Flooding in Milwaukee
A tour of flooding disasters and management in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Welcome to Milwaukee
Milwaukee is a unique place in Wisconsin with a wealth of water features. Three major rivers run through the city of Milwaukee before they empty into Lake Michigan. The city also has many streams that run along streets and through parks and neighborhoods. All this flowing water is a part of the Milwaukee River Basin .
Flooding is an increasingly destructive and dangerous issue in Milwaukee due to fluctuating water levels of Lake Michigan and increased rainfall from severe storms, as a result of climate change. This tour will guide you through some stories of flood devastation and end on important resources for flood awareness and preparation.
Proceed ahead to learn about this important issue in Milwaukee that also persists in places all over the world.
Damage to the Port of Milwaukee
The Port of Milwaukee is a regional transportation and distribution center located on an industrialized peninsula called Jones Island on the coast of Lake Michigan. Jones Island treats the wastewater of Milwaukee.
On January 10th, 2020, a winter storm created significant damage along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Milwaukee, leading to the governor of Wisconsin to request federal damage relief funds . The storm was characterized by 50-60mph “gale-force” winds , huge 15-foot waves on Lake Michigan, and flooding which caused an estimated $10.7 million in damages in Milwaukee County. At the port, sea walls, terminal buildings, roadways, and drainage systems all experienced significant damage. Even though this flood was of "historic" magnitude , storms like this are becoming increasingly common. Have you seen damage due to coastal flooding in your community?
Inland Flooding Disasters
Flooding can occur in cities and towns away from the coast, due to extreme rainfall events. On the night of August 2nd, 2020 a heavy rainstorm stalled over southern Milwaukee County and caused a very intense period of rainfall. In Greenfield, almost 3 inches of rain fell within 30 minutes! Some areas received up to 6 inches of rain during the storm. Flash flooding in inland cities like Greenfield forced the closure of roadways after cars stalled in flooded highways. Damage was also was done to homes and agricultural crops.
The risk of floods in this region are increasing as sea levels rise and precipitation increases due to climate change.
The Flash Flood of July 2010
In July of 2010 Milwaukee experienced a record rainfall event that led to flash flooding across the city, with more than 7.5 inches of rainfall in two hours.
Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewage District reported that the storm resulted in combined sewer overflow of 2 billion gallons, along with sewer backups and flooding in many residential basements. Beaches were closed along Lake Michigan due to sewer contamination. A 20-foot deep sinkhole opened up after the rain event in the city, swallowing a car and a streetlight and damaging power lines. The flash flood also resulted in one fatality when a driver was swept away from their vehicle during the storm. Hundreds were left stranded when Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee closed during the storm because the runways were flooded.
This storm was considered a 100-year storm , meaning that there was a 1 in a 100 likelihood that it would occur in a year. However, record-setting storms like these are becoming more common and severe in Milwaukee.
FEMA's Community Rating System
As you've seen, flash floods and storms have the capacity to damage Milwaukee in devastating ways. Fortunately, many government agencies and organizations are working to help mitigate these flooding threats with new programs and technologies.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)'s National Flood Insurance Program features the Community Rating System - an incentive program that encourages greater flood resiliency by providing property owners with flood insurance premiums for implementing activities which reduce flood risk. Communities can participate in this program by maintaining drainage systems, developing hazard mitigation and storm management plans, preparing flood maps, preserving open spaces in a floodplain to reduce the risk of property damage, monitoring flood conditions and issuing warnings to community members.
Deep Tunnel
The Deep Tunnel is an infrastructure project built by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District to prevent billions of gallons of polluted runoff from entering Lake Michigan. Before the Deep Tunnel project began in the 1980's, stormwater infrastructure in Milwaukee would often become overwhelmed during severe storms, leading to sewer overflows , basement backups, and flooding. As a result, polluted runoff would make its ways into streams and rivers, and eventually into Lake Michigan.
The Deep Tunnel can capture and store 520 million gallons of stormwater, allowing for a much greater quantity of the water to be held and eventually cleaned by the sewerage district before being released into Lake Michigan. As a result of this project, water pollution due to sewer overflows has drastically decreased, from 50-60 overflows a year to an annual average of 2.4 today.
Flood Management
It is simply not enough to control floods in Milwaukee - they must be managed because it is a public health and environmental issue. The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) has been a trailblazer in flood management by creating an "environmentally responsible watershed planning program" to manage flood problems and create policy and programs to reduce flooding.
In collaboration with MMSD, The Conservation Fund launched Greenseams - a land restoration program designed to keep water in the ground where it falls. Greenseams restores land upstream from rivers that are prone to flooding downstream in the city.
Green infrastructure is a great way to manage water where it falls within Milwaukee. Check out the Milwaukee Green Infrastructure Quest to learn more about green infrastructure success stories in Milwaukee.
Quest Complete
Click here to submit the final word to unlock your certificate for completing the Flooding in Milwaukee Quest!
If you live in an area that is prone to flooding or other natural disaster, it is important to make a family plan . There are some things you can do inside and outside your house to protect your home for when the heavy rains come. These things also help manage the water where is falls.
Click here for more helpful tips about being "flood aware."
Acknowledgments
This story map guided tour was developed by the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute . The Great Lakes Quests are part of the Wisconsin Coastal Guide , an interactive map that supports coastal heritage tourism along the Great Lakes coasts of Wisconsin. This guided tour promotes placed-based learning about coastal resilience issues in southeastern Wisconsin and is funded by the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office for Coastal Management under the Coastal Zone Management Act, Grant# NA17NOS4730144.