Residents Told To Stop Drinking Tap Water

The City of South Milwaukee declared a State of Emergency Friday, Feb. 5 after experiencing a major water line break that likely contaminated the city’s water supply.

Officials said all tap water is assumed to be contaminated and must not be used. Additionally, the Department of Natural Resources said boiling water prior to use will *not* make the water safe.

The ban on water consumption could run through Sunday as the Water Department flushes their system and tests for bacteria.

In the meantime, residents have been told to use bottled water for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, cooking or bathing of infants. 

The city provided bottled water to residents from 5:00 pm until 8:00 pm Friday and has told businesses to stop all tap water operations — including ice and coffee making until further notice.

Water pressure in the city remains very low, although officials said it’s improving. Residents are asked to conserve water by limiting showering, clothes laundering, and dish washing until Saturday morning at 6:00 am, so that fire department functions can remain operable.

The presence of E. coli bacteria indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. These bacteria can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea or headaches in infants, young children and anyone with a weakened immune system is at an increased risk for developing more severe symptoms.

Residents who experience any of the symptoms — whether or not they drank or used the water on Friday — should call their healthcare provider.

The order is in effect until further notice from the South Milwaukee Health Department.

Residents are asked to contact neighbors who may not be aware of this advisory.

For more information and updates, visit http://www.ci.south-milwaukee.wi.us or call the South Milwaukee Health Department at 414-768-8055.

Related Links

• City of South Milwaukee: Water Safety Facts (PDF)
• City of South Milwaukee: Main Page
• WISN 12 Video: City Officials Hold Press Conference Friday

So. Milwaukee residents told to stop drinking tap water

Feb. 6, 2010 Update: Emergency canceled

Water safe to drink, officials say.

Residents Told To Stop Drinking Tap Water

Water Department To Run Tests For Presence Of E. Coli

The South Milwaukee Water Utility told residents Friday to stop consuming the city’s tap water.

A water line break is causing water pressure to be very low, the city’s Water Utility said.  The South Milwaukee Water Department is attempting to fix the break in the main water line now and has contacted Oak Creek Water Utility for back up water supply.

All food establishments and any business that utilizes water for patients/patrons (i.e. restaurants, taverns, foodstores, doctors, dentists) within the City of South Milwaukee that process and/or prepare food need to cease and desist all tap water operations (including ice made on the premises) until further notice.

All tap water is assumed to be contaminated and must not be used. Per the Department of Natural Resources, boiling water prior to use will NOT make it safe at this point and time.

Residents will encounter a disruption in services and may experience some discoloration in their water supply or low water pressure when back up supplies arrive from Oak Creek.

Due to this, the South Milwaukee Health Department orders that bottled water must be used and not to drink boiled water.

The water system, once tested will need to run clean for 48 hours prior to any use for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, cooking, or bathing of infants. This means that until further notice from the City of South Milwaukee, tap water MUST NOT be used for any of the above activities. This could run through Sunday or beyond.

Water Department tests will be run to test for any presence of E. coli bacteria in the public water supply. The Water Department is working closely with the Health Department to correct the problem as soon as possible.

The presence of E. coli bacteria indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. These bacteria can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea or headaches. Infants, young children and anyone with a weakened immune system is at an increased risk for developing more severe symptoms.

Residents who experience any of these symptoms, even if tap water has been avoided, should call their healthcare provider.

This order is in effect until further notice from the South Milwaukee Health Department. Residents are asked to contact neighbors who may not be aware of this advisory.

For more information and updates, visit http://www.ci.south-milwaukee.wi.us or call the South Milwaukee Health Department at 414-768-8055.

Related Links

• WISN 12 News Video: City Officials Hold Press Conference Friday
• WISN 12 News Video: S. Milwaukee Residents Need To Conserve Water

Planning the Bay View Hide House community garden

Twenty-four Bay View and Milwaukee-area residents met Jan. 19 at Transfer Pizzeria and Café to plan transforming part of an empty lot on the grounds of the Hide House near Greeley Street and Deer Place into a community garden site.

Most were from Bay View, with others coming from Cudahy, Shorewood, and Wauwatosa. Many offered their assistance with tasks including composting, garden layout and planning, and water acquisition.

Bay View resident Melissa Tashjian is spearheading the community garden project. She looks forward to the community garden becoming a rallying point for Bay View.

“The garden will be available to neighborhood residents, churches, and other community groups to grow food for themselves or others,” Tashjian said. “Community gardens bring people together to feed their minds, souls, and bellies with healthy food.”

Victory Garden Initiative, a Shorewood-based urban agriculture group, has been granted a three-year no-cost lease on the land by General Capital Group, owner of the Hide House properties.

Sig Strautmanis, a partner at General Capital Group, was present at the planning meeting. He said the company has “been wanting to do something interesting with this vacant parcel since we bought the Hide House in 2006, and the concept of community gardens kept resurfacing. We have always wanted to make Hide House a community-focused project and this is a great addition to that vision. I have been amazed at the initial outpouring of community support for the garden concept. It has this great vibe that combines sustainability, community, and a direct connection to our food.”

Victory Garden Initiative coordinates volunteers in planning and building gardens at houses and businesses around the Milwaukee area, including the author’s Pennsylvania Avenue residence.

Gardeners will be able to rent planting beds for a nominal fee. The beds will be “raised beds” that sit a foot above the surface of the ground. Tasks such as weeding and harvesting can be performed without bending or stooping to the ground in gardens with a raised bed design. The spacing also ensures the beds are accessible by people in wheelchairs, or by those bearing wheelbarrows.

The plots will measure four-by-four-feet and four-by-eight-feet.

Monthly classes will be offered for people who are unfamiliar with gardening. The classes will be held at Future Green, 2352 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., and will cost $20 per person, with all proceeds going to support the community garden.

People interested in renting a plot or otherwise joining the community garden are encouraged to contact Melissa Tashjian at (773) 383-9279 or mtash34@yahoo.com.

Jason Haas will have an executive role in the community garden planning process.

Interstate lawsuit, presidential summit on Asian carp

The Asian carp invasion has pitted most of Great Lakes states against Illinois as well as environmental interests against Chicago’s regional transportation industry, which uses a canal originally designed to spirit away the city’s wastewater to connect the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River basin.

Over a hundred years after the canal’s construction, northbound Asian carp are exploiting this connection, despite an electric barrier intended to keep them from passing the canal.

DNA evidence places some fish already in Lake Michigan, though as of Jan. 26 no fish themselves have been reported caught beyond the electric barrier.

After carp DNA was detected beyond the electric barrier late last year, the state of Michigan sued the state of Illinois, seeking to reopen a longstanding feud between Great Lakes states and Chicago over the deleterious effects of its canal.

The U.S. Supreme Court Jan. 19 rejected Michigan’s request for a preliminary injunction that would have ordered locks shut on the Chicago waterways in an effort to seal Lake Michigan from the greatest volume of Asian carp.  »Read more

56 additional parcels identified near KK River

The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) commission approved an additional 56 private property parcels for public acquisition between Sixth and 16th streets near the Kinnickinnic River at its meeting Dec. 14, 2009.

Twenty-seven private properties were identified and approved for acquisition earlier in 2009.

Between 11th and 16th streets, every existing property south of Harrison Avenue and north of the current river channel is now targeted for acquisition (an additional 23 parcels identified). The revised acquisition plat also adds 28 parcels south of the river between Sixth and 12th streets and five more parcels north of the river between Sixth and Ninth streets.  »Read more

Eco-Bay solar development scraped

Milwaukee’s Department of City Development (DCD) has hit the reset button on the former Army Reserve base development, scuttling the Housing Authority’s plans to construct the 120-unit net-zero “Eco-Bay” residential development at the 5.6-acre site at 2372 S. Logan Ave.

“The proposal submitted by the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee for redevelopment of the property was the strongest reviewed by the Department of City Development. However, our staff has determined that the proposal is not viable at this time because of challenges in arranging financing for the project,” said Martha Brown, DCD deputy commissioner. “Thus, we have decided to reject all the proposals, and intend to issue a new Request for Proposals [RFP] when the housing market is stronger and credit is more widely available for residential development. The new proposal will seek sustainability measures that are similar to those required by the original proposal.”  »Read more

Kinnickinnic Avenue BID nominates board

Mine board nominees for the newly formed Kinnickinnic Avenue Business Improvement District (BID #44) were selected Jan. 20. About 35 people attended the BID meeting conducted by 14th District Alderman Tony Zielinski at the George Washington Legion Post 180.

After asking for a show of hands by those who wished to be appointed to the board, 10 people introduced themselves and noted the property they owned in the BID area-along Kinnickinnic Avenue between Becher Street and Morgan Avenue. A voice vote was conducted after each presentation.  »Read more

Planning the community’s garden

Twenty-four Bay View and Milwaukee-area residents met Jan. 19 at Transfer Pizzeria and Café to plan transforming part of an empty lot on the grounds of the Hide House near Greeley Street and Deer Place into a community garden site.

Most were from Bay View, with others coming from Cudahy, Shorewood, and Wauwatosa. Many offered their assistance with tasks including composting, garden layout and planning, and water acquisition.

Bay View resident Melissa Tashjian is spearheading the community garden project. She looks forward to the community garden becoming a rallying point for Bay View.  »Read more

Extend Lake Parkway southward?

Eighth District Milwaukee County Supervisor Patricia Jursik proposed Jan. 20 to study extending the Lake Parkway/Highway 794 corridor southward. The County Board’s Transportation, Public Works & Transit Committee approved the resolution 6-0.

South Milwaukee Mayor Thomas Zepecki, Cudahy Chamber of Commerce President and former Cudahy Mayor Ray Glowacki, South Milwaukee Chamber President Bryan Lorentzen, and St. Francis Chamber President Shari Franz attended the meeting to express their support for the resolution.

The resolution calls for the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC) to create a study committee to investigate the feasibility and desirability of extending the Lake Parkway to Ryan Road or to Racine County. The resolution also requests that the cities of St. Francis, Cudahy, South Milwaukee, Oak Creek, and Milwaukee notify SEWRPC that they support the study, the results of which will be provided to Milwaukee County and all affected municipalities.

“We have seen significant population growth in our south shore communities, and the Lake Parkway provides direct access to Cudahy at Pennsylvania Avenue, St. Francis at Howard Avenue, Milwaukee at Oklahoma Avenue and Carferry Drive, and all three cities at Layton Avenue,” Supervisor Jursik said in a press release. “The city of Oak Creek, General Mitchell International Airport, the Port of Milwaukee, and major employers in the south shore all stand to benefit from enhancing this corridor.”

Sixth Street bridge may cost 50% more than original estimate

On Jan. 25, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) commission approved a revised agreement with the city of Milwaukee to rebuild the Sixth Street bridge over the Kinnickinnic River between Cleveland and Harrison avenues. MMSD now estimates the project, which is to receive $1,579,034 in federal stimulus funds, at $3,671,508.

Under the original 2009 agreement, the city would not have paid a cent, but upon revised MMSD cost estimates, MMSD is requesting that the city and Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) contribute up to $600,824. MMSD will contribute up to $1,690,140, up from an estimated $869,000.  »Read more

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