The future of the dam at Estabrook Park is a hot topic these days, with environmentalists backing its destruction as advocates fight to save it.

The state has ordered repair work for the dam -- which Milwaukee County has neglected for years -- three times since 1995. Water advocates see this as an opportunity to stop spending money on repairs and have the dam removed.

The County Board will vote on whether to spend $1.4 million to fix the dam, which blocks the Milwaukee River just east of Port Washington Road. If the dam stays in place and is kept permanently closed, the cost would range between $2 million and $2.5 million. One estimate states that the tab for removing the dam would cost about $1.8 million or $2 million.

Folks wanting to keep the dam have rallied around a group called the Milwaukee River Preservation Association. They argue that keeping the dam open or tearing it down would release toxins that have built up behind it.

Another obvious argument is that the homes that line the river upstream from the dam would have a new mudflat and the river's level would drop to the point where homeowners couldn't float boats any more.

The Milwaukee Riverkeeper, behind interim executive director Cheryl Nenn, is leading the argument for removing the dam. The main thrust here is that getting rid of the dam would make the river healthier. Nenn and the Riverkeepers say that no private landowner will have to pay for a sediment clean-up and that the newly-exposed land that comes with the dam opening would have to be cleaned, anyway.

"Milwaukee Riverkeeper believes that removal of the dam would have the greatest positive impacts on flood management, water quality, sediment management, fish and aquatic life, terrestrial wildlife and recreation," Nenn said. "Dam removal will help us reach our vision of restoring the natural and wild aspect of the Milwaukee River."

The arguments echo those made when the North Avenue Dam came down in 1997. Concerns landowners had over sediment were addressed by remediation efforts and a UW-Madison study says land values improve for properties next to a free-flowing stream.

The Parks Committee will consider the repair job on Tuesday. A County Board committee in 2005 voted to take dam demolition out as an option.

Granted: Speaking of the Milwaukee Riverkeeper, the group is in line to get a $10,000 grant towards getting more river quality monitors on the water. The River Network-MillerCoors Watershed Protection Grant contest has selected the Riverkeeper organization as one of eight finalists for the money. There will be four winners. The funding will go toward training and equipping volunteer water monitors to have more trained volunteers in the field collecting data about the rivers.

The group is in line to win based on people going to the official Web site for the contest and voting for the Milwaukee Riverkeeper:

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Recent Talkbacks ...

Posted by ariar on March 5, 2009 at 8:24 p.m. (report)

When the North Ave Dam was left open, WDNR voluminous press releases persuasively influenced educated readers by shear volume of data and argument that removal of the dam would be in Milwaukee's best interests. "Look how wonderful, the river is finally running free for the first time since 1835. Now it is "cutting it's own "natural channel' AND it's "cleaning itself. My question is: Where did all those "Highly Polluted and TOXIC" river bottom soils go? What were the quantities? Why was there NEVER a mention of this aspect of the reality in these "honest" press releases? What consequences flowed from this deception of our reading public? Lastly, since you will find if the Estabrook Dam is left open for the canoeing season, April- to Nov Even IF you were able to canoe thru 1 or 2 times, the reality is: you won't float thru without near continual ground out about 95% of any visits you make to this impoundment. To imagine otherwise will prove as wrong as the decieved Westv Bent public was after unuseable canoe launch sites were installed at the Woolen Mill Dam was removed . Please become observant. Sometimes those who buy the most printers ink have HIDDEN AGENDAS! Beware.

Posted by kinnickinnic on March 5, 2009 at 6:23 a.m. (report)

Tear it down now! It is pain to portage around and it's removal will improve the water quality. Oh yeah. Mud flats are free land.