Collaborating to secure healthy & sustainable water resources throughout the Greater Milwaukee Watersheds
Southeastern Wisconsin Watersheds Trust, Inc., a unique partnership of independent units of government, special purpose districts, non-profit organizations and local residents was established achieve healthy and sustainable resources in SE Wisconsin through collaborative, coordinated efforts. 1000 Friends of Wisconsin has joined this partnership to help advance its work.
While there have been significant improvements in water quality since the adoption of the 1972 Clean Water Act, the Act’s central goal of “fishable, swimmable and drinkable waters” has not been achieved. With the issue of point source pollution largely addressed, the focus now is the problem of non-point pollution.
Water flows through the landscape irrespective of municipal or sewerage district boundaries accumulating pollutants that reflect land use and how we live on the land.
The inherent characteristics of water and the wide-spread nature of non-point pollution require that we address the problem through a collaborative, watershed approach employing new approaches to mitigation and remediation as well as renewed efforts for conservation and restoration.
To this end, Southeastern Wisconsin Watersheds Trust, Inc. is committed to these goals:
- Make measureable progress toward improving the water resources in the region
- Identify and support land use practices and designs that enhance and improve water resources and promote and restore ecological benefits
- Forge and strengthen relationships to leverage funding and recommend policies to assist in the implementation of projects to produce lasting water resource benefits and cost savings throughout the Great Milwaukee Watersheds and near-shore Lake Michigan
- Implement cost-effective projects that result in measurable improvements in water quality and water resources.