Background

The Southeastern Wisconsin Watersheds Trust (SWWT) is a new umbrella organization that was formed to improve our region’s water resources through trust building and collaboration. It is a non-governmental, non-taxing, voluntary organization.

The Trust was established in 2008 and operates on two fundamental core concepts:

Core Concepts

--Water is a key regional asset, central to our quality of life, agriculture, and industry.  However, water is water.  The Trust recognizes that water and its sources are linked and that quantity and quality are two sides of the same coin.  This being the case, the Trust focuses on the concept of “integrated water resources management.”  This means implementing cost effective projects, which recognize the interdependence of surface water, groundwater and water dependent natural resources.

--Water knows no political boundaries.  Therefore the Trust has chosen to define its place, or the region where SWWT focuses its efforts, by nature’s boundaries—watersheds.  The Trust will focus its efforts in the Greater Milwaukee Watersheds that are defined as the watersheds of the Milwaukee River, the Menomonee River, the Kinnickinnic River, the Milwaukee Harbor estuary, the Lake Michigan direct drainage area, the Oak Creek and the Root River.

Origin of SWWT Water Trust

In the summer and fall of 2007 a Water Policy Advisory group assembled and facilitated by Dr. Nancy Frank, UWM Department of Urban Planning and funded by the Brico Fund, developed a mission, primary purposes and goals for the Trust. On May 7, 2008 at the first meeting of SWWT’s Executive Steering Council the goals were approved without exception.

Implementing its mission, purposes and goals is where the work of the SWWT will be accomplished. As the Trust moves forward with its work, it will use the recommendations of the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC) stated in its 2007 update to the Regional Water Quality Management Plan (RWQMP).  The recommendations provide a relevant and transparent foundation for moving forward. However, in order to move forward, under the collaborative direction of the Trust, second level planning must be done within each watershed to identified specific, targeted projects the will produce measurable improvements in water resources.  The second level planning will be done in the preparation of watershed restoration plans that will provide the framework for moving forward over the next several years of work. These watershed restoration plans will be developed in accordance with the Clean Water Act Sec.319 guidelines.

The “Watershed Restoration Plans” represent the first step in the implementation of truly science-based watershed improvement efforts.  The Trust is currently supporting the development of watershed restoration plans for the Kinnickinnic River and the Menomonee River.  This work effort will produce adaptive, phased watershed restoration plans for the Kinnickinnic River Watershed and the Menomonee River Watershed, which will contain the following:

• An implementation plan focused on activities that should take place in the near term to meet long-term water quality goals;
• A collaborative stakeholder involvement effort that will be based upon the Southeastern Wisconsin Watershed Trust (SWWT) policy and procedures;
• Potential additional targeted efforts on green infrastructure, pollutant trading, and social science measures;
• Consideration of sustainability in the development of the Plans.

This effort builds upon the sound science, extensive data and alternatives analysis of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) 2020 Facilities Plan and the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission’s (SEWRPC) Regional Water Quality Management Plan Update (RWQMPU) – the combined effort known as the Water Quality Initiative (WQI) which ended in 2007. 

Organization

SWWT Water Trust operates through the efforts of volunteers working through the following committees.

• Executive Steering Council
• Science and Technical Committee
• Law and Policy Committee
• Watershed Action Teams
• Ad Hoc Committees as needed

For more information about the organization of SWWT Water Trust, see the Policies and Procedures under Documents.

For more information about the members and activities of SWWT's committees, please take the links in the menu at the top of the page.