Protecting waterways, creating community space [Video]

MILWAUKEE — Right under the overpass located at I-43 at Becher Street, you’ll notice trees starting to grow, seeds being planted, and bioswales now replacing pavement.

The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District Director of Integrated Watershed Management, Bre Plier, said this is all green infrastructure — using vegetative space and native planting to reduce water runoff into the storm sewer system.

“We try to maximize where we can, holding that water on the land surface where it falls, ensuring that that water slowly infiltrates or slowly enters the sewer system, especially during times of rain. Actually, on this project, if we were to get more than one inch of rain, we could hold 100,000 gallons on this site alone,” said Plier.

If you look at the overpass pavement, you’ll notice downspouts. The water is collected and then flows directly to …