We have the opportunity where numerous Milwaukee Estuary AOC projects being completed
by numerous local partners can be leveraged to bring in millions of federal dollars.

- Dave Misky, City of Milwaukee, 2019 open house

Site History

Milwaukee, a bustling city with miles of riverfront and bordering Lake Michigan, has always made use of its water. During the 1800s and early 1900s like most Great Lakes communities, Milwaukee used its rivers as a network of sewers to carry away pollution from homes and factories. But some of the pollution fell to the bottom of the riverbed, binding up in the sediment. When modern environmental regulations were passed to protect human health and promote clean water, river uses evolved. Milwaukee's rivers now carry a promise of waterfront redevelopment, recreation, and a view.

To make the most of Milwaukee's water, momentum is building from all levels of government, businesses, citizen's groups, nonprofits, and more. Some areas of the Milwaukee Estuary have already undergone cleanup, such as Lincoln Park and part of the Kinnickinnic River. 

Partners have banded together to study all remaining sediment pollution in Milwaukee so that they can design a very large cleanup project. A cleanup will reverse the damage to underwater habitat and promote a healthy community of aquatic life and fish that are safer to eat. 
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​The Greater Milwaukee Estuary sediment project is one of the largest of its kind and is located in the Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern. A voluntary, public-private partnership has formed under the Great Lakes Legacy Act to address all remaining contamination in the rivers, including PCBs, PAHs, NAPL, and heavy metals. A project agreement for feasibility study, further sediment sampling, and design has been signed, and work has begun to set the stage for cleanup.

Image credit: Community Advisory Committee

Location

The Greater Milwaukee Estuary sediment project is located in Milwaukee, WI in the Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern. Contaminated sites include parts of the Milwaukee, Menomonee, and Kinnickinnic Rivers as well as the inner and outer harbors.

Schedule

Conducting a feasibility study, further sediment sampling, and design for remaining contaminated sediment in the estuary is a large undertaking. Projects of this size typically take two to three years. Simultaneously, partners are conducting projects to clean up the estuary or prepare the estuary for cleanup to generate nonfederal matching funds for the sediment project, such as: 

• City of Milwaukee shoreline as-built review and utility reviews
• MMSD PCB Remediation Project in Basin H Sewer
• Dredged Material Management Facility
• We Energies Manufactured Gas Plant Project

The Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern is geographically one of the largest AOCs in the United States. The sediment project is addressing all remaining contamination, primarily in red highlighted bodies of water.

Cleanup Process

Some sites within the project area have already completed preliminary stages of cleanup like investigation and feasibility study. This project will address all remaining preliminary stages that lead to cleanup in the AOC. 

Sediment to be remediated: 1-2 million cubic yards
Contaminants: PCBs, PAHs, NAPL, and heavy metals
Method: TBD pending completion of feasibility study
When: goal to complete cleanup by 2024
Partners: U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Port Milwaukee, We Energies
Cost: $29 Million for feasibility study, further sediment sampling, and design

Sediment removed from the rivers as part of the Greater Milwaukee Estuary sediment project will need permanent containment.  No decisions have been finalized about where, and the project partners are currently reviewing different options, including landfill disposal and the creation of a Dredged Material Management Facility.  

Previous Great Lakes Legacy Act Work

Prior to this project, a large sediment investigation was completed for a segment of the Milwaukee River from Estabrook Park through downtown. The maps are in sequence from north to south and show floodplain areas sampled from the park to the North Avenue Dam. The information from the investigation will be incorporated into the Greater Milwaukee Estuary sediment project to help design a cleanup.

Prior to this project in 2019, a Great Lakes Legacy Act feasibility study was also completed for segments of the Milwaukee and Menomonee Rivers. Dredging and capping cleanup options were explored. This information will be incorporated into the Greater Milwaukee Estuary sediment project to help design a cleanup. 

Long-term Benefits

If the proposed cleanup of the Greater Milwaukee Estuary sediment goes forward:

• Contamination will be removed from the food chain, lowering exposure for those who eat fish from the river.  
• Restoration will improve fish and wildlife habitat for locally important species, allowing populations to increase and thrive. 
• Removing the stigma of legacy pollution will make Milwaukee a more enjoyable place to recreate and do business.

To learn more about the significant benefits enjoyed by communities in Great Lakes Areas of Concern after a cleanup, watch the Great Lakes Legacy Act video.

November 2019 open house panel (Photo Credit: Milwaukee Riverkeeper)

Community Involvement

This project includes river segments that run through industrial, commercial, and residential areas in Milwaukee, including downtown. Contact U. S. EPA project manager, Heather Williams, to provide input on the project, ask questions, or to coordinate the project with community events near the site.

November 13, 2019 Open house at Discovery World

• Project partners engaged in a panel discussion hosted by the Community Advisory Committee and presented posters.

More Information

Documents and Resources
Milwaukee estuary sediment fact sheet (PDF, 2p, 515 KB) February 2020
Analysis of Dredged Material Management Alternatives (PDF, 21p, 1.9MB) November 2019
Milwaukee Area of Concern fact sheet (PDF, 2p, ​2.1MB) January 2015

Stakeholders
Waterway Restoration Partnership  
​Community Advisory Committee
Milwaukee Riverkeeper
Harbor District
Menomonee Valley Partners
Milwaukee Water Commons
We Energies
Port Milwaukee
City of Milwaukee
​Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District
Milwaukee County
Wisconsin Department of Health Services Eating Safe Fish
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
...and more