Kletzsch Dam fish passage project in Glendale deemed successful

GLENDALE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The completion of a new project on the Kletzsch Dam means native fish will be able to explore an additional 54 miles of the Milwaukee River and tributaries.

City leaders gathered at a press conference on Tuesday, explaining what the project means and how it took about a decade to come to fruition.

"What a beautiful day to celebrate this," said Guy Smith, executive director for Milwaukee County Parks. "And this was a partnership with government, nonprofits, neighbors, community."

For decades, the area was a major wildlife concern within the Great Lakes because of historical contamination and changes to the rivers that degraded water quality and wildlife habitat.

"The Kletzsch Dam had remained the last major impediment on the Milwaukee River between Lake Michigan and Grafton," Smith added.

The multi-million-dollar project became operational in December, and now there's evidence it's been successful.

"There were repairs that we had to do to the dam/waterfall, but then this whole meandering of the stream and the river that was not there before, and that's what creates the fish passage," Smith said.

Local leaders said Tuesday that this initiative is only one of 30 restoration projects that aim to enhance living species' quality of life.

"The Kletzsch Park fish passageway is more than just an infrastructure improvement. What this really represents is a significant leap forward in our efforts to restore the ecological health of the Milwaukee River," said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.

Officials said communities have an obligation to protect and preserve ecosystems, like this one, for future generations.