Milwaukee Harbor Garbage Problem

So I took a stroll on my old fall salmon stomping grounds today, McKinley Pier in Milwaukee. Half way out, right at the bend I noticed something pretty remarkable on the harbor side of the wall. A tremendous floating island of refuse.

I've seen some bad flotsam problems in Milwaukee before but this is like nothing I've ever seen. I wonder what will be done of this floating island of wood, plastic, paper, and other floating debris. I suppose this might be a result of the recent deluge of rain that blew out the Milwaukee and Menomonee rivers. The Milwaukee jumped from 400 cfs to over 3000 cfs.

I wonder what will be done, it would be a big job to round up all that floating matter and get it out of the harbor. Boating in the harbor has to be nothing short of a game of dodgeball. I saw trees, 55 gallon drums, spent propane tanks, and kegs floating in the harbor and moving at a good clip through the gaps out into the lake. Be careful out there if you're planning on launching from McKinley, or even from under the hone. I wouldn't want to hit a keg with any kind of boat at any kind of speed...