Learn about the different phases of restoration projects.
The projects fall into three categories:
Find the current status of each project below. You can find out more about each project on our project map.
Cleaned-up Waterways
Restored Ecosystems
- Burnham Canal Wetland Restoration – Phase II
- Kohl Park Wildlife Enhancements
- North Avenue Fish Passage
Swimmable Beaches
Cleaned-up Waterways
Restored Ecosystems
- Grand Trunk Wetland Restoration
- Havenwoods State Forest
- Lincoln Park Oxbow & Estabrook Falls (Milwaukee River Habitat Enhancement)
- Little Menomonee River Parkway Habitat Enhancements
- Milwaukee River Greenway
- Outer Harbor Aquatic Enhancements (Summerfest Lagoon)
Swimmable Beaches
Cleaned Up Waterways
- Basin H PCB Source Control
- Third Ward Cleanup
- Solvay Car Ferry Slip Cleanup
- South Marina Drive Sewer PCB Cleanout
Restored Ecosystems
Swimmable Beaches
For more detail and project timeline estimates, download our full project process timeline.
Third Ward Milwaukee River Cleanup
April 2023 Project Update: Have you seen things popping up along the Milwaukee River downtown? After years of planning, permitting and outreach, We Energies, along …
Lincoln Park Oxbow & Estabrook Falls (Milwaukee River Habitat Enhancement)
Plan, design, and eventually, when additional funding is identified, implement improvements to fish habitat and migration at the Lincoln Park Oxbow and Estabrook Falls. Partner …
Milwaukee River Floodplains
Recent soil samples from the Milwaukee River floodplains indicate the presence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and heavy metals such as …
Eutrophication
The Milwaukee Estuary AOC has historically experienced algal blooms and oxygen depletion due to high levels of nutrients entering the waterways from various sources including …
Solvay Car Ferry Slip
Solvay Car Ferry Slip We Energies is partnering with local, state and federal agencies to clean up portions of the Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern. …
Milwaukee River Greenway
Restoring unique habitat and enhancing diversity along one of Milwaukee’s most vital ecological and recreational corridors. The landscape that surrounds the Milwaukee River, known as …
Summerfest Lagoon
Outer Harbor (Summerfest Lagoon) EPA GLNPO is partnering with local and state agencies to clean up contaminated sediment and restore habitat within the Summerfest Lagoon …
North Avenue Fish Passage
North Avenue Fish Passage Fish and other aquatic species need to be able to swim upriver to access food sources, reproduce, and establish healthy, stable …
Little Menomonee River Parkway
The six-mile section of Little Menomonee River managed by Milwaukee County Parks, known as the Little Menomonee River Parkway, contains a special collection of natural …
Dredged Material Management Facility (DMMF)
Project Update October 2024: The Dredged Material Management Facility (DMMF) construction is continuing. Approximately 400 of the 950 circular piles have been installed along the …
Havenwoods State Forest
Havenwoods State Forest Habitat Design Public Information Meeting Saturday, August 17 | 1:00 – 2:00 PM Havenwoods State Forest (6141 N. Hopkins St. Milwaukee, WI 53209)Guided tour …
Restored Ecosystems
Activities such as filling in wetlands, clear cutting forests, and polluting the waterways with sewage and toxic industrial chemicals have harmed fish and wildlife and …
Cleaning Our Waterways – Sediment Removal
Great Lakes Legacy Act Contaminated Sediment Project Sediment Removal Overview: Over 12 miles of the Milwaukee, Menomonee, and Kinnickinnic rivers will be cleaned up to …
Basin H Sewers PCB Cleanup
The Basin H work is underway! Watch the October 2022 Basin H video update to see how this work will impact you. The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District …
Grand Trunk Cleanup & Wetland Restoration
Grand Trunk Cleanup & Wetland Restoration The Grand Trunk wetland is situated on City of Milwaukee property, between E. Stewart Street and E. Bay Street. …
South Shore Beach Rehabilitation Project
August 2024 Project Update:The South Shore Beach Rehabilitation Project is now out to bid! Contractor’s, visit the link to submit. After over a decade of …
South Marina Drive PCB Cleanup
South Marina Drive PCB Cleanup The City completed a sediment assessment at 1950 South Marina Drive in the Grand Trunk Slip (aka Skipper Buds Slip) …
Kohl Park Wildlife Enhancements
Kohl Park is a 266-acre property located on the far northern edge of Milwaukee County that provides an opportunity to improve habitat for wildlife populations …
Swimmable Beaches
Public health officials use beach advisories and closings to let people know when the water may be unsafe for swimming and in-water recreation. The beaches …
Burnham Canal Wetland Restoration
For thousands of years, the 1200-acre Menomonee River Valley was a wild rice marsh, home to Native Americans. By the mid-1800s, the settlement of Milwaukee …