It is widely recognized in the scientific community that to advance in our understanding of the complx problems that are at the heart of freshwater issues, a multi-disciplinary approach is needed – the trasitional model of studying water issues from the perspective of single scientific discipline is no longer germane (American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, 2003; National Research Council, 2000).
To meet this challenge, the Milwaukee 7 Water Council will adopt the goals set forth by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s School of Freshwater Science as its four foundation pillars for its project aimed at maintaining and improving water quality:
- System Dynamics – Health and Sustainability – Freshwater Technology – Policy and Management
Project Status
Design
Project Contact
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To prioritize, implement and monitor the consequence of a number of integrated sub-projects that make a difference in water quality in the City of Milwaukee and the surrounding region.
Water quality, sanitation, technology development, applied research, industry investment.
Planned Actions
To develop and implement a number of sub-projects including:
Top Quality Drinking Water
Develop and Install Grey Water Systems for Homes
Aquaculture Water Cleaning and Reuse
Reduction/Elimination of Cladaphora (Algae) in Lake Michigan
Incresing the Effeciency of Wastewater Treatment
Containing Storm Water on Built Sites.
Desired Outcomes
To better understand the processes related to freshwater systems dynamics.
To study the environmental health continuum that links the health of freshwater environments with human population health.
To develop and create technologies that will create a sustainable freshwater infrastructure and supplies as well as improve human and environmental health.
To develop a policy and management program aimed at balancing the protection and utilization of freshwater.
IBM has announced that Milwaukee is among 24 cities worldwide to receive a Smarter Cities Challenge grant, which will give the city access to top IBM experts and technology to potentially expand local, cutting-edge urban agriculture efforts around the globe.
The winning project, Sweet Water Organics urban aquaculture is one of a suite of water-related projects that Milwaukee is working on as an Innovating City in the UN Global Compact Cities Programme; reflecting the far reaching engagement of this leader city.
The IBM Smarter Cities Challenge grants, valued at about $400,000 apiece, are aimed at helping cities improve one aspect of city life. Issues addressed by winning cities include health care, education, safety, social services, transportation, communications, sustainability, budget management, energy and utilities.
More than 200 cities in 40 countries competed for the 24 grants. The IBM grant in Milwaukee specifically will look at how water management and aquaculture intersect, and whether there’s a sustainable economic model in Sweet Water Organics, an urban fish and vegetable farm that mimics the Earth’s natural ecosystem in an industrial building in the Bay View neighborhood. Harnischfeger Industries once used the building to make mining cranes.
Cofounded by roofing contractor James Godsil and business partner Josh Fraundorf, Sweet Water Organics is the first commercial test of Will Allen’s innovative aquaculture model for perch – an eco-friendly system that produces fish and vegetables in a closed system that conserves water. Growing Power, the nonprofit urban farm at 5500 W. Silver Spring Drive, unveiled the system three years ago.
James has big aspirations and unlimited enthusiasm for the enterprise and says that Sweet Water Organics may well be the world’s first enterprise involving the transformation of a century old factory building into an aquaponic fish produce farm as well as an art, science, and earth friendly innovation center.
“Sweet Water is a hybrid enterprise growing farmers and, through the power of the internet, aspiring to diffuse aquaponics innovations, large and small, across the planet, especially to arid and rain forest nations. He believes “every city deserves a Sweet Water!”
Sweet Water is raising tens of thousands of yellow perch and plants in simulated river beds, and harvesting information for hands-on education in science, technology, engineering, and math. Sweet Soil, is also being developed through large scale composting.
The Milwaukee team welcome the IBM alliance. “It’s my understanding that IBM wants to help Milwaukee advance itself as one of the world’s smartest cities by virtue of our commitment to learning to feed ourselves,” Godsil said. “We’ve formed a grand alliance around creating a 21st-century, Earth-friendly industry that reminds me of the grand alliance formed when we shifted from wheat and alfalfa and corn to dairy – a much higher added-value form of agriculture with technology surrounding it.”
From left: Claus Dunkelberg from the Milwaukee Water Council with some of the Sweet Water Organics team: Chaya Nayak, James Godsil and Jess Hull.
On February 22 the Clean Water America Alliance announced the winners of the 2011 U.S. Water Prize for watershed-based approaches toward water sustainability. Milwaukee, one of the fourteen Innovating Cities in the United Nations Global Compact Cities Programme was one of the five to receive this prestiguous award.
The Clean Water America Alliance recognised the Milwaukee Water Council (Wis.) specifically, for “establishing public-private collaborations that advance water technology and promote economic development. As a result, the Milwaukee area is becoming known as a ‘World Water Hub’.”
Executive Director of the Milwaukee Water Council, Dean Amhaus sees enormous benefit to the region from its sustained, collaborative focus on water.
“Milwaukee’s global leadership in water technology has offered the region a level of distinctiveness that every place is seeking to achieve. This unique asset will clearly help in attracting water professionals to study and work in the region which in turn will be critical in the creation, expansion and attraction of water-related businesses. The bottom line offers great economic development opportunities for our region along with building a tremendous level of pride for our citizens”.
Milwaukee are tackling fifteen complex projects related to water in its work as a lead Innovating City in the UN Global Compact Cities Programme. In addition to private sector and university collaboration, projects include urban aquaculture, phosphorus, stormwater, and sewage treatment, water policy and governance and community perception and use. These involve a number of lead organisations and cooperation across borders and sectors.
Given Milwaukee’s location on the Great Lakes, which holds twenty percent of the world’s freshwater supply, the importance of this collaborative work cannot be underestimated.
The U.S Water Prize is valuable, deserved recognition. Clean Water America Alliance President Ben Grumbles explained that the “five water champions reflect the diversity of America and set a shiny example for innovating, integrating, and collaborating from coast to coast to sustain America’s most precious liquid asset.” Other U.S. Water Prize winners include the City of Los Angeles, National Great Rivers Restoration & Education Center, New York City Department of Environmental Protection, and the Pacific Institute.
U.S. Water Prize winners will be honored in a special ceremony on May 9, 2011, at Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.CWAA.us.
A recent UNGCCP visit with Milwaukee Water leaders. From left: Claus Dunkelberg (Milwaukee Water Council); Professor Sam White (University of Winsconsin Milwaukee); Elizabeth Ryan (UN Global Compact Cities Programme); Paul Krajniak (Discovery World); Dean Amhaus (Milwaukee Water Council)
