WEST BEND, WI – The Washington County Board of Supervisors recently approved a resolution to apply for a Pre-Disaster Flood Resilience Grant through the Wisconsin Emergency Management, a division of the Department of Military Affairs, which has now approved the grant for Washington County.
The grant to local governmental units is to be used for identifying flood vulnerabilities, options to improve flood resiliency and restoring hydrology in order to reduce flood risk and damages in flood-prone communities. The Village of Germantown, where most of the focus area is located, also wrote in support of the grant application.
Paul Backhaus, County Conservationist, said, “I welcome the opportunity to work on this project over the next two years to develop practical solutions to help reduce flooding concerns for Germantown and other downstream communities.”
Washington County will conduct a comprehensive floodplain study for the Menomonee River Watershed to address chronic flooding, targeting the upper reaches of the watershed, primarily within the Village of Germantown and portions in the Villages of Richfield and Menomonee Falls. The project area represents some of the last remaining large blocks of undeveloped area in the Menomonee River Watershed.
County staff will perform a Great Lakes Stream Crossing Inventory to better understand hydrologic conditions of culverts, and a private consultant will identify priority locations for wetland, stream, and floodplain restoration. Scheduled to run for two years, the study ultimately will provide a strategic roadmap for stormwater retention and floodplain connectivity to protect the safety and long-term resilience of the community and resident’s property.
