Environment

SEWRPC has addressed environmental issues since its inception in the early 1960s. One of the earliest SEWRPC reports provided an overview of the natural resource base of the Region and suggested future programs designed to prepare recommendations for the conservation, management, and wise use of the regional resource base. A companion report provided an overview of the utility facilities in the region, recognizing that at least some utility facilities are closely linked to the surface and groundwater resources, and, accordingly, could significantly impact the overall quality of the regional environment. From the very beginning, SEWRPC selected the watershed as the basic planning unit for its environmental related work. A series of comprehensive watershed plans were developed that addressed interrelated issues in each major watershed, focusing on water quality and floodland management issues. Those plans provided the basis later for regional sanitary sewerage and water quality management plans as well as ongoing efforts attendant to stormwater and floodland management. SEWRPC also has been engaged in air quality management planning in partnership with the Wisconsin Departments of Natural Resources and Transportation. Most recently, SEWRPC undertook the preparation of a regional water supply plan.

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Legacy Watershed Plans

Over the 40-year period of 1963 through 2003, SEWRPC completed watershed studies for most of the major watersheds in southeastern Wisconsin. The watershed plans are comprehensive in nature, addressing land use, park and open space, water quality, and stormwater and floodland management issues for watersheds ranging in size from the 25 sq.mi. Kinnickinnic River watershed to the 942 sq.mi. Fox River watershed

Regional Water Quality Management Plan

Since the enactment of the Federal Clean Water Amendments in 1972, SEWRPC has been engaged in carrying out its duties and responsibilities as the water quality management planning agency for the seven county region. These duties and responsibilities flow from a gubernatorial designation made in 1975 and continue to this day.

Regional Water Supply Plan

SEWRPC is presently engaged in the final stages of preparing a regional water supply plan. This planning effort has focused primarily on identifying appropriate sources of water supply to meet anticipated water demands by 2035 facing the many utilities in the Region, while addressing issues relative to groundwater depletion and contamination and the regulatory ramifications of the subcontinental divide that diagonally bisects the region, separating the Lake Michigan drainage basin from the Mississippi River drainage basin.

Floodland and Stormwater Management

SEWRPC maintains a continuing program to address stormwater and floodland management issues throughout the watersheds of the Region. This includes not only defining the extent of natural floodlands along the lakes and streams of the region, addressing ways in which to resolve flooding problems, and making recommendations to avoid creating new flooding problems, but extends also to urban and rural stormwater management issues and the integration of non-point source water pollution abatement measures in stormwater management systems.

Lake and Stream Management

SEWRPC works on a continuing basis with lake management districts and other agencies in preparing detailed lake management plans of various types. In addition, SEWRPC works with local governments and the Wisconsin Departments of Natural Resources and Transportation to provide guidance and assistance in addressing localized stream management issues.

Air Quality Management

Historically, SEWRPC worked with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in comprehensively addressing air management issues and problems throughout the Region. In recent years, SEWRPC work efforts attendant to air quality have focused more narrowly on insuring that SEWRPC-recommended transportation plans “conform” to the assumptions underlying and the recommendations contained within the State’s implementation plan for the attainment of air quality standards.

Climate Change

Climate is a major factor influencing certain technical aspects of SEWRPC environmental planning work. Climate change, therefore, is a topic of significance to SEWRPC and one which is closely followed. Presently, SEWRPC is collaborating with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and others in addressing the effects of climate change upon southeastern Wisconsin.

Brownfields

SEWRPC collaborates with other agencies in cooperatively addressing problems associated with brownfield sites.

Rainfall Frequency

Technical Report No. 40 presents the most current rainfall depth-duration-frequency information for the seven-county Southeastern Wisconsin Region. The data are recommended by the Commission staff for use in stormwater management applications. The rainfall time distribution from Technical Report No. 40 was superceded by a new distribution as of March 30, 2006.