Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat News
The Newsletter of the Great Lakes
Aquatic Habitat Network and Fund
Volume 10, Number 5 • Winter 2002/2003
Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat NewsThe Newsletter of the Great Lakes
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by Charlie Luthin
Two major gas pipeline projects- one under construction, one in the permit stage-will result in considerable impacts to scarce wetlands in southeastern Wisconsin. The "Guardian," a 141-mile 36-inch pipeline that passes from Joliet, Illinois through two southern Wisconsin counties-Walworth and Jefferson-will be directly impacting 60 total wetland acres on 45 wetland crossings. Furthermore, the pipeline crosses 36 waterways, meaning that the riverbanks and adjoining ecosystems will be heavily disturbed in order to lay the pipe through or under the waterway. Whereas the Guardian staff have argued that there will be no permanent impact to the wetlands since the excavated trench is temporary, we are certain that the impacts will be extensive and in some cases, permanent. The indirect impacts are considerable and at present, immeasurable.
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has already granted permits for the Guardian pipeline and it is being constructed at a frantic pace. A crew of 700 is working diligently to meet an unrealistic timeline for completion, and in the process is being careless and irresponsible in observing permit conditions that would offer modest protection to the wetland and river resources. During a visit to four different wetland sites by WWA staff and board chair Alice Thompson, together with DNR personnel, seven permit violations and a serious violation of state law were observed. Landowners along the route have repeatedly shared observations of permit violations, with little response by the water regulatory staff of DNR. As of this writing, no enforcement action has been taken, weeks after the discovery of violations.
Unfortunately, we are seeing a double standard for wetland protection by the DNR in Wisconsin-stricter measures for the "little guy" while large construction projects continue to destroy and impact wetlands unabated. The Guardian pipeline and associated "lateral" pipeline project (35 miles) that extends eastward will undoubtedly represent the single largest cumulative impact to wetlands over the next year in Wisconsin. The lateral pipeline is in the final stages of planning, and the company is seeking a permit for the nearly finalized route.WWA is arguing that the route selected will directly impact considerably more wetlands than is necessary, and is trying to have the route altered.
With financial support from the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat Network, and the American Transmission Company, Wisconsin Wetlands Association coordinated a late-summer citizen-based inventory of purple loosestrife infestations in thirteen Great Lakes coastal counties. Over 130 volunteers logged more than 6,000 miles, covering highways, by-ways and back roads as well as lakes and rivers in search of the invasive loosestrife.This survey represents the most extensive inventory of the invasive loosestrife in the past 16 years.
All occurrences of the exotic plant, with a special focus on large infestations, were recorded on standard data sheets and maps. The data are presently being entered into a web-accessible GIS system through the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC). The website is: www.glifwc-maps.org As a follow-up to the inventory,WWA and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) are coordinating workshops in four coastal locations this fall to train volunteers in the biological control of purple loosestrife. Teachers are the primary target audience of the training program. WWA has developed a teacher's guidebook to purple loosestrife ecology and bio-control, and is presently sharing the guide with teachers in the hope that the teachers will engage their students in the project next spring and summer.
In a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in Minneapolis, EPA expressed significant concerns with the draft Environmental Assessment as issued by the DOT. They cite the direct loss of 54 acres of wetlands and additional impacts to 44 acres of trees (including 18 acres of forested wetlands) as worrisome, and mention that no mitigation had been proposed for these significant losses. The EPA has proposed to FAA the development of a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the project if it moves forward as written, but indicates that "we would object to the Corps [Army Corps of Engineers] issuing a Clean Water Act Section 404 [wetland fill] permit for this proposal." In their lengthy analysis of the EA, the EPA indicated that water quality issues associated with the adjoining Milwaukee River had not been adequately addressed.
There is considerable momentum for completion of this project in the City of West Bend, and we fully expect to see a reworked airport expansion proposal sometime in late winter. In the meantime, WWA is helping a local citizens group-Taxpayers Against Airport Growth (TAAG)-challenge the airport project in its entirety.WWA staff have attended several TAAG meetings to discuss options with local landowners and concerned citizens. Furthermore, we have visited landowner properties to see what is at stake.
Extensive floodplain forested wetlands and marshland will be cleared and paved if the airport and highway expansion are approved.We have considerable concern for water quality and flooding of the Milwaukee River, as well as the direct and irreversible destruction of nearly 100 acres of wetlands. The project would undoubtedly result in serious downstream impacts in the greater Milwaukee metropolitan region. Furthermore, the airport project would represent the largest single wetland loss for any construction site in Wisconsin since 1991… and the DOT has suggested that there is no significant impact!
During a plenary speech at the recent "Waters of Wisconsin" Forum (October 21-22) in Madison, DNR Secretary Darrell Bazzell read a statement from Governor Scott McCallum proclaiming 2003 to be "Year of Water" in which the Governor calls on agencies, organizations, and citizens to celebrate and protect our water resources. Many of the state's environmental and conservation organizations are planning countless special events next year to acknowledge this important focus on water. The declaration came just days after the 30th anniversary of the federal Clean Water Act. The Forum was attended by over 700 people representing a huge diversity of water use, conservation, and policy entities. Follow-up to the event includes the preparation of a water policy analysis and establishing recommendations for a sustainable future for Wisconsin's surface and ground waters.
| Charlie Luthin Wisconsin Wetlands Association Serving as Hub for Wisconsin 222 S. Hamilton Street-Suite 1 Madison, WI 53703 (608)-250-9971 (608)-256-4562 (fax) E-mail: Charlie@wiscwetlands.org Website: www.wiscwetlands.org |