WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:00.860 --> 00:00:10.540 [Music playing] 00:00:10.540 --> 00:00:11.680 position:58% Faith: We're here on the Kinnickinnic 00:00:11.680 --> 00:00:14.300 River, the lower part down by the 00:00:14.300 --> 00:00:16.860 position:63% harbor. Kinnickinnic River is one of the 00:00:16.860 --> 00:00:19.770 position:61% three main rivers in the Milwaukee area 00:00:19.770 --> 00:00:21.980 position:56% and over 80 percent of it is cement- 00:00:21.980 --> 00:00:25.390 position:63% lined or storm sewers. And there's now a 00:00:25.390 --> 00:00:28.840 large project to update the flood 00:00:28.840 --> 00:00:31.370 control and also rehabilitate the 00:00:31.370 --> 00:00:34.670 position:63% stream. Dave, could you tell me a little 00:00:34.670 --> 00:00:36.240 bit about the history of the 00:00:36.240 --> 00:00:37.390 Kinnickinnic River? 00:00:37.390 --> 00:00:38.720 position:56% Dave: I'll be glad to. The river's – 00:00:38.720 --> 00:00:41.000 position:59% this river has a watershed of about 25 00:00:41.000 --> 00:00:42.960 square miles, 90 percent of it's 00:00:42.960 --> 00:00:45.070 position:61% urbanized. It's experienced flooding in 00:00:45.070 --> 00:00:47.720 position:61% the 60's, 70's and 80's. There was some 00:00:47.720 --> 00:00:50.490 position:58% concrete lining put in in the 60's to 00:00:50.490 --> 00:00:52.620 position:61% alleviate that flooding because at that 00:00:52.620 --> 00:00:54.360 position:58% time flood management was basically a 00:00:54.360 --> 00:00:55.640 position:56% conveyance solution where they would 00:00:55.640 --> 00:00:57.370 position:61% pass the water down to the lake as fast 00:00:57.370 --> 00:00:59.530 as possible. In the 80's there was 00:00:59.530 --> 00:01:01.230 position:56% another additional flooding, at that 00:01:01.230 --> 00:01:04.070 position:61% time SEWRPC came in and re-did a design 00:01:04.070 --> 00:01:06.040 position:58% which removed some of the bridges. In 00:01:06.040 --> 00:01:08.110 position:63% fact, there was an auto bridge behind us 00:01:08.110 --> 00:01:09.750 position:59% that it was replaced with a pedestrian 00:01:09.750 --> 00:01:11.420 position:63% bridge and that also helped to alleviate 00:01:11.420 --> 00:01:13.150 some of the flooding that we had. 00:01:13.150 --> 00:01:15.480 position:58% In recent years, SEWRPC has come back 00:01:15.480 --> 00:01:16.880 position:61% and looked at the modeling that we have 00:01:16.880 --> 00:01:18.920 on this river and we now have an 00:01:18.920 --> 00:01:21.960 position:61% additional 350 homes at flood risk. The 00:01:21.960 --> 00:01:23.590 conveyance channel behind us can no 00:01:23.590 --> 00:01:25.470 longer handle the flows for the one 00:01:25.470 --> 00:01:27.800 position:56% percent probability flood or the 100 00:01:27.800 --> 00:01:29.110 position:59% year flood as some people like to call 00:01:29.110 --> 00:01:31.580 position:63% it, and the sewage district is coming in 00:01:31.580 --> 00:01:33.600 position:63% to do a flood management project, and in 00:01:33.600 --> 00:01:35.390 position:61% addition to that we're going to do some 00:01:35.390 --> 00:01:37.070 position:63% stream rehabilitation. And you'll notice 00:01:37.070 --> 00:01:38.700 position:58% I use the term rehabilitation I don't 00:01:38.700 --> 00:01:41.440 position:63% use the term restoration because it's my 00:01:41.440 --> 00:01:43.020 belief, particularly in these urban 00:01:43.020 --> 00:01:44.750 position:56% settings that we can't do a complete 00:01:44.750 --> 00:01:47.210 position:63% restoration project, but we can give the 00:01:47.210 --> 00:01:48.880 position:61% stream back some of its function, which 00:01:48.880 --> 00:01:52.650 position:72% is more in line with a rehabilitation project. 00:01:52.650 --> 00:01:55.070 Faith: Pat, as being the over site 00:01:55.070 --> 00:01:57.290 position:59% engineer for the projects, what's been 00:01:57.290 --> 00:01:59.530 position:56% some of the limitations in combining 00:01:59.530 --> 00:02:03.030 position:59% engineering and stream rehabilitation? 00:02:03.030 --> 00:02:04.220 position:58% Pat: Well, a lot of it has to do with 00:02:04.220 --> 00:02:05.850 the constraints that we have on the 00:02:05.850 --> 00:02:08.380 site. So you look up and down this 00:02:08.380 --> 00:02:10.330 position:61% channel right here and you can see that 00:02:10.330 --> 00:02:12.400 the houses are right up against the 00:02:12.400 --> 00:02:15.550 channel, but you also have the 00:02:15.550 --> 00:02:18.520 position:63% infrastructure, the sewer infrastructure 00:02:18.520 --> 00:02:20.250 that's also right up against the 00:02:20.250 --> 00:02:23.590 position:61% channel. So if you wanna expand out you 00:02:23.590 --> 00:02:27.690 position:59% try and either work around that or you 00:02:27.690 --> 00:02:29.610 position:61% have to move that infrastructure, which 00:02:29.610 --> 00:02:32.350 can become very costly. 00:02:32.350 --> 00:02:33.670 position:56% Faith: I think with having a cement- 00:02:33.670 --> 00:02:36.550 position:56% lined channel one of the limitations 00:02:36.550 --> 00:02:38.230 position:56% have been fish passage and then also 00:02:38.230 --> 00:02:41.110 position:58% just in terms of structures that they 00:02:41.110 --> 00:02:42.950 position:56% have to jump over, but then also the 00:02:42.950 --> 00:02:45.470 position:63% width of the channel that is too shallow 00:02:45.470 --> 00:02:47.240 position:58% for fish to pass through. So is there 00:02:47.240 --> 00:02:50.540 position:61% something in the designs that are – can 00:02:50.540 --> 00:02:53.310 position:63% keep the flood control but still add the 00:02:53.310 --> 00:02:54.650 position:63% little habitat to help the fish do that? 00:02:54.650 --> 00:02:58.200 position:61% Pat: Right, in the upcoming designs the 00:02:58.200 --> 00:03:00.070 position:58% rehabilitated channel designs that we 00:03:00.070 --> 00:03:01.820 have will have a low-flow channel 00:03:01.820 --> 00:03:04.810 position:58% section within there and it'll have a 00:03:04.810 --> 00:03:07.610 position:59% thalweg within that so even during low 00:03:07.610 --> 00:03:09.750 flows the fish should have enough 00:03:09.750 --> 00:03:12.550 position:56% coverage there to be able to make it 00:03:12.550 --> 00:03:14.360 position:58% upstream. And also install a pool and 00:03:14.360 --> 00:03:16.030 position:63% riffle sections throughout that rehabbed 00:03:16.030 --> 00:03:19.660 section so that the fish can have a 00:03:19.660 --> 00:03:22.680 position:69% break in these little pool sections as well. 00:03:22.680 --> 00:03:24.460 position:59% Dave: If I could just add to that, the 00:03:24.460 --> 00:03:26.930 position:56% channel currently has a top width of 00:03:26.930 --> 00:03:28.860 position:61% about 50 to 60 feet, we're gonna expand 00:03:28.860 --> 00:03:31.180 position:58% that top width to about 200 feet with 00:03:31.180 --> 00:03:33.160 position:59% the low flow channel being between six 00:03:33.160 --> 00:03:35.810 position:61% and ten feet. To do that we, of course, 00:03:35.810 --> 00:03:37.450 position:61% have to acquire a lot of the properties 00:03:37.450 --> 00:03:39.360 position:58% on either side of the river, that, in 00:03:39.360 --> 00:03:41.660 position:59% this case, is gonna be 80 to 100 homes 00:03:41.660 --> 00:03:43.600 position:59% will have to be acquired, knocked down 00:03:43.600 --> 00:03:45.400 position:58% and then we will expand that channel. 00:03:45.400 --> 00:03:47.280 position:56% This required a lot of public input, 00:03:47.280 --> 00:03:48.760 position:56% this is not something easily done in 00:03:48.760 --> 00:03:50.680 position:59% most municipalities it's a loss of tax 00:03:50.680 --> 00:03:53.440 position:59% base, relocation of citizens that have 00:03:53.440 --> 00:03:55.550 position:61% lived here for a long time. So we had a 00:03:55.550 --> 00:03:57.660 position:59% series of meetings, about two years of 00:03:57.660 --> 00:03:59.150 public meetings to get to the point 00:03:59.150 --> 00:04:00.520 where we are now where we're just 00:04:00.520 --> 00:04:01.930 position:61% completing the preliminary engineering. 00:04:01.930 --> 00:04:03.400 position:63% We'll go to design in about a year and a 00:04:03.400 --> 00:04:04.860 half, and then we should begin 00:04:04.860 --> 00:04:06.920 construction in two to three years. 00:04:06.920 --> 00:04:09.360 position:63% Faith: So what are – I was down a couple 00:04:09.360 --> 00:04:12.920 of weeks ago, down below the cement 00:04:12.920 --> 00:04:15.040 position:56% lining ends and there were some fish 00:04:15.040 --> 00:04:17.280 position:63% waiting to come up that couldn't make it 00:04:17.280 --> 00:04:20.580 position:59% up over into the cement lined portion. 00:04:20.580 --> 00:04:22.330 Dave: That's correct. 00:04:22.330 --> 00:04:26.520 position:95% Faith: What fish would use this once the cement is taken out? 00:04:26.520 --> 00:04:27.560 position:59% Dave: When the concrete's removed this 00:04:27.560 --> 00:04:29.640 river does connect in with Miwaukee 00:04:29.640 --> 00:04:31.340 Harbor and it's connected to Lake 00:04:31.340 --> 00:04:34.780 position:59% Michigan. We have a large transplanted 00:04:34.780 --> 00:04:35.740 position:59% Salmonidae population and we also have 00:04:35.740 --> 00:04:36.970 position:56% some native trout that will use this 00:04:36.970 --> 00:04:38.590 stream to come up the river. 00:04:38.590 --> 00:04:40.490 position:61% Unfortunately, they will not be able to 00:04:40.490 --> 00:04:41.770 spawn here because there will be no 00:04:41.770 --> 00:04:43.390 position:63% spawning habitat for them, but they will 00:04:43.390 --> 00:04:45.320 position:59% come up the river as they would during 00:04:45.320 --> 00:04:46.910 position:59% their migrations to spawn. But, again, 00:04:46.910 --> 00:04:48.330 position:56% they won't be able to spawn. We also 00:04:48.330 --> 00:04:50.430 position:63% hope that this will become a forage base 00:04:50.430 --> 00:04:52.060 for other species such as walleye, 00:04:52.060 --> 00:04:54.520 small-mouth bass, northern pike. In 00:04:54.520 --> 00:04:56.200 position:63% fact, the target species for this river, 00:04:56.200 --> 00:04:57.610 position:59% I believe, is the northern pike and if 00:04:57.610 --> 00:04:59.800 position:59% we can get that fish to move freely up 00:04:59.800 --> 00:05:01.430 and down the river that would be 00:05:01.430 --> 00:05:03.310 position:56% something that would make other fish 00:05:03.310 --> 00:05:05.310 passage much – very possible. 00:05:05.310 --> 00:05:07.580 position:59% But, again, they will not use this for 00:05:07.580 --> 00:05:09.080 position:56% all their life stages, but they will 00:05:09.080 --> 00:05:13.550 position:72% forage in this area for food and other things. 00:05:13.550 --> 00:05:15.950 position:63% Faith: I think I saw in the design plans 00:05:15.950 --> 00:05:18.880 position:59% there was also more room for humans to 00:05:18.880 --> 00:05:21.820 position:63% use the area around the cannel? Is there 00:05:21.820 --> 00:05:24.440 a plan for more paths? 00:05:24.440 --> 00:05:25.710 position:61% Dave: Correct. We're standing on a path 00:05:25.710 --> 00:05:27.270 position:61% now that runs along the top bank of the 00:05:27.270 --> 00:05:28.990 position:56% channel, when we are completed there 00:05:28.990 --> 00:05:31.190 position:58% will be a path, a maintenance path on 00:05:31.190 --> 00:05:32.920 position:59% the bottom that will also be available 00:05:32.920 --> 00:05:35.520 position:61% to pedestrians, bikes, and individuals. 00:05:35.520 --> 00:05:36.650 But it will also be used for 00:05:36.650 --> 00:05:38.240 position:56% maintaining, whatever we put in will 00:05:38.240 --> 00:05:39.630 have to be maintained. We'll have a 00:05:39.630 --> 00:05:41.740 position:58% bioengineered channel, like Pat said, 00:05:41.740 --> 00:05:43.690 position:63% with a low-flow channel. That'll have to 00:05:43.690 --> 00:05:45.480 position:63% be maintained, debris that gets into the 00:05:45.480 --> 00:05:46.850 position:61% channel will have to be removed because 00:05:46.850 --> 00:05:48.580 position:63% we'll still be connected to that 25-mile 00:05:48.580 --> 00:05:50.860 position:59% urban watershed, and various materials 00:05:50.860 --> 00:05:55.250 position:89% do tend to wash into this channel and have to be removed. 00:05:55.250 --> 00:05:57.200 position:56% Faith: So what's the general feeling 00:05:57.200 --> 00:06:00.570 position:61% about the work that's planned here with 00:06:00.570 --> 00:06:03.440 position:58% the residents and the general public? 00:06:03.440 --> 00:06:04.970 position:58% Dave: I think that's a real important 00:06:04.970 --> 00:06:06.460 position:58% point to bring up, if you look at the 00:06:06.460 --> 00:06:07.900 channel the way it is now, a lot of 00:06:07.900 --> 00:06:09.520 position:58% these people view this almost like an 00:06:09.520 --> 00:06:11.050 position:61% open sewer, they don't really see it as 00:06:11.050 --> 00:06:13.390 position:63% a resource. They see it as a threat from 00:06:13.390 --> 00:06:15.070 position:63% flooding and they just see it as an open 00:06:15.070 --> 00:06:17.340 position:59% sewer. What we're trying to do through 00:06:17.340 --> 00:06:19.040 position:61% the stream rehabilitation projects that 00:06:19.040 --> 00:06:20.860 position:61% we do is make people think of this as a 00:06:20.860 --> 00:06:22.890 position:63% resource, to actually add value to their 00:06:22.890 --> 00:06:24.750 neighborhood. In addition to the 00:06:24.750 --> 00:06:26.490 position:63% planning and the preliminary engineering 00:06:26.490 --> 00:06:27.450 that were done, we've done a 00:06:27.450 --> 00:06:29.740 position:59% neighborhood plan that's going to help 00:06:29.740 --> 00:06:31.520 position:61% revitalize this neighborhood. And using 00:06:31.520 --> 00:06:34.120 the channel project as a catalytic 00:06:34.120 --> 00:06:36.870 position:59% project to redevelop the neighborhood, 00:06:36.870 --> 00:06:38.830 position:59% get new housing, perhaps, in here, get 00:06:38.830 --> 00:06:41.370 position:59% new development to come into this area 00:06:41.370 --> 00:06:44.670 position:73% once we've improved the aesthetics of the area. 00:06:44.670 --> 00:06:50.400 [Music playing]