The Water That Made Milwaukee Famous

The new group Milwaukee Water Commons sets 8 goals for sustainability, equity and community

Here's a new video showcasing the work of theMilwaukee Water Commons to make Milwaukee a Water City that works for everyone, including future generations and the natural world. On Sunday August 9, they are holding a community beachfront celebration,We Are Water.

Here's an update about their Water City 3.0 meeting held in June from their website:

Through a highly participatory process involving over 200 people and months of work, we’ve collaborated with you to frame up eight types of water goals that have emerged in our discussions so far:

• Every child receives a water education and increased access to water fun. This means our kids know how to swim; how to get to rivers, pools and the lake; and engage in water-based curriculum across multiple disciplines and throughout the duration of their schooling.

• Milwaukee, the City of Festivals, hosts an annual Water Festival that both celebrates and pays tribute to our waters.

• Creative signage is installed to highlight our water recreation opportunities and other water and watershed features.

• The number of public water bottle refill stations and bubblers are increased all over the city.

• The City prioritizes green infrastructure and requires new construction to include more green roofs, rain gardens, water capture and reclamation systems, and other forms of water conservation.

• Our three rivers and their tributaries are restored and naturalized so they meet or exceed water quality standards.

• Milwaukee incentivizes the development of interactive water apps that allow users to share useful water info, alerts, events and citizen science.

• As a city we foster technology and the development of jobs focused on water protection and conservation, positioning Milwaukee as a recognized leader in stewardship technology.