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Student’s internship with Fresh Coast Geosciences student examines Utah rocks Alum’s critically acclaimed film premieres Biology prof’s work on spiders and memory Meet the new Letters & Science faculty Psychologist studies marijuana and fitness Spanish alum is Racine Court interpreter
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Columns Passings Laurels and Accolades People in Print Upcoming Events In the Media Alumni Accomplishments
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L&S Dean: Scott Gronert In Focus Editor: Deanna Alba
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When it rains in Milwaukee, all that water has to go somewhere. Some of it ends up in the groundwater. Some of it flows into streams, rivers, and lakes, many times carrying contaminants like fertilizers or pesticides. The rest of it flows into the sewers in older parts of the City of Milwaukee, carrying debris from the streets and sending a deluge to the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewer District (MMSD) wastewater treatment plants. But, if Milwaukee residents find ways to divert that rainwater – say, by absorbing it in a rain garden or catching it in a 50-gallon rain barrel – that helps protect Milwaukee’s waterways and sewers from storm runoff. The Fresh Coast Resource Center is an initiative by MMSD that aims to help residents in Milwaukee County and surrounding communities not only install rain gardens and rain barrels, but to understand the impact of managing water where it falls with green infrastructure. As an intern who has worked with Fresh Coast for the last three years, UWM student Jasmine Viges has played a big part in both efforts. “We need to have more people understand why the small scale green infrastructure is important,” she said. “I love working with water. People are realizing more and more how important water is. We’re lucky we have the Great Lakes, this incredible resource, right next to us.” Viges is a global studies major with a focus on sustainability. She also has a minor in conservation and environmental science. Over the past three years, she’s installed her share of rain barrels and rain gardens. They’re small actions that collectively have a big impact. Viges estimates there are about 24,000 rain barrels in the Milwaukee region that can hold 50 gallons each. “Every time it rains, that’s 50 gallons times 24,000 rain barrels. It’s saving a lot of water from going into the sewer,” Viges said. “Right now, MMSD is treating lots of water, and a lot of it is rain water. ”
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2 • IN FOCUS • September, 2019
Since the Rain Barrel Program started in 2004, it has built a capacity of about 1.2 million gallons of rainwater diverted into barrels during each rainfall. That may not seem like a huge amount given MMSD’s 740 million gallon goal, but every drop counts and it turns each rain barrel owner into an active stormwater manager.
