News

Milwaukee Riverkeeper is demanding immediate closure of navigational locks that separate Chicago rivers from Lake Michigan.  We have been working with environmental groups from across the nation to stop the invasive Asian Carp, which can grow to over 100 pounds and wreak havoc on our Great Lakes' ecosystem. 

The Obama Administration has recently pledged $78.5 million to address the problem.  As the article below indicates however, other measures are being pursued first.

The Milwaukee County Supervisors have recently approved a costly plan to turn the crumbling Estabrook Dam into a hydropower facility.

Milwaukee Riverkeeper (as stated earlier in our position paper) is against the repair of the Estabrook Dam, and we see the hydropower effort as another action by the County Board to find justification for keeping a failing dam that creates a safety hazard and provides little public benefit.  To read more about our position against hydropower click here.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial staff recently agreed in an article stating, "it would require an extensive and expensive permitting process at the state and federal levels. And for what gain? To help cover the cost of extensive repairs of the dam and provide power for a small number of homes in the area."  The full article is below.

Milwaukee Riverkeeper has recently learned about the new plan unveiled by the White House to stop the Asian Carp.  The proposal contains many methods (several already in use), but does not call for the closure of the Chicago Sanitary & Ship Canal, in which the fish can enter the Great Lakes.

If you haven't done so already, please sign the petition urging the Federal Government to close the locks and stop the threat.

More information about the White House's plan can be found below.

The Journal-Sentinel has reported that Milwaukee County could begin courting a private developer to build a hydroelectric power plant near Estabrook Dam under a plan the County Board's parks committee endorsed this week.

Milwaukee Riverkeeper (as stated earlier in our position paper) are against the repair of the Estabrook Dam, and we see the hydropower effort as another action by the County Board to find justification for keeping a failing dam that creates a safety hazard and provides little public benefit.