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ROOTRIVERWATERQUALITYANDBIOLOGICAL DATA COLLECTIONBEGINS YEARSINADVANCEOFWAUKESHA’SNEWWATERPROGRAM UW-ParksideandU.S.GeologicalSurvey Data CollectiontoEstablishBaselineRiverConditions WAUKESHA,Wis.(Feb.16,2017)—AteamofprofessorsandsciencestudentsfromtheUniversityof Wisconsin-ParksideandresearchersfromtheU.S.GeologicalSurvey(USGS)beganwaterchemistryand biologicaldata collectionoftheRootRivertoday.Theirriverdata collectioneffortswillbeusedto understandtheriver’scurrentwaterqualityandbiologicalconditionsbeforetreatedwaterfrom Waukeshabeginstoflowintotheriverseveralyearsfromnowaspartofthecity’snewwaterprogram. PrioranalysishasshowntreatedwaterfromWaukeshacanimprovewaterqualityintheRootRiverand thatadditionalflowwillbebeneficialtofisheries. JohnSkalbeck,Ph.D.,aUW-Parksidegeosciencesprofessorisleadingthedata collectionwithseveral otherfacultyandstudentsfromtheschool’sCollegeofNaturalandHealthSciences.Inadditionto regularwaterqualitydata collection,UW-Parksidealsowillconductfishandmacroinvertebratedata collectionthissummerandfall.USGSstaffalsowillbemeasuringstreamflowandwaterquality parameterssuchaswatertemperature,oxygenlevels,andwaterclarity.Data collectionwilloccurat eightsitesstartingatOakwoodRoadinFranklinandcontinuingdownstreamtodowntownRacinenear themouthoftheriver. “Thisagreatopportunityforourstudentstoapplythelessonslearnedintheclassroomandlaboratory inthefieldonaprojectofinternationalsignificance,”saidSkalbeck.“That’squitealegacythatthese studentscanbeproudof.” Waukesha’snewwaterprograminvolvesapairofundergroundpipelines.Currentplanscallforthefirst tobeginatapumpingstationinOakCreek,carryingtreateddrinkingwaterfromLakeMichiganabout 20milesthroughthecommunitiesofFranklin,MuskegoandNewBerlinonitswaytoWaukeshaforuse asthecity’swatersupply.ThesecondpipelinewillreturnthewaterafteruseandtreatmentattheClean WaterPlantinWaukesha,thatcurrentlydischargesintotheFoxRiver,toanoutfallpointinFranklinthat emptiesintotheRootRiverandultimatelyflowsbackintoLakeMichigan. “Wearestartingtheriverdata collectionseveralyearsinadvanceofwhattheGreatLakesCompact Councildirected.TheCouncilsaidwemustmonitortheriveroncewebeginpipingtreatedwatertothe RootRiverforitsreturntothelake,”saidDanDuchniak,generalmanageroftheWaukeshaWaterUtility. “We’restartingnowsowewillmorefullyunderstandtheriver’scurrentconditionsothatwhenwe borrowLakeMichiganwaterandreturnittotheriver,wecanprotectwaterqualityintheriverand enhancetheriver’sfisheries.” —more— LastJune,theeightgovernorswhomakeuptheGreatLakesCompactCouncilapprovedWaukesha’s requesttoaccessdrinkingwaterfromLakeMichiganontheconditionthecityreturnthesameamount tothelakeviatheRootRiver.Waukeshasoughtthatpermissionafterspendingmorethantenyears studyingmorethanadozenwatersupplyalternatives.Waukesha’sprimarygroundwatersupplyhas droppedduetoageologicalfeaturethatlimitsrecharge.Levelsofradiumandothercontaminants increasedaswaterlevelsdeclined.Long-termexposuretoradiumislinkedtoincreasedriskofcancer,so anew,sustainablewatersourcewasneeded. “TheCityofWaukeshahadaclearobjectivewhenitbeganinvestigatingalternativestoitsincreasingly depletedwatersupplymorethanadecadeago:identifythemostsustainableandenvironmentally responsibleoption.TheGreatLakesCompactCouncilagreedthatLakeMichiganwastheonly reasonablealternative,”saidDuchniak.“Asthefirstcommunitytoproveitqualifiesforanexceptionto thediversionbanundertheGreatLakesCompact’sstraddlingcountiesprovision,we’rekeenlyawareof ourobligationnotonlytoourneighborsinthearea,buttotheentireGreatLakesbasin.” AnewdischargetotheRootRiverwillbeconstructedtocomplywiththeGreatLakesCompactCouncil’s decisionandtoreturnwatertoLakeMichigan.Duchniaknotedthat94%ofthestate’s503wastewater utilitiesdischargetheirtreatedwatertoriversandstreamsandthatonlyahandfulofcommunitiesin WisconsinprovidethesamelevelsoftreatmentthatWaukesha’sCleanWaterPlantdoes. Waukesha’sCleanWaterPlantcurrentlydischargestotheFoxRiver.Duchniaksaid,“Waukeshaitselfis downstreamfromtwocommunitiesthatalsodischargetotheFoxRiver,whichcanmakeup70%ofthe river’sflow.Butourresidentswaterski,kayakandfishintheriver.” “Thereturnflowwillimproveriverconditionsbyreducingtheconcentrationofphosphorus.Analysis we’vecompletedusingaSEWRPCwaterqualitymodelhasshownreducedphosphorusconcentration alsoresultsinreducedalgaeintheriver,”saidDuchniak.“ThereturnflowfromourCleanWaterPlant willincreasewaterlevelsduringlow-flowdriermonthswhenitisneededtohelpfishpassage,buthave insignificanteffectsonwaterlevelsduringhigherriverflows.” TheUW-Parksidestudentswilltestwatersamplesfor15standardparametersforwaterquality includingdissolvedoxygen,necessaryforfishandaquaticlife;nitrogenandphosphorus,whichcan contributetoalgalgrowth;turbidityandtotalsuspendedsolids,whichmeasurewaterclarity;andother commonwaterqualityparameterstounderstandtheriverwaterchemistry. “Thisisagreatopportunityforourstudents,providingthemvaluablereal-worldexperienceintheirfield ofstudythatcannotbereplicatedintheclassroom,”saidSkalbeck.“Italsoalignswithuniversity’s missionintermsofcommunityengagementandexemplifiestheroletheUniversityofWisconsin broughtforwardinthe‘WisconsinIdea.’” ### Mediacontact: DanDuchniak,P.E. WaukeshaWaterUtility (262)409-4440 [email protected]
