Nature-Based Solutions for Water Management
Wisconsin, USA, USA
Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) provides water reclamation and flood management services for 28 communities in southeastern Wisconsin. Their service area is fed by six different watersheds. The utility operates two reclamation facilities located on the shore of Lake Michigan, the second-largest Great Lake of North America.
In the early 2000’s, the utility faced public backlash when wet weather events led to sewage overflow, contaminating local waterways and Lake Michigan and causing beach closings. The State of Wisconsin filed a complaint against MMSD in 2005 for dumping more sewage into the lake than permitted by law (US EPA, 2019). Negative perceptions of the utility were compounded by a lack of public outreach, education and a disconnect between public expectations and regulatory compliance. The public was less interested in the causes behind sewage overflows and easily swayed by media coverage and local politicians that portrayed the utility as a villain for harming the environment and posing health risks to Milwaukee residents (Rondy, 2006). “We were viewed as the polluter and not the protector of the environment. I didn’t like that. I didn’t think that was right. We had to change our image” explains Kevin Shafer, Executive Director of MMSD. To date, the utility has invested over $4 billion USD to reduce sewer overflows, including the expansion of a large tunnel to store and convey wet weather flows. For the past 40 years, they have maintained a stream and lake monitoring program and a sewer separation project that identifies areas where storm flow can be rerouted. Investments in grey infrastructure were a starting point, but solving Milwaukee’s water quality challenges and changing public perceptions required a multi-faceted approach with residential involvement at its core.
As far back as 2001, before MMSD’s system was overwhelmed by record rainfalls, Kevin Shafer proposed an idea to his fellow utility leaders to reduce water pollution and improve regional water security: sell old pickle barrels to Milwaukee residents for installation on their downspouts. The barrels could collect rainwater to reduce stormwater runoff and consumption, thereby minimizing the risk of sewage overflows. They laughed at him for “thinking so small”. MMSD has sold 24,628 residential rain barrels, which now store 1 million gallons (3,785 m3) of water.
Actions and Impacts
MMSD’s robust nature-based solutions portfolio integrates natural infrastructure into the utility’s everyday operations and is centred on the notion that residents play a role in improving water quality. Green infrastructure projects include rain gardens, rain barrels, porous pavements, green roofs, bioswales, trees and tree boxes, as well as rainwater harvesting. Their green summer program hires and trains 30 interns each year to support these initiatives on the ground. They also host free rain barrel workshops (offering one free rain barrel per household) to teach residents about water conservation and how rain barrels prevent polluted stormwater runoff.
MMSD additionally prioritizes the preservation and restoration of natural landscapes such as forests, floodplains and wetlands. Their Greenseams program helps prevent flooding and water pollution by preserving land that contains water absorbing soils, specifically in areas expected to experience major urban development in the next 20 years. MMSD hired a national non-profit conservation organization, The Conservation Fund, to forge partnerships and manage the voluntary purchase of these undeveloped, privately owned properties. Wetland maintenance and restoration at the sites will increase water storage capacity, preserve wildlife habitat and create recreational opportunities for residents. MMSD is confident that allowing the land to better manage water flows will reduce the risk of downstream flooding. Their well-established Greenseams program is an indication of the importance in connecting land management and water security in utility operational budgets. To date, MMSD has purchased over 3,900 acres of land for this program.
Milwaukee is the largest city in the highly agricultural state of Wisconsin and located at the downstream end of the Milwaukee River Basin. MMSD’s water supply and catchment area suffer from water quality degradation due to excessive levels of phosphorus, sediment and bacteria from urban and rural stormwater runoff. As a compliment to the Greenseams, the Working Soils program invests in soil health to reduce pollution and improve natural storage capacity by permanently protecting privately held agricultural land in the Milwaukee River watershed floodplain. MMSD staff work with landowners to implement agricultural conservation practices that improve soil health and mitigate future flooding. Reaching a common understanding with the agricultural sector on water management was crucial as farmers faced pressures to grow more on less land and the utility struggled to reduce downstream pollutants.
MMSD reasoned that a non-political and educational attitude combined with financial incentives, would convince farmers to reduce their fertilizer and pesticide usage on the crops that contribute to polluted runoff in the rivers. Changing the perspective and building the trust of the agriculture sector involved a long educational process, but a few factors worked in their favour. Partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the University of Wisconsin and other local agencies established a solid foundation for the Working Soils program. “We needed to show the farmers there was a problem. Why change if there’s no problem? We started building the scientific evidence and then showed them the sources of the problem. Farmers need clean water just like everyone else, so naturally they wanted to help”, Kevin Shafer comments. The Conservation Fund works on the frontlines of partnership building and many of the Greenseams conservation areas overlap with the Working Soils communities. This overlap illustrates the value in a multi-faceted application of NBS where community engagement efforts can positively reinforce one other to accelerate awareness, acceptance and upscaling.
MMSD is regulated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), who indicated support for NBS in 2007 by integrating green infrastructure into federal regulatory programs (US EPA, 2017). The EPA provides specific guidelines for integrating green infrastructure approaches into consent decrees, enforcement actions that are issued by a state or federal agency when an entity has failed to comply with federal environmental laws. MMSD’s NBS programs were initiated on a voluntary basis and not through a court order. However, several consent decrees with green infrastructure provisions have been implemented in the U.S. since 2003, presenting an interesting regulatory avenue to help solidify NBS as a standard in utility management.
The U.S. Clean Water Act requires renewal of operational permits on a 5-year cycle. MMSD’s Wisconsin Pollution Discharge Elimination System Permit expired in 2018, requiring the utility to conduct a series of infrastructure improvements. MMSD saw marginal impacts from the high cost grey infrastructure approach proposed by the EPA and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to meet permit requirements. Having successfully surpassed the requirement to produce 12 million gallons of water with green infrastructure in the previous permit (negotiated up from an original 5 million gallons), they felt confident that a target of 50 million gallons for the 2019-2024 permit could be accomplished. Proactively engaging with the EPA and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources allowed MMSD to push forward their NBS agenda and showcase their outstanding results. Since inception, the utility boasts a total of 39 million gallons of water produced by their green infrastructure program. MMSD’s attitude sends an important message to utilities struggling to prioritize NBS projects in a weak regulatory environment. Proactive engagement with regulatory authorities to formalize requirements for NBS involves acknowledging the opportunity in regulatory involvement, rather than seeing this presence as the sign of a problem.
©Christian Spencer/TNC Photo Contest 2022
Financing
MMSD’s funding options for NBS benefit from the fact that the utility is a regional government agency and tax authority. Each year, the utility budgets and distributes stipends for NBS projects across their municipalities, based on each area’s equalized property tax value. In 2018 this budget was calculated at $2 million USD, increasing to $5 million in 2019. The municipalities are required to vet their project proposals, which range from bioremediation facilities to green roofs, with MMSD for approval. MMSD designed this approach with the understanding that if they want to drive green solutions forward under tight public funding, they would have to provide financial support. They additionally founded the Green Infrastructure Partnership Program, a competitive RFP that offers incentive funding for green infrastructure strategies designed by property owners and developers.
MMSD receives financial support from the federal government through various avenues, most notably the Clean Water Fund Program and Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). The EPA established the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in 2010 to finance pollution monitoring, toxic waste clean-ups, invasive species management and habitat improvements. MMSD has received USD $9 million in grants from the programme, a critical funding source for their NBS programs. GLRI represents the largest federal investment in the Great Lakes, surviving threats to budget cuts in recent years.
With the goal of accelerating the pace of NBS implementation in the U.S., MMSD adapted their definition of “infrastructure” to include nature-based solutions. They have encouraged this shift at the federal level to ensure that green infrastructure initiatives can be incorporated into existing funding mechanisms. A transition appears to be taking root as the GLRI announced in early 2019 a grant opportunity for projects that expand green stormwater infrastructure in Great Lakes communities. Securing confidence in NBS as a viable option for meeting water quality standards remains a challenge in the engineering community due to perceptions of uncertainty on performance and the timeframe for impact. Therefore, mandates from the U.S. EPA to support green infrastructure initiatives can have significant impact in accelerating the growth of NBS programs across the country. In urging early stage conversations with regulators, MMSD has positioned themselves at the forefront of the movement.
Kevin Shafer recognized at an early stage that changing perceptions about the utility at a local level would involve more than statements. MMSD needed to demonstrate action with its promised commitment. Drawing the connection between the quality and quantity of Milwaukee’s water and land stewardship has called into play a broader set of actors to consider their impact on water sources. The utility has strategically invested in water management through a process of outreach, engagement and education, tying NBS projects to the local community and agriculture sector. MMSD’s programmes subsequently demonstrate the substantial co-benefits that NBS can deliver beyond those related to hydrology.
References
Rondy, John (2006). Shepherd Express. “MMSD works. So why does everyone hate it?”.
US EPA (2019). Report to Congress on Combined Sewer Overflows to the Lake Michigan Basin.
US EPA (2017).Green Infrastructure.Integrating Green Infrastructure into Federal Regulatory Programs.
