Bedrock Removed to Create a Passing Lane for Fish on the Milwaukee River

(Milwaukee, WI) - Lake sturgeon, northern pike, walleye, suckers, and bass can now swim farther upstream on the Milwaukee River than they have in more than a century.

Estabrook Falls once blocked many native fish from moving upstream on the river.

"Through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, EPA is proud to work with local and state partners to remove barriers and reconnect vital habitat on the Milwaukee River," said U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 Administrator Anne Vogel. "The Estabrook Falls project shows how collaboration can revive native fish populations and strengthen the ecological health of the region."

"Together with several other fish passage projects, the Estabrook Falls project allows fish to travel from Lake Michigan to over 30 miles of the Milwaukee River. It also provides access to upstream tributaries and 2,400 acres of wetlands that provide spawning, nursery, and feeding habitat," said the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WIDNR) Secretary Karen Hyun.

"Estabrook Falls is not a natural waterfall, but rather a relic left from early industrialists that mined bedrock from the riverbed to make cement in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The man-made waterfall prevented many native fish from moving upstream," said Kevin Shafer, Executive Director of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District.

In 2025, crews removed bedrock in some locations to allow native fish to pass. This new pathway allows fish to safely move upstream past the falls, something that hadn't been consistently possible for over 100 years.