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The Milwaukee River Priority Watershed Program was approved by the Wisconsin State
Legislature in 1983. The Milwaukee River Priority Watershed Program, as with all Wisconsin
priority watershed programs, is to work with local landowners and communities in improving
and protecting our waters from sources of runoff pollution. Pollution comes from both
rural and urban areas. Every time we have surface water runoff from rains or snow melts we
have pollutants from the land being flushed into our streams and lakes. These pollutants
include sediment from crop fields and urban construction sites, and urban lands, manure
and pet wastes and many other pollutants. By having everyone pitch in, both urban and
rural landowners on a voluntary basis, we can control these pollution sources. The
Milwaukee River Watershed is divided into five different sub-watersheds; the East-West,
North and South Branches, the Menomonee River and Cedar Creek.
Cost-share assistance of up to 70% is available for many conservation practices that
will help improve resource management and water quality.
The Milwaukee River Priority Watershed is a diversified watershed ranging from the
Kettle Moraine State Forest in the north to down town Milwaukee in the south. The water
that flows from the Milwaukee River into Lake Michigan drains approximately 830 square
miles and includes parts of Sheboygan, Fond du Lac, Ozaukee, Washington, Waukesha and
Milwaukee Counties. There are 23 villages and 12 cities within the watershed and all the
surface water of these communities discharges into the 410 miles of perennial streams that
eventually outlet into the Milwaukee River harbor. The complexity of urban and rural land
uses in the watershed shows the need for involvement by everyone in order to protect and
improve these resources for everyone’s use, now and in the future. |
