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MMSD flood management improvement projects
A Milwaukee fire truck was destroyed in a crash with a suspected drunk driver on Wednesday, as Chief Aaron Lipski says the loss adds urgency to replacing the department’s aging fleet.
MILWAUKEE - Two major flooding events in eight months are highlighting the need for better flood management across Milwaukee.
What we know:
The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) has even sped up some projects, but officials say it will still take years before they are complete.
The idea is simple: floodwaters are more of an issue when they fall on homes, buildings and streets. They’re less of a problem in green space, where that water can be stored naturally. But doing that will take time, work and a lot of money.
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At 43rd and Kinnickinnic River Parkway, neighbors said even this level of flooding felt different.
Soon, MMSD hopes to prevent some of that flooding by converting Jackson Park into a flood management basin. It’s one of four basin projects the district is fast-tracking after last August’s historic flooding.
MMSD plans to remove concrete culverts along the Kinnickinnic River, allowing water to spread out and store more naturally.
"We're going to try to modify the topography of the park, so that when these big storms hit, the water's stored there," said Kevin Shafer, MMSD executive director.
The basins will be built in Jackson Park, north of 35th and Capitol, in Wilson Park, and near Alro Steel at Sixth and Bolivar.
What they're saying:
"Once these four projects are built, they'll add about 200 million gallons of storage into the waterways, so you'll be able to store water in parks or in open areas, and not put water in people's basements," Shafer said.
Those projects are slated for completion between 2029 and 2033 and are part of $900 million in future flood control work planned over the next 10 to 15 years.
To build them, MMSD says it will need taxpayer investment. Shafter said that is a little easier now after two damaging floods.
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"I mean, there will be some increases that we're gonna ask for. We'll see how it's responded to by the public," he said. "But, you know, in the long run, we either do nothing and live with what we've had over the last eight or nine months, or we try to do something."
Big picture view:
Once these four projects are completed, they will nearly double MMSD’s capacity to hold floodwater.
That said, Shafer made clear they would not prevent flooding altogether.
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The Source: The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District provided information.