MMSD Blue Notes graphic by Executive Director Kevin Shafer

10/13/25 04:00:pm

“Today is Indigenous Peoples’ Day. I want to take a moment to honor and thank Indigenous communities for their enduring contributions, leadership, and connection to the lands we share.”

Stronger Together: Building a Flood-Resilient Future

The 1,000-year storm that occurred in August will happen again. I don’t know when, but it will happen, and we all should treat this as a devastating wakeup call. We need to collectively take steps to continue the work that has been started and prepare for the future with a shared community approach.

As of today, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved applications from more than 3,500 residents and granted more than $26 million in financial aid across Milwaukee County. We are all very thankful for this support.

The flood management work completed by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) and our municipalities performed well during the storm and has been reported to have significantly reduced the August flood damage.

Milwaukee County Grounds flood management basins after the August 9-10, 2025, storm.

Looking ahead, we know that more than 1,400 homes and businesses sit in low, floodplain areas in the MMSD service area. MMSD is working to further reduce the risk of flooding for these properties by implementing large flood management projects. 

Nevertheless, we also experienced flooding outside the floodplain areas in August.  Implementing more green infrastructure, large and small, throughout the region will help manage this flood risk.

I have asked my staff to develop a plan to accelerate future green infrastructure and flood management projects. I think we can prioritize our work to bring these improvements sooner. This will take community support and understanding.  

To start, on Monday, October 13, 2025, the MMSD Executive Council of the Intergovernmental Cooperation Council (ICC), comprised of the elected Mayors and Village Presidents within MMSD’s Milwaukee County jurisdiction, passed a resolution supporting MMSD’s efforts to accelerate the flood management program throughout the County and asked that the accelerated capital and financial plans be presented to the ICC at a future meeting. I want to thank the Milwaukee County elected leaders for their support in this resolution. Additionally, thank you for the support from Mayor Cavalier Johnson and County Executive David Crowley.

New Testament Church of Milwaukee constructed a wetland to capture and treat 1.86 million gallons of stormwater from the surrounding area in partnership with MMSD's community-based green infrastructure program.

Once complete, MMSD will present this plan to the community. As I said, this will take a shared community approach. The community must take some steps in addition to the flood management plan. Individuals need to get involved to help advocate for the plan, join the Adopt-A-River program, plant trees, improve our parks, clean storm sewer grates, install a rain barrel, and monitor the state of our community’s environmental health.

Collectively, these steps will all help. Let’s do what we can to protect our future.

Kevin L. Shafer Signature

Kevin L. Shafer, P.E.
Executive Director - Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District

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