Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat News
The Newsletter of the Great Lakes
Aquatic Habitat Network and Fund
Volume 10, Number 4 • Fall 2002
Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat NewsThe Newsletter of the Great Lakes
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By: Charlie Luthin
The City of West Bend (population ca. 30,000) in Washington County has made plans to greatly expand its municipal airport, arguing that it needs the expansion to create a more "industry-friendly" environment. The proposed expansion would not only extend and widen the existing airport and runways, but would also result in State Highway 33 being expanded from two lanes to four lanes and rerouted to a new alignment. The total project "preferred alternative" would impact 324 acres, including 106 acres of quality habitat identified as an important component of a regional biological corridor, 54 acres of wetlands in the floodplain of the Milwaukee River and another 69 acres in the "floodplain fringe." A total of 35 acres of additional impervious surface would be added to the landscape with the proposed expansion.
No matter that Milwaukee's Mitchell airport is less than an hour away. No matter that the City of West Bend does not have adequate funds to maintain its existing airport, let alone a greatly expanded one. Ironically, even though local funds for maintaining the airport are scarce, there are ample federal and state funds available for new construction to serve as an incentive for building a vastly expanded airport and a re-routed state highway. It is further ironic that while West Bend proposes to impact at least 54 acres of Milwaukee River floodplain wetlands, the City of Milwaukee and its Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) a few miles away are actively seeking ways to acquire green space and former wetlands in the Milwaukee River's watershed to restore in order to alleviate flooding in the City!
In its draft Environmental Assessment (EA), the Department of Transportation suggested that the project will have "no significant impact" on the region's environment and natural resources. However, a 54-acre wetland fill represents the largest fill of any single construction project since 1991! If this determination of "no impact" is sustained in the final Environmental Assessment, no Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is necessary. An EIS is required under our National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) for projects of "significance," and an EIS is a more elaborate and costly process that involves careful studies of the potential impacts. Citizens of West Bend and WWA have argued that an EIS is critical to this project, and we are trying to convince the DOT to require this expanded study. This is also the sentiment of the regional office of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as stated in a recent letter to the project proponents. If the DOT ignores this request, its determination of "no significant impact" could be challenged in a lawsuit.
The Common Council of West Bend recently ignored citizen concerns and adopted a plan to go ahead with the airport expansion and to seek the necessary state and federal funds to pay for it. This seems to be a project that is not going away soon.
By Bob Olsgard, Lake Superior Alliance
Nearly a decade spent appraising the financial value and assessing the ecological significance of 370 acre Clough Island located in the St. Louis River between Superior, Wisconsin and Duluth, Minnesota has culminated in its sale to a developer. While The Nature Conservancy (TNC) had been active in approaching owners with its interest in acquiring the island, in the end TNC's policy of purchasing only for fair market value- in this case an appraised value of $400,000. 00-prevented the conservation organization from buying the island. A commercial developer by the name of North Oaks LLC purchased the island for a reported price of $1. 2 million dollars.
The developer has outlined plans for a golf course, condom iniums, individual homes and a marina.The island's present lack of utilities-sewer, water and electricity-raises concerns over access from the city of Superior to the Island, a route which may affect shoreland wetlands. Clough Island and adjacent wetlands are identified in the St. Louis River Citizen Advisory Committee's recently published habitat plan as one of two of western Lake Superior's most productive areas of aquatic habitat. Potential construction on the island and consequent boating and other activities raise serious concerns about the continued health and productivity of this ecologically significant area. Multiple federal and state permits will be required. As of this time no permits have been applied for.
by Juniper Garver-Hume
Clean Water Coalition Coordinator, River Alliance of Wisconsin
A resolution approved by the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board in May ends more than four years of debate about the need for vegetative buffer strips along waterways as part of the new state rules to control polluted runoff. The Clean Water Coalition, led by the River Alliance and representing more than three dozen groups with over 160,000 members, said that the resolution was an historic opportunity for our waterways. Soil loss from riparian fields is one of the most significant contributors to polluted runoff - our number one water quality problem.
The Natural Resources Board adopted a resolution directing the staff of the DNR to develop a science-based standard, which must be in place by the beginning of 2008, to require vegetative buffer strips for agricultural land. The standard will be based on the results of scientific research to be conducted by the Wisconsin Agricultural Stewardship Initiative with input from the University of Wisconsin College of Agricultural Life Sciences.
If the research is not completed by the end of 2005, the new standard will mirror the current buffer guidelines for Wisconsin that have been developed by the Natural Resource Conservation Service.We already have plenty of research saying that buffers clean water and that wider buffers are better.This study will not determine if buffers are good practices for Wisconsin. Instead, this study will help us determine the most effective buffer designs for our limited cost-sharing dollars.
There remain significant concerns about adequate means to implement, monitor and enforce the entire non-point set of rules. Still, mandatory buffers for new development in urban areas, strong infiltration standards for storm water runoff, new construction site erosion standards and a series of tougher performance standards for agricultural practices make this new rules package arguably the strongest set of rules to control polluted runoff in the nation.
| Charlie Luthin Wisconsin Wetlands Association Serving as Hub for Wisconsin 222 S. Hamilton Street-Suite 1 Madison, WI 53703 (608)-250-9971 (608)-256-4562 (fax) E-mail: Charlie@wiscwetlands.org Website: www.wiscwetlands.org |