A lot has changed in the last 48 hours. We now face new threats and challenges to our waterways, and our efforts to achieve swimmable, fishable rivers for future generations will need to be stronger, strategic, and more present than ever before. The good news is we have a place to start: our shared love of rivers. And as we move forward to face these new threats head-on, we look to our rivers to guide us.
Rivers are powerful. Rivers are dynamic. Rivers are resilient. And so are we.
So, here’s what we promise:
- We promise to continue to defend our basic federal water protections, like the Clean Water Act, which has guided our nation’s efforts to achieve clean water for the better part of 45 years.
- We promise to continue to fight to hold our government agencies accountable to the promises they have made to keep our public waters and the communities that depend on them safe.
- We promise to continue all of our local, grassroots efforts, like removing the Estabrook Dam, monitoring water quality, advocating for our local rivers, and hosting one of the largest river cleanups in the state.
A lot has changed in the last 48 hours, but we can promise one thing has not and will not change, which is our dedication to achieving clean swimmable, fishable rivers in the Milwaukee River Basin for current and future generations.
Cheryl Nenn
Milwaukee Riverkeeper
P.S. You may have heard the City of Milwaukee rezoned the land Estabrook Dam sits on. This was a vital step in moving the plan to remove the Estabrook Dam forward. Thanks to the City of Milwaukee Alders for voting in the best interest of your constituents. Now, Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District and Milwaukee County will need to go the DNR several times in the next few months to secure appropriate permits and permissions to demolish the dam. We’ll be sure to keep you updated as things progress!