Sixteenth Street is partners with the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD), Southeastern Wisconsin Watersheds Trust, Inc (SWWT). SWWT and other key community, environmental and municipal agencies to restore the Kinnickinnic (KK) River Watershed. The watershed is the smallest and the most densely populated within the Milwaukee River Basin. It drains 25 square miles of urban landscape in the heart of Metropolitan Milwaukee and falls within the borders of six local municipalities (Milwaukee, West Milwaukee, West Allis, Greenfield, Cudahy and St. Francis).

KK River Watershed

Sixteenth Street's Department of Environmental Health facilitates a 40-member watershed advisory committee to identify and integrate restoration opportunities (i.e. habitat restoration, watershed quality improvements, green infrastructure) into a comprehensive watershed-wide plan (The Kinnickinnic River Watershed Updated Implementation Plan) that meets high environmental performance standards and is supported by the broader community. Once the restoration plan is fully implemented, it will reduce the risk of flooding, increase water quality, and provide additional community benefits such as improved park spaces.

The Department is also working to restore habitat along the KK River Trail, ensuring that the investment in the river goes beyond the water’s edge. From installing new bird and bat houses to removing invasive species to planting native trees and shrubs, this work will help clean water before it reaches the river and enhance habitat for Milwaukee’s native and migrating bird, butterfly, bat, insect and mammal populations!