DNR schedules public hearing to discuss plans to repair, maintain Estabrook Dam

MILWAUKEE -- There is a new development regarding the environmental impact of the Estabrook Dam in Milwaukee.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will hold a public hearing on March 22nd to discuss potential plans to repair and maintain the dam.

It will be held at the Glenn Hills Middle School in Glendale.

Built in the 1930s, the dam has been out of commission for several years as it has deteriorated.

Below is complete information from the DNR:

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will hold a public hearing on a draft environmental impact statement concerning proposed repairs and an operating order for the Estabrook Dam.

The public hearing is set for Tuesday, March 22, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at Glenn Hills Middle School, 2600 W. Mill Road in Glendale. DNR will follow the NR 150 environmental impact statement process for review of the proposed repair and operation of the dam.

The dam is near Estabrook Drive and West Hampton Avenue in Milwaukee. It was built in the 1930s and creates an impoundment in the Milwaukee River. Milwaukee County has decided to repair, operate and maintain Estabrook Dam and construct a new fish passage.

The DNR is coordinating with Milwaukee County to establish operating procedures for the dam. Bill Sturtevant, DNR state dam safety engineer, said the operating order will establish water levels on the river at the dam and specify standards of operation.

The public hearing will begin with a brief overview of the environmental impact statement process and operating procedure alternatives for the dam. DNR staff will be on hand to receive written or oral comments at the hearing.

Written comments also may be submitted through April 6, 2016, to Kristina Betzold, Department of Natural Resources, 2300 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Milwaukee, 53212, or sent by email to: DNREstabrook@wi.gov.

The department will compile and consider all public comments and prepare a final environmental impact statement after the hearing and public comment period. Equal weight will be given to oral and written comments. The public will be notified when the final environmental impact statement is ready. No operating order or other permit decisions will be made until after the environmental impact statement process is complete. The agency's draft environmental impact statement is available on the department's project Web page at: http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/eia/estabrook.html.