Flood Mitigation Planning

Dane County's Flood Mitigation Plan

The occurrence and impact of flooding are issues of increasing concern to Dane County residents. Severe flood damages over the past decade (notably in 1993, 1996, and 2000) have cost local governments and property owners tens of millions of dollars. Smaller scale, localized flooding occurs on an annual basis. The potential exists for future damages to the County's farmland, crops, homes, shorelines, and roads.

In response to this concern, the Flood Mitigation Plan was developed through the involvement of Dane County citizens, local units of government, stakeholder groups, the Lakes and Watershed Commission, and various County departments. The County's Flood Mitigation Planning Committee, led by the Department of Emergency Management guided the planning process, collected and evaluated data, organized public outreach efforts, provided specialized knowledge, developed recommendations, and drafted the Plan.

The planning process sought public input at numerous stages of the plan development.

To gain an understanding of the local flooding problems and impacts, planning team members interviewed leaders from all 34 Towns, 19 Villages, 8 Cities, and 22 Sanitary Districts in the County.
Five public meetings were held throughout the County to develop and evaluate alternative solutions to address the identified problems.
The draft plan was posted on the Lakes and Watershed Commission's website. County Board members, local officials, and stakeholder groups and individuals were notified of its availability and invited to review and comment on the Plan.
A focus group of key stakeholder groups was conducted to evaluate and guide revision of the draft plan.

The purpose of the Plan is to assess the flood risks that confront the County and to articulate a strategy for implementing feasible, cost effective programs that will reduce the identified risks. The plan outlines the risks associated with flooding, describes existing conditions in Dane County, describes existing flood management programs, and presents an outline of steps the County can take to reduce future flood damages.

Dane County's Flood Mitigation Plan was approved by the Dane County Board on August 22, 2004.

After referral and action by Board committees, it was approved by the full Board at the regular meeting on August 22, 2004.

The plan has now been approved by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The County is now able to apply for federal funds to implement mitigation projects and programs identified in the plan.

The Plan and all appendices are posted below.