The Cost of Flooding in Dane County

In August 2018, heavy rains led to intense flooding in Wisconsin and, per usual, disaster headlines spilled from media outlets. The initial reports last year suggested a cost burden of $154 million resulting from the flooding. Most stories bemoaned personal miseries, or the hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage to private and public property. Then, the clamor faded away. Nothing changed. Or did it?

While our counties and state have partially recovered, the scars continue to be visible to those who live close to water or care about our thousands of miles of wetlands and shorelines. Homeowners impacted by the flooding continue to wrestle with loss and baffling insurance coverage. 

And now, nearly one year later, groundwater related flooding is still impacting farmers. Last year AND this year fifty square miles of land has been unusable due to standing water. The result? Millions of dollars of lost revenue for farmers in a single fiscal year.  

So, what has Dane County Government done?  A lot, it turns out—most of it vitally important for safety and resilience yet unnoticed by many County residents. 

County Executive Joe Parisi allotted $18 million dollars of his 2019 budget for recovery, risk reduction, and improving future flood preparedness. The plan elevates portions of roadways, includes bridge improvements, and the addition of pumps, generators, flood barriers, sandbagging machines, and equipment for high water rescues. More detailed information on the budget allocation to address flooding can be found in this article in the Wisconsin State Journal.

Our communities are not sitting idle, waiting for the next disaster to catch them unprepared. The League’s November 6, 2019. Climate Crisis Forum: Why Local Governments Matter, will feature a moderated panel of speakers including:

• Keith Reopelle, Director, Dane County Office of Energy and Climate Change

• Sherrie Gruder, Sustainable Design Specialist, Energy Program Manager, LEED Accredited Professional in Building Design and Construction at UW Extension

• Stacie Reece, City of Madison Sustainability Program Coordinator

• Ralph Petersen, Ph.D., UW-Madison Space Science and Engineering Center and former NASA and NOAA scientist

Petersen will launch the forum with a short talk on government’s role in climate forecasting. 

So if you’re interested in how our local government is addressing the climate crisis, be sure to mark your calendars now! Find more information here.

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