Wisconsin scientists are working on new ways to protect drinking and surface water from pollutants. They’re also investigating better methods of cleaning water that's already contaminated. But researchers say success may cost taxpayers more money. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Secretary Preston Cole has been promising to place a higher priority on good science when crafting policy. For example, he hopes better research will lead to cleaner drinking water. » See More Project Milwaukee: Great Lakes, Troubled Waters Stories "We have communities around this state that have lost surety about turning on their pipes and having fresh drinking water. In certain parts of the state, it's PFAs [chemicals used in firefighting foam and other products] — emerging contaminants. In the southwest, there's nitrate in drinking water. And lead laterals continue to wreak havoc on some of our urban and oldest cities around the state of Wisconsin," Cole explains. According to engineering professor

WUWM's Project Milwaukee series Great Lakes, Troubled Waters is examining the topic of clean water, or the lack thereof, in southeastern Wisconsin — particularly in a place like Milwaukee that considers itself to be a "water hub." Water hubs are places where industry, research, and academia converge in their efforts to create sustainable efforts or create new technology utilizing one of our most precious resources. » See More Project Milwaukee: Great Lakes, Troubled Waters Stories Dean Amhaus is president and CEO of The Water Council , a nonprofit organization that brings together these disparate entities. "We're not going out there and cleaning up the rivers and the lakes. But hopefully our technology can help the Milwaukee Water Commons or the Riverkeeper to be able to do a better job and a bigger impact," he explains. Amhaus says that people are looking to Milwaukee for solutions that local companies and universities are developing. "They're looking for business-to-business

Quality is perhaps the most important part of any water distribution system. Water utilities process every drop that makes it into our plumbing, which takes a lot of time and energy. One way to keep from overburdening the system is by reducing our consumption — what we know as "water conservation." Bill Graffin works for the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District , which works in wastewater treatment and conservation efforts in the Milwaukee area. Here are some helpful tips from Graffin on how you can conserve water at home. » See More Project Milwaukee: Great Lakes, Troubled Waters Stories 1. Collect and reuse rainwater Rainwater is not only healthier for your plants, it's healthier for our sewage system. Capturing rain in a bin or cistern helps divert large amounts of water from entering our sewers and gives more nutrients to plants. Just make sure you don't drink it. "You never know what's in that water without putting it under a magnifying glass," Graffin cautions. 2. Create a

In discussions about the health and safety of water, it’s typical to hear from experts, public health officials and government leaders. But you don't often get the opinions of younger people who are just beginning to learn and care about natural resources. Young people working with Cream City Conservation Corps are having some real conversations about the environment. August Ball leads the discussion at the group’s regular Tuesday night meeting in the Silver City neighborhood on Milwaukee's south side. » See More Project Milwaukee: Great Lakes, Troubled Waters Reports After noticing a disconnect between young people of color and the environment, Ball founded Cream City Conservation Corps. Much, she says, has to do with environmental racism: the disproportionate impact of environmental hazards on people of color. For example, pollutants from power plant smokestacks that can contribute to asthma and other respiratory diseases. The Conservation Corps members range in age. Some are in high

Rainstorms are a challenge to clean water. They can cause flooding and potentially damaging runoff . But utilities, landscape architects and others are finding solutions — visible everywhere from the county grounds to your neighborhood ice cream shop. In 2011, MMSD built a large basin on the Milwaukee County Grounds. It's a 17-foot-deep sunken pool with grassy walls that, when full, looks like two connected natural lagoons. The basin can hold up to 315 million gallons of water. » See More Project Milwaukee: Great Lakes, Troubled Waters Reports Tom Chapman, project manager for the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD), says the intent of the project is "to store the water upstream so that it’s not in the flood plains, flooding structures downstream." "Depending on the size of the event, it could take a day or longer to fill up, and then it’s held back here for a number of days and released slowly through an outlet structure on the downstream side of the basin," he says. The

Both cryptosporidium and lead have threatened Milwaukee’s clean drinking water. While there are stark differences in the two water contaminants, what can we learn from how the city dealt with both? First, it’s important to state that cryptosporidium and lead are completely different. Crypto is a bacteria. Lead is a metal. Crypto has one parasitic source, while lead has many (paint, dust, dirt, pipes). Crypto makes people visibly sick, but lead can be in the body for a long time without showing any side effects. Both crypto and lead are widespread risks that reveal vulnerabilities in Milwaukee’s drinking water infrastructure. Let’s start by looking back at the cryptosporidium outbreak in the spring of 1993. “We had many people coming in with severe stomach issues, and the advice given out by a pharmacist or doctor would be told to drink water, stay hydrated, drink more water, take Imodium, you’ll feel better in a few days," recalls Dawn, a pharmacy technician in Milwaukee during the

When the Lead and Copper Rule was first issued in 1991, it put federal limits on the acceptable amount of these metals found in drinking water. Cities started testing their water. Researchers experimented with chemicals that could inhibit the corrosion of pipes — the main source of contamination. But for some cities, like Madison, Wis., that simply wasn’t enough. "[The Lead and Copper Rule] has a fundamental flaw, and that is: it's over-simplistic. It doesn't acknowledge the multiple factors by which lead and copper leave piping materials and get into the drinking water," says Abigail Cantor, the president of Process Research Solutions , a consulting firm based in Madison that specializes in drinking water quality. After extensive testing, Cantor found that Madison’s water could not be fully controlled without removing its lead pipes. So in 2001, the city took an uncommon step: it removed the pipes. Nearly two decades later, Milwaukee still has lead pipes. But, why? Cantor says the

WUWM is diving into the topic of clean water, or the lack thereof, in southeastern Wisconsin for our Project Milwaukee Series: Great Lakes, Troubled Waters . Tuesday’s live Lake Effect examines some of the main threats to our waterways. Here's an overview of those threats, in no particular order, along with links to some of our in-depth reporting for the Project Milwaukee series. Plus, you'll find some examples of what's being done to address them. » Overall Health Of Our Water » Solutions To Our Water Challenges Runoff To Val Klump, dean and professor at UW-Milwaukee's School of Freshwater Sciences, runoff is the greatest threat and one of the biggest challenges to clean water in the Great Lakes region - especially in suburban and rural areas. One example is Ulao Creek, as WUWM's Marti Mikkelson reports . It's a tributary of the Milwaukee River in Ozaukee County. Like many other riverways in Wisconsin, a lack of vegetation creates the opportunity for large amounts of sediments to

In older cities like Milwaukee, lead pipes are a potential threat. But there are different problems in rural areas. Ulao Creek is a tiny stream tucked into a quiet neighborhood in Mequon. On a recent afternoon, the water was high due to heavy rains the night before. And members of environmental group Milwaukee Riverkeeper are testing the water. » See More Project Milwaukee: Great Lakes, Troubled Waters Reports Using a plastic bottle mounted to a pole, Paul Lindquist stands on a bridge and scoops some water from the creek. He then pours it into a long tube. He’s checking for murkiness and the presence of nitrates. “Now we slowly pull the piece of string that’s in the tube to raise the washer, and we typically just go slowly. We are at about 20 centimeters, which is showing that the water has enough sediment in it that we are unable to see much further than 20 centimeters through the water column,” he says. Lindquist is a volunteer for Riverkeeper’s citizen monitor program. The manager