Water Quality Initiative:

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• Water Quality Initiative
• Water Resource Improvements for the Greater
  Milwaukee Watersheds
• Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful
• Wednesday, May 11, 2005

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What is MMSD?

• State Chartered Regional Agency
• Provides wastewater treatment and flood
  management
• Serves 1.1 million customers in 28 communities
• Covers 420 square miles

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Greater Milwaukee Watersheds A Larger Water
Environment than MMSD
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Overflow Reduction
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Overflow Reduction Plan

• Overflow Reduction PlanPhase 2
• 900 million in projects
• Increases Deep Tunnel storage by 28
• Treatment Plant Upgrades
• Must be completed by 2010

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Why Look at Water Quality Regionally?
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Beaches will still close even with ZERO
overflows.
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Where Does Pollution Come From?
LAKE MICHIGAN WATER SYSTEM
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Watershed Approach

• Watershed Geography
• Science-based Decision-making
• INCLUSION Public Involvement/Planning
• Publicly inspired goals objectives, other input
• Pollution Sources
• Water Resource Impairments
• People Involved
• Weather Conditions

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The Watershed Approach

• Involves comprehensive consideration and
  cooperative management of all entities that
  affect the flow and quality of waters within the
  Greater Milwaukee Watersheds.

Key Factor Inclusion
Source Nancy Schultz, CH2M Hill
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Inclusion Addresses More of the Real Issues
Source Nancy Schultz, CH2M Hill
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Project Goal Statement

• The 2020 plan will identify the
• Facilities
• Policies
• Operational Improvements
• Programs
• That are necessary to accomplish the water
  resource goals inspired by our public.

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Water Quality Initiative Timeline

• 2002-03 Plan organization and methods
  development
• 2003-04 Identification of goals and objectives
• 2004-05 Data collection and forecasting
  conditions
• 2005-06 Development and evaluation of
  alternatives
• 2006-07 Plan selection development of
• implementation plan
• 2007 Final plan approval
• 2008 Plan implementation

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Water Quality Initiative Context

• MMSD
• Engineering Analysis Technical Planning
• Public Involvement Planning
• Larger Context
• SEWRPC RWQMP Update
• Working w/DNR and SEWRPC

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WQI Technical Activities Underway

• Significant, Integrated Modeling
• 6 watersheds
• Conveyance System
• Treatment Systems (including Biosolids)
• Current and Future
• Technology Evaluation (more on that)
• Chapter Writing

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Technology Evaluation

• Technologies Alternative Building Blocks
• Technologies Come Together to Meet Goals and
  Objectives
• Regulatory Goals
• Publicly Inspired Goals

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WQI Activities Beginning

• Crafting Foundations for Alternatives
• Developing Alternatives Evaluation Matrix
• Developing LOP (more on that)
• Modeling Biosolids Alternatives
• Coordinating SEWRPCs Work

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Level of Service/Protection Example

• How often or much?
• Balancing Act
• What Standard of Protection for Sewers
• Storm event?
• Wastewater event?
• Water quality standards protection?

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What is Public Involvement Planning?

• IAP2 A process to make better decisions
• Getting people to participate, in meaningful ways
• This project
• realities match expectations
• expectations align with financial resources
• ensure relevance in the outcome
• Rocket Science

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What do Public Involvement Planning and Rocket
Science Have in Common?

• Important
• Difficult
• Uncharted
• Time-consuming
• Necessary
• Magnificent

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Another Way to Look at It

• Public Participation is
• Clearly defined in concept difficult in practice
• Getting people to participate
• Getting participation to be meaningful
• Needs to tie into do-able actions

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Do-Able Actions, For InstanceEvery Drop Counts

• Effort helps people understand how their water
  usage during rain storms affects water quality.
• Appeals to people in some way
• Water
• Energy
• Money

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WQI Public Involvement Planning and Education

• Committees
• General Public

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WQI Input from Committees

• CAC
• TAT
• WOF

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WQI Input from the General Public

• Annual Conferences
• Newsletters, Web site
• Telephone Hotline (insert number)
• Project Open Houses
• Educational Pieces

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WQI Input Goals

• Goal 1 Improved Water Resources
• Goal 2 Regional Leadership, Education and
  Collaboration
• Goal 3 Strong Governmental Role in
  Environmental Protection
• Goal 4 Effective Planning and Design

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WQI Examples of Committee / Public Input

• Goals and Objectives
• What they are
• Whats most important
• Criteria Used to Evaluate Technologies
• Whats most important
• Criteria Used to Evaluate Biosolids Options
• Future
• Authority and responsibility
• Measures
• Alternatives
• Other

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WQI Input Future

• On-going Committee Work
• On-going General Public Outreach
• Open Houses
• Clean Rivers, Clean Lakes III
• Outreach/Education, always

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WQI Working Together

• The Future of Our Water Resources Depends on It

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• Nothing great was ever achieved without
  enthusiasm.
• Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Water Quality Initiative Questions?