Mission

 Protect, restore and sustain the ecosystem

in the Root River and Pike River
watersheds through the funding and
facilitation of a regional network of locally
initiated projects.
 History
 1998--Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources convened individuals and
organizations to serve on what was called the
Root-Pike Partnership.

 2000--Root-Pike Watershed Initiative Network

formed. The Racine Community Foundation
provided initial financial and leadership support.

 2001--First grant awards funded.

 Root-Pike
Waukesha
Milwaukee
Watershed
Racine Root River
Kenosha Pike River
Pike Creek
327 square Oak Creek
miles
Wind Point
300,000
people
 Sponsors
 SC Johnson Fund
 E.C. Styberg Foundation
 S.E. Wisconsin Clean Water Network
 Racine Community Foundation
 In-Sink-Erator (Emerson Electric)
 WE Energy Corporation
 S.E. Wisconsin Watersheds Trust
 Individual Donors
 Programs
 Watershed-based Grant Program

 Rain Garden Initiative

 Keep Our Waters Clean!

 Root River Initiatives

 Watershed-based Grant Program
 $414,000 in small grants awarded

 Upcoming deadline: February 1, 2011

 Watershed-based Grant Program
Pike River Restoration, Village of Mt. Pleasant

Improve water
quality & fish
habitat

Reduce flooding

• Increase
recreational
opportunities
 Watershed-based Grant Program
Water Quality Assessment of Root River
City of Racine

• Bacteria (E. coli)

• Turbidity
• Detergents
• pH
• Water temperature
• Chlorine
• Conductivity (road salt)
• Copper
• Phenols
 Watershed-based Grant Program
Schurn Prairie Restoration, Oak Creek,
Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District

17-acre reforestation and

prairie restoration on farmland

MMSD’s Greenseam program

Encourage infiltration

Reduce flooding
 Watershed-based Grant Program
Canoe & Kayak Launch, Village of Caledonia

New recreational
access on Root River
 KEEP OUR WATERS CLEAN!
Southeast Wisconsin Clean Water Network

 Two year project, kicked off January 2009

 17 municipalities and UW-Parkside in southeast

Wisconsin

 Help meet Information & Education regulatory

requirements (NR 216) of their storm water
discharge permit
 KEEP OUR WATERS CLEAN!
Southeast Wisconsin Clean Water Network
 Household survey completed

 Media campaign this summer, “Save the

fish, build a rain garden”

 Rain Garden workshops, grants, tour

 Website
 KEEP OUR WATERS CLEAN!
Information & Education
 Sources of storm water pollution and methods of
prevention.

 Reuse of leaves and grass clippings and proper use of

lawn and garden fertilizers and pesticides.

 Management of stream banks and shorelines.

 Infiltration of residential storm water runoff from rooftop

downspouts, driveways and sidewalks, such as rain
gardens and rain barrels.
Rain Garden Initiative
 Rain Garden Initiative

 73 gardens funded since 2008

• Average size: 225 sq. ft.

• Infiltrating approx. 695,520 gallons of

rainwater and snow-ice melt annually
 What is a Rain Garden?

 Small stormwater detention facility

 Captures water from roof, driveway, parking

lots

 Holds water in shallow basin (4-8 “ deep)

allowing it to soak into ground, evaporate.

 Infiltrates approximately 40 gallons of water

per one square foot of garden
 Why a Rain Garden?

 Reduce stormwater runoff

 Major cause of pollution in our streams, rivers

and lakes

 Stormwater runs off our property and into

streets, picking up lawn chemicals, animal
waste, yard waste, auto oils and carries them
untreated to our waterways
 Rain Gardens

 Manage rainwater where it falls

 Other ways:
 Rain barrels
 Green roofs
 Pervious pavement,
 Buffers/filter strips along waterways
Rain Garden Initiative
Workshops

Why and how to build

a rain garden

Over 300 people

attended
Rain Garden Initiative
Technical Standard

 Specifications for
building rain
gardens (WIDNR)
in accordance with
s. NR 151.31, Wis.
Adm. Code.
Rain Gardens
Gateway Technical College, Racine
2008

Planting day, May 2008

Gateway Technical College, Racine

June 2009
Ron & Sue Latus, Hales Corners

Newly planted, 2009

Franklin Public Library

Planning, planting 2010

UW-Parkside, Somers

2nd year, 2009

Karl Gress Commercial Building
New Berlin

Parking lot sheet flow, 2009

Tom La Duke, Kenosha

Excavation, planting, 2008

Tom La Duke, Kenosha

2009
Visitors & Convention Bureau
Yorkville
Chris & Mark Flynn, Wind Point
Harley & Evelyn Dell
Mt. Pleasant
Pringle Nature Center, Bristol
Walden III School Racine

1st year, 2009 (yikes!)

Walden III School, Racine

2010 (better)
 UW-Parkside
Root River Environmental Education & Community Center
Racine

3rd year garden

Richard Ting, Sturtevant

2010, newly planted

 Root River Initiatives
Root River Inventory
Web-based resource to identify past,
current and planned projects and studies
in the Root River watershed

Root River Restoration Plan

New watershed-wide collaboration to
restore and improve the river’s water
quality, habitat, access & recreation
Protect, restore and sustain
 Thank you!

www.rootpikewin.org

262-898-2055

susan@rootpikewin.org