Kinnickinnic River – Pulaski Park

The Kinnickinnic River, Reach 2 Pulaski Park project created a revitalized community asset while improving drainage and enhancing neighborhood safety. The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) took the initiative to revisit outdated solutions for flood mitigation, still a serious issue, and achieved their goal of an improved watercourse that more safely handles flows during storm events.

A sustainable stormwater feature, known as a Regenerative Stormwater Conveyance (RSC) channel, was installed adjacent to the new pedestrian bridge to capture, infiltrate, and remove pollutants from captured runoff.

The project also changed the way stormwater runoff is managed by removing the concrete channel, designed to carry stormwater away from the area as quickly as possible, and replacing it with a system that slows and stores the water, allowing for infiltration and evapotranspiration while mitigating downstream flooding impacts. It replaced an outdated ‘urban’ process for the management of runoff with a ‘natural’ process.

Additionally, public safety has been improved through the elimination of the concrete-lined channel that created high flow velocities and was difficult for a person to escape if they became entrapped.