The Veterans Park lagoon has been a fixture along Lincoln Memorial Drive for decades.
People loved fishing and paddleboarding there. The lagoon even hosted a water-ski show and dragon boat festival.
But over the last decade, scientists discovered dangerous algae in the lagoon.
Then two years ago, 50 trees were removed from the Lake Michigan side of the lagoon, leaving it with a “storm-ravaged” look.
“The lagoon itself is 14 acres, and you're right, it was just under three acres that were addressed for what was primarily ash [tree] decline and some hazard trees that were along the edge," says Sarah Toomsen, Director of Planning for Milwaukee County Parks. "We knew that we had this project up and coming, and so we would have something on the heels of that to look at how to improve that riparian edge into the future."
Milwaukee County Parks is exploring ways to improve the lagoon’s health and appearance – and wants to hear what residents think. Public meetings are scheduled Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. at the Milwaukee Sailing Center.
The fundamental problem is the lagoon’s water quality.
“It is hypereutrophic, meaning it has too many nutrients," Toomsen says. "And this environment creates space for vegetation growth, algae, Eurasian milfoil. We also have carp that are living in here. So really, a water body that is needing solutions."
The lagoon functions as a detention basin for anything that comes off Lincoln Memorial Drive.
“There are storm sewer connections to this lagoon, so it does receive the salt, anything that lands on the road, those nonpoint sources are making their way to this lagoon without any pretreatment,” Toomsen says.
Wisconsin DNR Lake Michigan Program Coordinator Stacy Rowe points to Canada geese hanging out around and in the water. They add to the lagoon’s challenges.
“They love it, and right now they have pretty free range to kind of come and go,” Rowe says. “That is one of the contributors, and no matter what gets into the lagoon, it stays here.”
A $300,000 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant is funding the study that’s currently exploring how best to address the lagoon’s water quality and ecological health.
“We heard a variety of public feedback, but we asked questions like: how do you typically use the lagoon? What are your most important priorities for the lagoon? And then also: what would you want to see at the lagoons?” Sarah Toomsen says.
One idea is to create a wetland to slow down stormwater and help clean it.
“Would people be open to that more natural approach to a lagoon? We believe what we've heard so far is yes, but we want to cross-check that with some of the alternatives that we're proposing this Thursday,” Toomsen says.
She hopes the final plan focuses on sustainability and resiliency. “We're right along the coastline and we want this project to endure for years and years, so that we don't have to come back and do it again,” Toomsen says.
Stacy Rowe says public input is critical to getting the plan right.
“The output will be as good as the input, right? So if we have a lot of folks that are interested and we have good feedback, we know we're going to get something that really matches what the community is looking for,” Rowe says.
Folks who can't attend the July 23 public meeting can complete this survey.
Sarah Toomsen calls Milwaukee’s lakefront unique – it’s owned by everyone.
"It's a public piece of property that everyone can come and enjoy. That is not going to change, and so we want to make sure that our project is also meeting those expectations. This will be the public's property, park and lagoon in perpetuity, and so our project should meet those goals,” Toomsen says.
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