Recent Projects

FUTURE INITIATIVES

Building upon the foundation of water resources management and environmental protection, the Fox River Commission will continue to assist communities to maintain the middle Fox River as an asset for the people of Southeastern Wisconsin. In fulfilling their mandate, the Fox River Commission continues to build partnerships with communities, organizations and municipalities.

Most recently, the Fox River Commission has joined with the Fox River Basin Partnership to reproduce and distribute informational materials to local communities and community organizations within their jurisdiction.

Commission Chair: Katelyn Bratz

RECENT PROJECTS

Ogden Shoreline Restoration

Ogden Shoreline Restoration

Completed in May of 2023 on Riverside Road in the Town of Waterford, the Ogden Shoreline Restoration included grade stabilization from above to control stormwater and erosion coming from the higher surrounding properties and well as the shoreline utilizing rock riprap along with a native plant mixture on the steep banks above the rock for a natural vegetative buffer.

The John Margis Wildlife Area

The John Margis Wildlife Area was once a Wisconsin DNR Hatchery, which was purchased by Racine County in the 1980's. The project at the park revamped the hiking trail for viewing of wildlife in their natural habitat. The project also included rock riprap and native grass seeding for erosion control along the banks of the marsh. An access point was improved to allow for fishing opportunities.

View Before & After Photos

John Margis Wildlife Area restoration

UPCOMING PROJECTS

SEWFRC is currently funding or plans to fund the following projects:

  1. Fox River 2024 Summit
  2. Fox River Park Project, Waukesha Co.
  3. WWMD Dredging Project
  4. Solberg Slope Stabilization, Racine Co.
  5. North River Bay Road Shoreline Restoration, Racine Co.
  6. Willow Court Shoreline Repair, Racine Co.
  7. John Margis Jr. Wildlife Area Restoration, Racine Co.
  8. SEWRPC Memorandum Report No. 257, Fox (Illinois) River Watershed Streambank Erosion and Non-Point Source Pollutant Load Prioritization Study, Preliminary Draft, In preparation by SEWRPC staff
  9. Vernon Wildlife Area DU Impoundment Restoration-Kelsey Norton, WDNR
  10. 2021 - 2030 SEWFRC Implementation Plan update, Tom Slawski & Alan Barrows

The SEWRPC just completed the Pre-Disaster Fox (Illinois) River Watershed Mitigation Plan.

In July 2021, the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC) agreed to prepare a Pre-Disaster Fox (Illinois) River Watershed Mitigation Plan on behalf of the Waukesha County Department of Emergency Management. The plan was designed to be consistent with the guidelines of the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs (DMA), Division of Emergency Management (DEM), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). For this plan, consideration was given to several hazard conditions, including flooding, dam failures, and drought. The analysis includes three components:

  1. Profile and analysis of past hazard events
  2. Inventory and vulnerability assessment of community assets
  3. Development of hazard mitigation strategies to reduce vulnerabilities and protect communities from future hazard events.

This plan recommends hazard mitigation strategies that would help lessen the severity of flooding impacts in the occurrence of another storm event like the one experienced in July 2017. This report includes very important flooding infrastructure and building info, identifies flood storage areas, dam management coordination, water monitoring recommendations, etc...

GRANT APPLICATIONS

SEWFRC has applied for or is working towards these grants:

Grant Source table