“When people walk, talk, work eat, drink, boat and play by the water – when it becomes a part of their day-to-day life and not merely a special occasion destination – a real constituency for clean water is created.”  - former Milwaukee mayor John Norquist.

Pull out a map of Wisconsin, take a look at the major cities, and you’ll note that a river runs through almost every one. That should come as no surprise: most of these cities came to be precisely because the river was there. Those flowing waters powered the progress of our cities, trans­porting goods, flushing away our wastes and generating mechanical and hydroelectric power. But progress came at a price: many of our urban rivers became polluted and degraded eyesores from years of overuse and lack of care.

While we championed the cause of the blue ribbon trout stream and honored the wildness of our pristine northern waters, we turned our backs on our “dirty” urban rivers, in some cities even burying them underground and developing right over them. What Norquist so eloquently points out is that the time has come to give attention and care to our urban riverfronts.  The River Alliance is making urban riverfronts a priority and is providing resources and expertise to riverfront communities around the state of Wisconsin.