the Root-Pike
River Basin
The Root River
The Root River watershed drains approximately 197 square miles within Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, and Kenosha Counties, Wisconsin, USA. The North Branch of the Root River, which is the main stem, gets started in the City of New Berlin and flows Southeast approximately 45 miles before emptying into Lake Michigan in the City of Racine.
Based on historic land survey records collected in 1835 and 1836, the uplands surrounding the Root River were a mix of wetlands, forests, Oak savannas, and prairies. The once clear Root River supported more varieties of plants and animals than it does today and was utilized by Native American Tribes. It is believed the Potowatomi were the last Indigenous People to call the area home.
Today the Root River flows through a rapidly developing landscape that is much different that it was 175 years ago. Over 99 percent of the oak savannas surveyed in 1836 are gone and large areas of the watershed have been covered with roads, buildings, and cropland (although the cropland is rapidly disappearing to). Although the Root River has more people concerned about it than ever before, it continues to suffer all sorts of problems, most of them related to the intensive development taking place in it’s watershed. But there is hope. Individuals, businesses, communities, local organization, and the State of Wisconsin itself are committed to improving the Root River.
The Root River watershed drains approximately 197 square miles within Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, and Kenosha Counties, Wisconsin, USA. The North Branch of the Root River, which is the main stem, gets started in the City of New Berlin and flows Southeast approximately 45 miles before emptying into Lake Michigan in the City of Racine.
Based on historic land survey records collected in 1835 and 1836, the uplands surrounding the Root River were a mix of wetlands, forests, Oak savannas, and prairies. The once clear Root River supported more varieties of plants and animals than it does today and was utilized by Native American Tribes. It is believed the Potowatomi were the last Indigenous People to call the area home.
Today the Root River flows through a rapidly developing landscape that is much different that it was 175 years ago. Over 99 percent of the oak savannas surveyed in 1836 are gone and large areas of the watershed have been covered with roads, buildings, and cropland (although the cropland is rapidly disappearing to). Although the Root River has more people concerned about it than ever before, it continues to suffer all sorts of problems, most of them related to the intensive development taking place in it’s watershed. But there is hope. Individuals, businesses, communities, local organization, and the State of Wisconsin itself are committed to improving the Root River.
