The Clean Bay Backers Host the 5th Annual Bringing Back the Bay Tour!

The Clean Bay Backers hosted the 5^th annual Bringing Back the Bay Tour on Friday, October 5th. This year’s tour focused on growing our community assets through innovative stormwater management. Additionally, the event aids in increasing the awareness and understanding of water quality issues and restoration work initiatives in the Lower Fox River and the bay of Green Bay, an area deemed the Green Bay Area of Concern. Elected officials and community leaders were invited to attend the event to increase their awareness and understanding of the current issues affecting water quality, to provide a venue for networking and open communication between the various groups in attendance, to create stronger connections, and to experience our water resources first-hand.

Elected officials are powerful authorities on the advancement of innovative stormwater practices to
preserve the integrity of our waterways and ensure that roads and properties are
protected from flooding.

The event began with a with a welcome and press conference at Heritage Hill State Historical Park in Green Bay, and was followed by guided tours showcasing stormwater management projects and practices including an Allouez stormwater pond, stormwater recycling at Georgia Pacific, and green infrastructure installations at St. Mary’s hospital, including bio-filters and a green roof. Local experts briefed attendees on efforts to reduce the quantity of water running off the landscape, improve the quality of stormwater runoff, and the rules and regulations guiding these efforts. More than 60 attendees participated in the tour.

One attendee remarked:

“The stormwater tour was very informative. I truly look at things in our environment with a different eye. In fact, the first thing I noticed after we left St Marys was the storm retention pond under Hwy 41. In the past I wouldn’t have even given it much of a thought.”