by Julia Buskirk
VIROQUA, Wis.– Last week the Vernon County Conservation and Education Committee (CEC) approved the formation of the Flood Mitigation Alliance, an advisory committee which will help increase flood resiliency in the area. The CEC once again delayed voting on the proposed decommissioning of 23 PL566 dams until their meeting on August 8, 2024 to coordinate with the other impacted counties,Monroe and La Crosse, on making their decision.
Committee Member Nathaniel Slack, County Administrator Cassandra Hanan, and County Conservationist Ben Wojahn recommended the Flood Mitigation Alliance include a representative from the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), two farmers in the County, an LCC member, a board member, and an at-large member. The CEC will vote on the exact structure and formation of the group at their August meeting.
The goals of the Flood Mitigation Alliance will be to build relationships between landowners, conservation groups, producer-led watershed groups, and all levels of government. It will also work on supporting landowners through education and funding opportunities to manage land with practices that increase the water infiltration on land and decrease runoff. The CEC also wants this group to support high risk flooding areas, and promote sustainable land use policies and practices to inform both the state and federal legislation.
Slack, Hanan, and Wojahn borrowed the name “Flood Mitigation Alliance” from the Vernon County Group that existed in 2021 and 2022 that consisted of county staff involved with flood mitigation and emergency response. The group helped bridge departments at the County level to support and expand existing efforts to improve flood resiliency in the area, focusing on flood mitigation, public education, and technology. Wojahn stated it disbanded due to staff turnover.
This rendition of the Flood Mitigation Alliance will focus on including community members on its committee as well as encouraging dialogue with community members during meetings. Similarly, this group will support and build on long-term existing projects from the Vernon County Land and Water Department, such as the development and use of the Agricultural Conservation Planning Framework (ACPF) Mapping tool by County Watershed Planner Sammer Kharbush, which is helping guide conservation projects in the county.
The CEC is creating the Flood Mitigation Alliance in response to growing community concern over the proposed decommissioning and removal of 23 PL566 dams (14 in the Coon Creek and 9 in the West Fork Kickapoo) across Vernon, Monroe, and La Crosse Counties. A 5-year study led by the United States Department of Agriculture determined that there were significant breach and damage risks for the PL566 dams in the Coon Creek and West Fork of the Kickapoo, which are all at the end of their service lives and would need significant repairs to ensure their safety. The study also found that the existing dams’ flood protection benefits were more limited than initially thought, and that the cost of replacing them would be much more than the expected benefits. The three counties in the study––Vernon, Monroe, and La Crosse––now need to decide on next steps.
County Conservationist Wojahn urged a decision on the dam decommission as soon as possible, due to concerns that Vernon County could miss out on current available federal funds to take out the dams. Without federal funding, the county would be financially responsible for their removal. The NRCS plan as proposed to decommission (or remove) 23 dams across three counties would cost around $30 (I need to verify that) million. The plan calls for the federal government to pay for all but a small portion of that.
Wojahn said he is currently waiting for Monroe County’s decision on decommissioning so that CEC can make a decision aligned with theirs. He anticipates hearing their decision this week, and that CEC will have their vote on the decommissioning in the August Meeting.
Mary Henry, CEC committee member, sees the month delay as an opportunity.
“I would like this (Flood Mitigation Alliance) formed before the dam resolution goes to the board and I’ll tell you why,” Henry says. “Because, to people who are concerned, I want them to know that we hear them, and we’re listening, and we’re working on this.”
This summer’s rain events have already caused flooding across the county. Land and Water Department staff, watershed groups, and community members have long worked to improve flood resiliency in Vernon County and beyond, and with the slated dam removals, these efforts are becoming more important than ever.
“All the talk about all of these dams coming out,” said Frank Easterday, vice-chair of the CEC, “I just feel like trying to slow this water down is something we all want to try to do.”
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