MEDIA ADVISORY

For Immediate Release: December 17, 2012 Contact: Jeff Martinka, Sweet Water Executive Director, 414-477-1156

MEDIA INVITED TO RECEPTION HONORING FIRST-OF-ITSKIND WORK TO CLEAN UP MENOMONEE RIVER

The media is invited to a reception honoring 11 municipalities for their work to improve water quality in the Menomonee River by formally adopting Wisconsins first watershed-based stormwater permit. Leaders from the Joyce Foundation, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD), Sweet Water, EPA Region 5, and the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission will gather to recognize this achievement and celebrate the great promise it holds for cleaning up our rivers and Lake Michigan. When: Tuesday, December 18, at 9 a.m. Where: Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District Headquarters, 260 W Seeboth St., Milwaukee, WI, 53204. What: Jeff Martinka and Nancy Frank from Sweet Water will present representatives from the 11 municipalities participating in the watershedbased permit with an award for this first-of-its kind achievement. Municipalities to receive awards include the Cities of Brookfield, Milwaukee, Greenfield and Wauwatosa; the Villages of Butler, Elm Grove, Germantown, West Allis, West Milwaukee and Menomonee Falls, and Milwaukee County. Additional remarks will be given by: Molly Flanagan, The Joyce Foundation, Chicago, IL Eric Nitschke, Southeast Regional Director of the Wisconsin DNR Kevin Shafer, Executive Director of MMSD Visuals: Representatives from 11 municipalities, including several mayors, accepting awards for their work to protect the Menomonee River. Background: On November 30, Wisconsins first watershed-based permit officially went into effect for 11 municipalities in the Menomonee River Basin. This innovative approach allows communities to work together and pool resources to more cost-effectively reduce pollution running off of city streets and urban areas. Using this new tool will allow communities to reduce costs, save taxpayer dollars, and improve water quality in the Menomonee River.