Pike River South Branch restoration project to move forward

On Friday, March 21, County Executive Samantha Kerkman and County Board Chairman Monica M. Yuhas gathered with project supporters to celebrate the signing of the resolutions that will move the project froward.

The project will return the 1.5-mile section of the Pike River between Highway K and Highway S to its natural path, restore the adjacent stormwater-absorbing wetlands, and improve quality of life for residents with the continuation of the multi-use trail system.

“The result will be an ecological gem in the heart of the city,” Kerkman said. “The quality of the Pike River watershed is important to the environmental health of our county, the communities it runs through, and, ultimately, Lake Michigan. I’m pleased to see this plan advancing with the help of new funding.”

Yuhas said the project “represents a transformative effort to enhance environmental sustainability, restore natural habitats, and improve water quality in this region” for generations to come.

Both Kerkman and Yuhas said they appreciate the ongoing commitment of the project partners — Root-Pike WIN, the Wisconsin DNR, the Army Corps of Engineers — and the diligence of staff to bring forward a financially feasible project. Kerkman said the project would not be possible without this network of partnerships, calling it “a true testament of what can be accomplished when we work together to achieve a common goal.”

Through additional grants and commitment of funds by the project partners, the county’s share of the cost has been reduced by $1.3 million from the original proposal, with the potential of additional savings of $1.5 million through Root-Pike WIN’s ongoing financial initiative.

“The restoration of the South Branch is not just an environmental project; it is a promise to the next generations that we will do better,” said Dave Giordano, Executive Director of Root-Pike WIN. “We are grateful to the County and all the funding partners, including the Brookwood Foundation and Fund for Lake Michigan, who help make the land and water better for the next generation.”

Kenosha County’s restoration activities on the Pike River are part of a larger, ongoing effort within the Pike River Watershed that dates back to the 1980s. Since 2016, more than $12.3 million in funds from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other grantors has been raised in support of the project.

The project will address a waterway that was compromised by agricultural ditching in the early 1900s, and it will continue the restoration of the entire Pike River system undertaken in both Kenosha and Racine counties.

The Pike River South Branch Restoration Project will:

• Restore 215 acres of floodplain farmland to naturalized public parkland.
• Reduce roughly 1,000 tons of sediment from reaching Lake Michigan each year.
• Recreate 1.5 miles of stream channel for improved ecology.
• Rehabilitate approximately 200 acres of wetlands for water quality and improved habitat.
• Extend recreation with a 1.5-mile multiuse trail that provides connectivity to a robust intergovernmental trail system.

To achieve this, the DNR will acquire 58 acres of land in the western portion of the project area. Wisconsin Wetland Conservation Trust resources will be used to implement a wetland mitigation project. This property would be in conservation easement for perpetuity and will be maintained by the DNR.

The South Branch of the Pike River runs through the City of Kenosha and the Village of Somers, originating near Highway 50 just west of 77th Avenue. It flows northward to Petrifying Springs Park, where it meets the North Branch of the Pike and combines to form the Main Pike River, which then flows east and south to Lake Michigan.

The Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission’s (SEWRPC) Pike River Plan (1983) and Root-Pike Watershed Initiative Network’s Pike River Plan (2013), both documented the growing negative water-quality impacts and recommended similar solutions for South Branch rehabilitation. The South Branch was identified as a priority area in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-approved Nine-Element Pike River Watershed Plan.

A slide presentation from the County Board’s Feb. 26, 2025, Committee of the Whole discussion of the project is available here.