The Milwaukee River basin gets a D on an environmental report card as it grapples with an array of ills

Lee Bergquist | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Milwaukee Riverkeeper is out with its latest water quality report showing many stretches of the Milwaukee, Menomonee and Kinnickinnic rivers continue to struggle with pollution problems.

The environmental group gave a grade of D across the 875 river miles of the basin, based on water samples taken during 2018.

That’s down from a C-minus in 2017.

The main reason for the drop: Near-record rainfall of 45.08 inches in Milwaukee in 2018 that washed big slugs of contaminants into waterways.

There have only been two years of higher rainfall and both occurred more than 140 years ago — in 1876 and 1877.

This year, Milwaukee is already ahead of the pace at this time in 2018. As of Tuesday, the 43.03 inches of rain is nearly 11 inches above normal, according to National Weather Service records.

“It’s likely that we will have a similar situation this year,” said Cheryl Nenn of Riverkeeper.

“Most climate models for our area predict increased incidence of extreme wet weather events and we’ve definitely been seeing that the last few years.”

The basin’s biggest worries are chlorides (think road salt), bacteria and phosphorus — with much of the pollutants coming from runoff.

Chloride levels, especially in winter, “can be instantly toxic for fish” in some areas of the basin, Nenn said. Elevated bacteria can make people sick. And phosphorus washing off farmland and streets speeds up plant growth and spurs algae blooms.

Riverkeeper’s latest report was its ninth. The organization is an advocacy group but follows standard protocols for its water testing program.

Volunteers gather samples

Last year, 82 volunteers made a total of 542 site visits to collect water samples. In all, the group analyzed data collected every month from more than 200 sites.

Riverkeeper combines its samples with results from the Department of Natural Resources, Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, Ozaukee County and Great Lakes Environmental Center, which provides aquatic testing services.

Grades by the organization have changed only slightly over the past decade.

“It’s not an inspiring grade, but I don’t want it to be depressing so people throw up their hands and feel there is nothing they can do,” Nenn said.

“It’s taken a really long time for the rivers to get to the state they're in, so I think similarly we’re going to have to have some patience to improve, to dig ourselves out of this hole we’re in.”

The DNR’s Craig Helker said that “the survey work they do is really valuable. It’s a snapshot, and this year they are pointing out the confounding effects of rainfall. We’re still trying to wrap our arms around that.”

Helker is a water resources management specialist with the agency.

Since the release of a draft plan in 2016, the DNR is starting its biggest water pollution control program in decades, requiring communities to cut phosphorus, bacteria and total suspended solids — much of it running off the ground into waterways.

Called a total maximum daily load, or TMDL, it puts affected communities in seven counties in the basin on a new pollution diet because sections of the Milwaukee, Menomonee and Kinnickinnic rivers violate water quality standards for recreational uses and aquatic life.

Mark Riedel, the DNR’s TMDL project manager, said Riverkeeper’s report cards should be viewed in historical context.

Rivers show long-term improvement

He said long-term water quality measures have shown improvements since the passage of the federal Clean Water Act of 1972. The law mandated major upgrades at wastewater treatment plants.

He noted that the best long-term measure for phosphorus in the Milwaukee River basin is a monitor in Milwaukee County's Estabrook Park. It shows that phosphorus concentrations have dropped about 60% between 1974 and 2016.

“Clearly in the Milwaukee (basin), since the passage of the Clean Water Act, our rivers are in much better condition today,” Riedel said.

“Are we done working? No, absolutely not.

“But the fact that we are seeing sturgeon. The fact that people are fishing, kayaking in the rivers. The fact that we are planning swimming events. These are things that wouldn’t have happened 40 years ago.”

Here is a breakdown of the Riverkeeper’s findings:

Milwaukee River watershed: D-plus.

North branch subwatershed : C, slightly improved from a C-minus in 2017. Testing showed a big improvement in dissolved oxygen and best macroinvertebrate index score, which measures the health of aquatic life that are not fish.

: C, slightly improved from a C-minus in 2017. Testing showed a big improvement in dissolved oxygen and best macroinvertebrate index score, which measures the health of aquatic life that are not fish. East and West branches subwatersheds : B-minus, the same as the year before. Slow decline in overall score in recent years. Benefits from good soils and fewer hard surfaces like streets and parking lots, particularly in the northern unit of the Kettle Moraine Moraine State Forest.

: B-minus, the same as the year before. Slow decline in overall score in recent years. Benefits from good soils and fewer hard surfaces like streets and parking lots, particularly in the northern unit of the Kettle Moraine Moraine State Forest. Cedar Creek branch subwatershed : D-plus. That's a big drop from a B-minus and a decline due to worsening turbidity (cloudiness of water) and bacteria, likely due to heavy rainfall and more polluted runoff. A big increase in water testing data might also explain the falloff.

: D-plus. That's a big drop from a B-minus and a decline due to worsening turbidity (cloudiness of water) and bacteria, likely due to heavy rainfall and more polluted runoff. A big increase in water testing data might also explain the falloff. South branch subwatershed: D, down from a D-plus. The south branch starts in Ozaukee County and runs to downtown. It's 51% urban or developed, exposing it to more runoff. Fewer aquatic organisms found that are intolerant to pollution. Estabrook dam removed in 2018. Most heavily tested waterway.

Menomonee River watershed: D-minus, a drop from a D-plus, due to rising levels of bacteria and a big impact from road salt. The biggest decline in the grade is for chloride. It's the second most developed river after the Kinnickinnic. Tests at stormwater outfalls suggest contamination from sewage flowing into the river, due to failing infrastructure.

Kinnickinnic River watershed: D-minus, down from a D. It retains title as having the lowest water quality grade in the basin. Much of the river is encased in concrete channels. But in a big win for the river, 1,900 feet of concrete was removed in Pulaski Park. More concrete removal is planned.

Milwaukee River estuary: D-plus, a full letter drop from a C-plus. Big drop in turbidity, phosphorus and bacteria. Recipient of pollution from the entire basin.