Prior to the first Earth Day in 1970, regulations to protect our air, water, and land simply did not exist. It took one Wisconsin native, Gaylord Nelson, to start the conversation of how to put environmental protection on the national agenda. He accomplished this incredible task by inventing Earth Day, a day to celebrate our earth's natural resources and recognize the importance of protecting them.
The Wisconsin Legislature is considering a bill that will provide an incentive for school districts to approve a 10-year capital improvement plan. The bill, as currently proposed, will create new language under State Statutes 20.255 - Appropriations and Budget Management for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and new language under State Statutes 120.137 - Long-Term Capital Improvement Trust Fund.
Bicycles are actually the world's most widely used transport vehicle, outnumbering automobiles almost two to one. However, the U.S. is a major exception to biking's popularity around the world with less than one percent of trips made in the U.S. done by bicycle.
Building in wetlands is usually not an engineer's or contractor's first choice, but sometimes it is unavoidable. State, local and federal agencies may have permit authority, and the application process usually requires a lot of site-specific information. Read these tips to remember when applying for wetland permits.
Storm water ponds can be designed and maintained as positive features in a neighborhood or business park. Consider these tips for maintaining these water quality features as natural ponds to enhance habitat and provide viewing opportunities for bicyclists, walkers, and residents.
The Village of Fox Point obtained an Urban Nonpoint Source Planning Grant from the Wisconsin DNR to update the Village's storm water management plan, emphasizing water quality modeling, updating ordinances, and evaluating Milwaukee River TMDL requirements. The Village selected Ruekert & Mielke, Inc. (R/M) in part due to their comprehensive storm water experience and capabilities in order to fully utilize the grant funding.
Various grant opportunities are available throughout the year for planning and implementation of coordinated, strategic measures to minimize the impacts of nutrients on our water resources and water bodies.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can be your one stop for filing and retrieval of your MS4 and TMDL records. Permit compliance activities can be simplified by tracking multiple project sites and related records through GIS.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) has restructured the municipal storm water (MS4) permit program. Discussions between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and WDNR in 2016 led to a goal of 35 MS4 audits per year out of 245 MS4 permitted communities statewide. This goal will result in most communities being audited during the 5-year MS4 permit term. Notification of an upcoming audit is typically given shortly before WDNR staff plan on visiting (approximately 2 weeks).
Keeping up to date with municipal road ratings and pavement management requires both organization and experience. The Town of Waukesha has utilized the services of Ruekert & Mielke, Inc. (R/M) for their pavement management needs, recognizing R/M's tested approach to providing quality pavement management programs to communities in Wisconsin and Illinois.
Backyard composting is a great way for municipalities to become more environmentally conscious while saving money and decreasing landfill waste. In most communities, composting is performed at a municipal yard which requires residents to expend fuel and time to haul their materials to the site.
Conducting road ratings is only one piece of the puzzle. Having a pavement management program in place can save you time, money, and stress when it comes to evaluating and maintaining your roads.