The Fund collaborates with the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) in running the Greenseams℠ Program, a pioneering flood management plan that utilizes green infrastructure technology. Since 2001, we have assisted in acquiring over 2,100 acres of flood prone, hydric (water absorbing) soils within the Milwaukee metropolitan area.

Background

The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District provides wastewater and flood management services to 1.1 million customers in 28 communities. For more than a decade, the region has invested in a massive labyrinth of deep tunnels to hold overflowing sewer water during storms, so homes stay dry and water quality remains high. Nearly 30 miles of tunnels, some 32 feet around, can hold 521 million gallons of wastewater for treatment after a storm has subsided.

Still, it’s not enough.

More than one million people live and work in the Milwaukee metro area—many in flood prone neighborhoods. As Milwaukee’s population grows—with more houses, pavement and concrete packed into its limits—even this outsized investment in grey infrastructure is not enough to completely prevent the sewers from soaring when a major storm hits.

In addition to deep tunnels, Milwaukee now confronts storms with green strategies. Each acquired property is managed by a local community or land trust and subject to a conservation easement held by the sewerage district.

Today, the region has gone from experiencing roughly 50 “overflows” of wastewater a year to just two.

Spotlight: 80th Property Protected

In 2011, we marked a major milestone in the Greenseams program with the protection of the 80th parcel of land. The 52 acres known as the Franklin DC property is located at the outlet of Dumke Lake, a large open water wetland at the headwaters of Ryan Creek. This area is a high priority watershed for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Milwaukee County Park, and the Greenseams Program because Ryan Creek is subjected to seasonal flooding and is within an urbanizing area of Milwaukee County.

The 52 acres is also a Critical One Habitat Area for migratory birds and waterfowl species and has been incorporated into the Big Muskego Lake Wildlife Area.

How does Greenseams work?

The program reduces future flood risk and protects water quality by purchasing and conserving properties with hydric soils near major waterways. All property sales are voluntary and all land remains as open space. These lands, which also preserve wildlife habitat, often become treasured community assets for residents who enjoy hiking, bird-watching, and other outdoor pursuits.

With the Fund’s real estate expertise and a Geographic Information System (GIS) database, Greenseams℠ is able to reach out to landowners in MMSD’s service area, which encompasses 420 square miles and four major watersheds.

By acquiring lands outright and purchasing conservation easements, Greenseams permanently protects key properties in the Milwaukee, Menomonee, Oak Creek and Root River watersheds, where major suburban growth is expected to occur. Properties are chosen due to their proximity to water, hydric soil composition, environmental corridor and natural area designations and their connectivity to public spaces. 

Restoration

Once purchased, many properties need to be restored back to their pre-European settlement vegetation. Four hundred acres of Greenseams℠ sites that were previously in agriculture have been converted into wetland, prairie and forest habitats through a partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Partners in Wildlife, Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and the North American Conservation Wetlands Act.Once restored to their native environments, these properties not only absorb more rain and snow melt, which slows water flow into the City of Milwaukee, but they also act as buffers, filtering out pollutants and increasing water quality.

Funding Partnerships

With funding from MMSD, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Knowles Nelson Stewardship Program, Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, and the North American Conservation Wetlands Act, the Greenseams program has spent $22 million on acquisitions, of which $8 million has been funded through those state and federal programs.

Greenseams is enthusiastically supported by many of Milwaukee’s civic leaders, utility customers, government officials, landowners and conservationists in the districts’ 28 communities.