Since 2008, Kapur has served as a consultant to the Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District to help ensure that the permit conditions are met and that the intended uses of the Menomonee River can be restored. The American Family Field grounds have some challenges – a substantial portion of the park has been impervious since before the permit was issued, land expansion is not an option along this heavily urbanized corridor, and much of the park was built over contaminated materials.
The Public Trust Doctrine, established by the Wisconsin Constitution over 150 years ago, declares that Wisconsin waterways are public resources. The conceptualization of waterways as “common highways and forever free” language included in the Constitution can be traced back to ancient Rome. Section 402 of the Clean Water Act established the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit program to control discharges of pollutants from point sources and stormwater discharges.
“How does this relate to American Family Field,” you ask? The ballpark grounds have approximately 5,000 lineal feet of water frontage along both sides of the Menomonee River. Because the park grounds’ stormwater discharges to the river, it is permitted under the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (WPDES).
Kapur staff have comprehensive knowledge of the regulations and have worked with project stakeholders including the public and the WDNR to develop practices and strategies to help improve stormwater discharge from American Family Field. Our engineers and scientists are ahead of the curve in the field of stormwater engineering. We have met with project stakeholders to develop a specialized and cost-effective program for the Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District.
