in some communities, but not others.
"The important thing here is that we come to a compromise -- a plan that everyone can live with," Magruder said. "It's beginning to come together."
Another recourse is to lower the river channel, which is part of a plan being considered in Lincoln Creek, one of the Milwaukee River tributaries. This has stirred concerns within the DNR and local environmental groups because of the danger to wildlife and ecological habitats.
"Our last option is lowering the bottom of the stream," said Sharon Gayan, the DNR's Milwaukee River Basin team leader. "We have to look at combining some of the options to come up with a solution that works for everyone."
Deepening the bottom of a waterway could disturb fish and other life forms in the stream, she said. It might also disturb nearby communities.
Everyone agrees that deepening channels, if chosen as an option, has to be done carefully so as not to cause downstream problems, said Bob Biebel, SEWRPC's chief environmental engineer.
"We need to have a positive environmental impact, but still alleviate the flooding problem," Biebel said.
Foot-dragging
The Menomonee River, Root River and Oak Creek have been designated as "early- out" projects, meaning they are a priority and will be handled first. Most of the Menomonee River shore is developed in Milwaukee, Wauwatosa, West Allis, Elm Grove and Brookfield.
Key issues identified in the study of the Menomonee River watershed are neighborhood preservation, limited space for detention storage, and sensitivity to environmental issues.
Oak Creek flows through six cities. There are significant tracts of undeveloped land in all of them, so it will be easier to implement plans, MMSD's Magruder said.
Root River courses through seven cities, including West Allis. Residents there are concerned about the approaching flood season. An area west of Highway 100 had difficulties with storm sewers overflowing into streets and basements last spring.
"We made a decision on how to deal with our storm sewers, but the problem is that we are getting no response," said West Allis Mayor Jeannette Bell.
Plans to dredge Hale Creek, which the Root River flows into, and lower the Root River are logical and have been approved by residents, Bell said. But the DNR hasn't given the city an answer, she said.
Residents are concerned that the 100-year flood -- a term used to describe the quantity of water, not the number of years between floods -- will occur again.
"The reality is that the plans were made years ago, and because the climate and mentality of the DNR has changed, we can't go ahead with them," Bell said.
"That's fine as long as we're offered other alternatives."
The DNR's Gayan said the Hale Creek area has other problems, including contaminated sediment, so more research is needed.
"Some of the problems in these watersheds are not simply resolved. It's a little broader than just making a decision and going ahead with it," she said.
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