Estabrook Park Fish Habitat Discussion Scheduled For Wednesday

SHOREWOOD, WI — Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewer District scheduled a community information meeting about efforts to improve fish and wildlife habitat around Estabrook and Lincoln Parks.

The MMSD meeting will be held virtually on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.

The meeting will update the community on the ongoing efforts to make Milwaukee County's waterways healthier, the project website said. Alongside general updates, the meeting will talk about how MMSD is improving the habitat around the Milwaukee River for fish and wildlife.

A community survey has been released that seeks to inform the planning of projects for fish and wildlife habitats. Survey responses are due Sunday.

In 2015, an MMSD project removed contaminated sediment from the Estabrook portion of the Milwaukee River and attempted to stabilize the river channel. During that project, little attention was given to enhancing the habitat for fish and wildlife, according to the project website.

In addition, the artificial Estabrook Falls can prevent native fish from swimming upstream. The waterfall, artificially created by limestone mining about 100 years ago, causes the issue during certain water levels. This can inhibit access to spawning grounds, according to the project website.

Discussions about confronting the issues at Estabrook Park, as well as issues at nearby Lincoln Park and around the Milwaukee River, will be the central topic of Wednesday evening's discussion, according to the project website.

The eventual goal, when funding becomes available, will be to design and implement improvements along the Milwaukee River that can improve fish habitat and migration, according to the project website.

A project timeline says that preliminary designs could be submitted by this fall, but plans are subject to change.

Read more about the MMSD project, meeting and public survey online.