A Solution to Milwaukee’s Water Problems

The Problem: Sewage Run-Off into Lake Michigan•When it rains too much, the only place the

un-treated water can go is into Lake Michigan, causing many pollution problems.

Bradford Beach•Often closed because of pollution.

What’s Being Done?

Mayor Tom Barrett’s Efforts •Retention ponds•Bio swales•Gardens•Underground Repositories

Urban Gardens and Rain Barrels

Green Streets•Renovated streets with permeable

pavement, which channel water into reservoirs 8 to 10 ft underground

What Could We DoOur Idea for Helping Prevent Sewage

Overflow

The Cabelas Idea• Driving down Highway 45, there is a very large Cabelas

with an equally large parking lot. This parking lot would have lots of run-off; however, there are two large silos on the eastern edge, which hold water. We think that this idea could be applied to Milwaukee as a whole. If the largest parking lots had these water silos, much of the run-off during torrential downpours could be diverted from the sewage. Since less water is going into the sewage system, it would be less likely to overflow into Lake Michigan and other area waterways.