Friend of Milwaukee’s Rivers To Sue Heartland Development Group, Ltd

Last Thursday, Friends of Milwaukee’s Rivers, through its attorneys at Midwest Environmental Advocates, sent a notice of intent to sue under the Clean Water Act to Heartland Development Group, Ltd. and their contractor, ACT Planning and Development, LLC for their recent clear-cut of approximately five acres of vegetation adjacent to the Milwaukee River at Estabrook Falls in Glendale. This clear-cut of vegetation and disturbance of soil was an obvious violation of the Clean Water Act as the companies failed to obtain a proper stormwater discharge permit from the Wisconsin DNR, and neglected to create an approved Erosion Control Plan or install erosion controls in a timely manner to limit stormwater runoff. To complicate the matter, the area of disturbance contains wetlands and habitat for the State threatened Butler’s Garter Snake, which would have required the developer to obtain several other permits. FMR is very concerned about stabilizing this site and getting seed established this late in the year, as well as the effects on water quality and the wildlife habitat of the Milwaukee River. FMR is also advocating to ensure public access for paddlers that use this property to portage around Estabrook Falls and access for fishermen that have been using this site for decades to fish in the Milwaukee River. For our press release, media, and other information, please visit the FMR website.

While I’m definitely a champion of urban development, it’s absolutely essential to have respect for the natural environment and that doesn’t appear to be the case here. Best of luck to the Friends of Milwaukee’s River (disclaimer: I am a member) and more importantly their legal team at Midwest Environmental Advocates. The Journal Sentinel has an article about the ordeal.