#152321 v1 - Issues Relative to a Potential Root River ... · PDF fileIssues Relative to a Potential Root River Watershed Restoration Plan ... due to passage barriers. Major ... Issues

Issues Relative to a Potential Root RiverWatershed Restoration Plan

Joseph Boxhorn, Ph.D., Senior Planner

DOCS #152321

REGIONAL WATER QUALITYREGIONAL WATER QUALITYMANAGEMENT PLAN UPDATE/MANAGEMENT PLAN UPDATE/MMSD FACILITIES PLANMMSD FACILITIES PLAN

MilwaukeePlanning and Study Area Planning and Study Area CharacteristicsCharacteristics

Regional Water Quality Regional Water Quality Management Plan Study AreaManagement Plan Study Area

Milwaukee River

Watershed

Direct Management Plan Study AreaManagement Plan Study Area

AreaAreaWatershedWatershed (square miles)(square miles)

Kinnickinnic RiverKinnickinnic River 24.724.7M RiM Ri 135 8135 8

Menomonee River

Drainage Area

Tributary to Lake

Menomonee RiverMenomonee River 135.8135.8Milwaukee RiverMilwaukee River 700.0700.0Oak CreekOak Creek 28.228.2Root RiverRoot River 197.6197.6

Watershed

Kinnickinnic River

Michigan

Lake Michigan DirectLake Michigan Direct 40.740.7Drainage AreaDrainage Area

TotalTotal 1,127.01,127.0N b f C ti 9N b f C ti 9

Watershed

MMSD Planning

Nearshore Area

Number of Counties 9Number of Counties 9Number of Municipalities 88Number of Municipalities 88

MMSD Planning AreaMMSD Planning AreaOak Creek Watershed

Area

ggNumber of Counties 5Number of Counties 5Number of Municipalities 29Number of Municipalities 29

Total Area 411 Square MilesTotal Area 411 Square MilesRoot River Watershed

Watershed

Root River WatershedWatershed

Major Issues in the Root River WatershedMajor Issues in the Root River Watershed


• Impairments related to low dissolvedImpairments related to low dissolved oxygen

Upper portions of the mainstem– Upper portions of the mainstem– Below Horlick DamR t Ri C l– Root River Canal

– West Branch of the Root River Canal– Nonpoint source pollution related to phosphorus and sediment


• Impairments due to fish consumption p padvisories

– Below Horlick Dam

– Lake Michiganrelated


• High bacteria concentrations– Especially during the May‐September swim season


• Poor quality fishery upstream from H li k DHorlick Dam



Disconnection fromDisconnection from Lake Michigan

Internal fragmentationdue to passage barriers



Poor Habitat QualityChannelization Poor Habitat QualityChannelization


• Fragmentation of terrestrial habitat• Streambed and streambank erosion

– Assessed in Milwaukee Countyand City of Racine


• Access to the river


• Invasive Species• Invasive Species

Purple loosestrife

Reed canary grass

Buckthorn

Plan Features to ConsiderPlan Features to Consider

Outline of Potential Features• Start with RWQMPU recommendations• Inventory recent activities• Inventory recent activities• Select focus issues• Focused characterization of watershed• Identify targets• Identify targets• Identify actions & prioritize• Monitor and evaluate• Subsequent planning• Subsequent planning


• Use recommendations of the 2007 SEWRPC i l t lit t l d tregional water quality management plan update

for the greater Milwaukee watersheds as the starting pointstarting point– Summarize recommendations related to the Root

River WatershedRiver Watershed

– Evaluate implementation since 2007

– Describe strategies by implementation status– Describe strategies by implementation status• Existing regulatory

• In various stages of implementationg p

• Recommended, but not implemented


• Inventory and integrate recent and ongoing projects, programs and initiativesprograms, and initiatives– Root-Pike WIN, MMSD, and others

• Identify a set of focus issues to address over a relatively short time frame

Five year time frame (?)– Five-year time frame (?)– Focus issues from Southeastern Wisconsin Watershed

Trust, Inc. Menomonee and Kinnickinnic Watershed Restoration Plans

• Bacteria• NutrientsNutrients• Habitat/aesthetics


• Characterize the watershed concentrating on f t l t d t th f ifeatures related to the focus issues– Analyze based on some geographical subdivision

• e.g. Assessment point areas

– Summarize in ways that permit comparisons

• For each focus issue, identify a series of targets to be achieved by the end of the plan periodto be achieved by the end of the plan period

Example of geographical subdivisions:

The assessment points used in the pmodeling for analyzing performance of the RWQMPURWQMPU recommended plan


• Characterize the watershed concentrating on f t l t d t th f ifeatures related to the focus issues– Analyze based on some geographical subdivision

• e.g. Assessment point areas

– Summarize in ways that permit comparisons

• For each focus issue, identify a series of targets to be achieved by the end of the plan periodto be achieved by the end of the plan period


• For each target, identify actions to be taken– Prioritize actions by assessment point area

– Identify land uses each action addresses

– Identify methods to evaluate progress• Methods assessing implementation of actions

• Methods assessing achieving of targets

• Methods assessing improvement in the focus issue

• Identify actions needed to be completed to achieve the full potential of other identified

ti F d ti A tiactions Foundation Actions


• Present additional actions beyond those in the i l t lit t l d tregional water quality management plan update

– Describe these by implementation status

– Describe and prioritize through a similar process to the RWQMPU recommended actions

• Update potential funding sources and identify potential sources for each target/actionpotential sources for each target/action


• Monitoring and evaluation of implementation and ff tieffectiveness– Use methods identified relative to targets and actions

– Formal review at the end of five-year plan period

– Possible interim review halfway through

• Subsequent planning effort for after plan expirationexpiration– Develop the focus of that plan based, in part, on the

monitoring and evaluation of the previous plang p p

Some questions to consider

1. What should the focus issues be?

2. What features should be considered for inclusion in the plan?

Documents

#152321 v1 - Issues Relative to a Potential Root River ... · PDF fileIssues Relative to a Potential Root River Watershed Restoration Plan ... due to passage barriers. Major ... Issues