MMSD Recognized for Effective and Innovative Flood Management Solutions

11/20/19 01:30:pm

Flooding in the United States has cost more than $845 billion in damage to homes, businesses, and infrastructure since 2000. With severe storms expected to increase over the next several decades, the need to reduce the effects of future floods is critical. “Mitigation Matters,” new research from The Pew Charitable Trusts, identifies 13 states or cities that have adopted policies resulting in effective flood mitigation.

Pew Charitable Trusts identified Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) as a leader in flood management for our use of green infrastructure to manage water. Read more about their case study on Milwaukee.

“MMSD is a leader in innovative and smart green infrastructure solutions that have improved the resiliency of their community addressing flooding and the public health hazards of stormwater.”

- Deborah Nagle, an EPA director.

Milwaukee Uses Regulations to Support Nature-Based Solutions to Reduce Flooding

Land acquisitions and river restorations help capture stormwater

By: Pew Charitable Trusts

As the city of Milwaukee has grown over the past century, managers of its stormwater system have struggled to keep up with development. Heavy rains have overwhelmed the system, flooding nearby properties and polluting local waterways. In response, the city began in the early 2000s to try to curb flooding and reduce the need to treat wastewater with “green infrastructure:”¹ relying on open land, increased vegetation, and a range of equipment to capture water.

In 2013, the city worked with permitting authorities to set a goal of using green infrastructure to capture an additional 5 million gallons of stormwater and wastewater runoff,² the first of its kind in the U.S.³ The city achieved this milestone about a year later and subsequently developed the capacity to store another 7 million gallons.