The Milwaukee Community Service Corps makes our beaches and rivers more enjoyable places to play through two programs:
According to the Great Lakes Water Institute of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Cladophora is a branching, green filamentous alga found naturally along the coastline of most of the Great Lakes. Fertilizer runoff, poorly maintained septic systems and agricultural runoff can cause "blooms" of this algae on the coastline. These algae blooms lead to unsightly and foul-smelling beaches, and beach communities often feel the negative economic effects of the resulting drop in beach use. In addition, Cladophora blooms can reduce the quality of drinking water and decrease property values.
Milwaukee Community Service Corps has been cleaning Cladophora off the beaches since summer of 2002. Crews are sent out the Milwaukee’s lakefront three to five times per week with pitchforks, shovels, and garbage bags to clean the Cladophora off Bradford Beach, Picnic Point, and North Point. Between May and October, they pick up approximately 25 tons of Cladophora off these beaches. This year, Bradford Beach was awarded the "Blue Wave" certification by the National Clean Beaches Council.
Between March and November, corpsmembers man the skimmer boats that cruise the Milwaukee River. Using nets, poles, and rakes, they pull everything from branches to litter - even picnic tables - out of the water, making the Riverwalk a more pleasant entertainment spot and making the waterways safer for boaters.