Jackson Park and Kinnickinnic River Flood Management
Jackson Park Project Overview
The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) is partnering with Milwaukee County Parks and others to make improvements along the Kinnickinnic River and within Jackson Park. Jackson Park is a regional park on Milwaukee’s south side, located on the Kinnickinnic River Parkway. The lagoon, natural wooded areas, picnic sites, playfields, summer farmers’ market, and other recreation amenities make this park a popular destination for the neighboring communities. The Kinnickinnic River flows through the park but you might not even realize it! Currently, a significant portion of the river in Jackson is lined in concrete channels or enclosed in culverts.
The Kinnickinnic River at Jackson Park project is part of the larger Kinnickinnic River Watershed Flood Management Plan. The goals of this plan include:
- Flood risk reduction to over 700 residential & commercial structures;
- Improved public safety;
- Improved riparian & aquatic habitats;
- Enhanced stream aesthetics; and
- Robust community collaboration.
To allow for more storage of floodwaters during heavy storms and to naturalize the river, more than 2,100 feet of concrete channel lining and enclosed culverts will be removed and replaced with a natural stream design. Because of this, elements of Jackson Park will have the opportunity to be re-envisioned to better support recreation and the community! Some of these changes will include increasing the size of the park, removing contaminated sediments from the lagoon, improving trails, and updating sports courts.
Based on feedback from the public, MMSD and Milwaukee County entered into an agreement in May 2020 to design and construct the Kinnickinnic River & Jackson Park project. MMSD and County have been working to refine the draft initial project design and will continue to seek public input throughout the design process.
To reduce the flood storage needed in Jackson Park MMSD is partnering with the City Of Milwaukee to create a flood storage basin north of the park. During a heavy rain, water will flow into the basin from the 43rd Street Ditch, where it will be held, until it begins to slowly move into the Kinnickinnic River in Jackson Park. Learn more about the 43rd Street Ditch project.
Get Involved
- Sign up to receive Kinnickinnic River Flood Management Project in Jackson Park updates in your inbox.
- Participate in upcoming events. MMSD will conduct a number of stakeholder and public outreach activities throughout the entirety of the project to obtain project input and feedback.
- Follow MMSD on social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook) for updates on MMSD projects.
- For volunteer opportunities in this area visit our partner Sixteenth Street Community Health Center’s Environmental Health Department.
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