Kenosha’s ‘Ecological Gem’: Pike River Restoration Gets Green Light

KENOSHA, Wis. (WRJN) – Kenosha County officials have given the green light to a major restoration project for the South Branch of the Pike River, marking a significant step in environmental conservation efforts.

The Pike River South Branch Restoration Project, unanimously approved by the County Board on March 18, aims to return a 1.5-mile section of the river between Highway K and Highway S to its natural path. The project will also restore adjacent wetlands and extend a multi-use trail system.

County Executive Samantha Kerkman and Board Chairman Monica M. Yuhas celebrated the project’s advancement with supporters on March 21.

Kerkman highlighted the project’s importance for the county’s environmental health, and the Great Lake, “The result will be an ecological gem in the heart of the city. 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.”

The restoration will transform 215 acres of floodplain farmland into public parkland and is expected to reduce sediment runoff into Lake Michigan by approximately 1,000 tons annually.

The project, part of a larger ongoing effort dating back to the 1980s, has secured over $12.3 million in funding since 2016 from various sources, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.