A Road to Recovery

Flood Mitigation in the Village of Rock Springs, WI

Village History

The Village of Rock Springs is located in Sauk County, where the Baraboo River and Narrows Creek meet. The village sits near the edge of Wisconsin’s  Driftless Region , among rolling hills and northeast of the ancient Baraboo Range, a Precambrian quartzite rock outcrop. 

The area’s unique geology is one of the features that draws people to the region. The  Van Hise Rock , a national historic landmark in Rock Springs made famous by a University of Wisconsin geology professor, provides a geologic window to the past and is visited by tourists and geologists alike. 

​The area was originally a part of the Ho-Chunk Nation’s ancestral lands, which extended from the Mississippi River to the Rock River. Today, the Ho-Chunk Nation owns land in Sauk County and is the county's largest employer.​

Rock Springs was established in 1851 when Colonel Ableman, a land speculator from Albany, New York, settled there. Ableman constructed a sawmill (later grist mill) and lobbied for the railroad line that eventually ran through the village and remains a feature there today. Rock Springs was originally known as Ableman, until the name changed permanently to Rock Springs in the late 1940s.​

The village's location at the merging of two rivers makes residents of the area a prime target for rising waters. Residents experienced flood events during the 20th century, but record flooding in recent years left homes and businesses in the community struggling to recover.​

Major flood events in recent years have impacted many Village residents and businesses

The Baraboo River flows from Monroe and Vernon Counties through Juneau County and into Sauk County, where Rock Springs is located. Eleven dams once broke the flow of the river. The last of these dams was removed in 2001 as an ecological restoration effort. The dams were power sources and were not intended to prevent flooding. Had the structures still existed during recent major flood events, dam failure may have occurred.

Rock Springs lies within the Narrows Creek-Baraboo River sub-watershed, where the Baraboo River and Narrows Creek meet.

2008 Flooding in Rock Springs​

High rainfall and flooding in the summer of 2007 saturated the soil in Southern Wisconsin. The following winter saw over 100 total inches of snowfall in the region. Combined, these conditions produced some of the most severe floods Wisconsin has ever witnessed.

On June 5, 2008, severe weather warnings were issued throughout Southern Wisconsin as storms producing heavy rainfall, tornadoes, and hail moved over the area. The bout of severe weather continued when more storms moved in on Saturday, June 7 and Sunday, June 8 and continued into the week. On Thursday, November 12, another front brought tornadoes, thunderstorms, and heavy rain. During the period from June 5-12, flooding tore through towns and villages, destroying homes and businesses. Residents were evacuated from many areas, including Rock Springs, with many rescued by boat from their homes as the water rose.

Aerial view of 2008 flooding in Rock Springs

In Rock Springs, the Baraboo River rose quickly, surpassing its previous record height of 21.71 (2000) and finally reaching a crest of 28.73 feet.​

Charts showing historic river crests and flood stage categories at Rock Springs

About 26 residences and 7 businesses were lost during the flooding, some of which were rental properties housing multiple families. One of the buildings that sustained significant damage was the Rock Springs Memorial Community Center, which housed the library, community center, village hall, and Department of Public Works. Floods inundated the building with over 7 feet of water.​

Rock Springs Memorial Community Center

Disaster Declaration DR-1768

On June 14th, as the flood waters receded and the Village prepared to begin the long process of recovery, the president issued a Federal Disaster Declaration for the series of weather events. Disaster Declarations enable local governments and communities to apply for federal funding through programs like the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. Rock Springs was one of the first communities to apply for assistance under Disaster Declaration DR-1768.​

A Wisconsin Army National Guard helicopter flies over June 2008 flooding

The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) offers funding to local governments or communities after a disaster occurs, providing a way to both rebuild and mitigate the effects of future disasters. Projects such as structure elevations, floodproofing, and property buyouts are solutions to preventing future flood damage.​

A flooded building in downtown Rock Springs

In the case of Rock Springs, the structures considered under the DR-1768 HMGP grant were substantially damaged (repair would cost more than 50% of the pre-flood market value). Because of this, floodproofing was not an option and elevation was not cost-effective. Property acquisition and demolition would be the most economical option and mitigate future losses to those properties, as well as potential flooding harm to residents. In the five years following the flood, a total of 20 properties were bought out, including one commercial property (Our Help, Inc.).

The projected 2008 floodplain and properties acquired with the DR-1768 HMGP grant are shown at left.

This flood model and subsequent flood models shown throughout this StoryMap were created using Geographic Information System technology. The data used to create these models included river gauge heights (NOAA), a 3-meter Digital Elevation Model of the area (Wisconsin DNR), and river cross-sections (FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer). The data was then processed using ESRI's ArcMap software and ArcHydro toolset.

DR-1768 Rock Springs

HMGP Fund Cost: $ 1,390,106.00​

Properties Acquired:

  • 19 Residential (1 Vacant)
  • 1 Commercial

Rebuilding the Community Center

Extensive damage to the Community Center led the Village to seek funding from another federal grant program, Public Assistance (PA). Public Assistance grants fund repairs to public infrastructure after a disaster is declared. Rock Springs received funding from two PA grants under Disaster Declaration DR-1768 to repair structural damage to the Community Center and to replace damaged contents. ​These grants were accompanied by many other PA projects funded in Rock Springs to restore parks, roads, and other public facilities and to remove debris following the 2008 flood.​

A sign shows the level that the 2008 flood waters reached at the community center. The flooding caused significant damage to the ground floor of the building. 

Accessibility ramp at the Rock Springs Town Hall

The grant supported the construction of a ramp to improve accessibility to the Town Hall during Community Center renovations.

The 2008 flooding caused damage to the Community Center's HVAC and electrical systems, plumbing, walls, flooring, insulation, garage, and kitchen units, among other structural damages. Additionally, the contents of much of the ground floor, including the garage, kitchen, bathrooms, library, and dining area, were destroyed. The Village of Rock Springs used its PA grant funding to repair and replace these losses and to construct a ramp to improve accessibility to the Town Hall while the Community Center was under renovation.​

Also included in one of the grants was a 406 Mitigation project – a mitigation project funded under Public Assistance – to install a French drainage system at the front of the building. The drain was designed to direct future flood water away from the structure.​​

Unfortunately, at the time of the 2008 flood, the Community Center did not have a flood insurance policy in place. This resulted in deductions from the amount of grant funding it received. However, t​he 2008 events did lead the Village to purchase flood insurance for the Community Center, ensuring better preparation for future flooding.

Long-Term Recovery Efforts

In addition to funding from the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, the Village received support from ESF-14 Long-Term Community Recovery (LTCR), a service that aids in community planning, provides technical assistance, and coordinates federal, state and local resources during disaster recovery. The flood of 2008 marked the first time ESF-14 had been activated in Wisconsin. The LTCR program assisted Rock Springs in developing a plan for flood recovery.​

The flood was a financial blow to the Village. In addition to the cost of rebuilding, the Village lost tax revenue from the homes and businesses that had been demolished. According to City-Data, between 2000 and 2019 the population of Rock Springs saw a 15.3% decrease. The Village also lost their local fire department, deciding instead to contract with a neighboring community.​

Despite these financial challenges, efforts after the events of 2008 led Rock Springs to be more prepared for future flood events. Improved flood monitoring and knowledge of building elevations helped residents and businesses to be better prepared during two moderate stage flood events that occurred in 2016 and 2017. In addition, the demolished properties were no longer at risk for damage, so fewer properties needed to be readied prior to these events.

WKOW 27 News on Twitter: "AERIAL VIDEO: A look at flooding in Rock Springs, Wisconsin"

Disaster Declaration DR-4402​

Aerial view of 2018 flooding in Rock Springs

Unfortunately, August of 2018 brought a flood nearly as devastating as the 2008 event. Storms over the course of several weeks, from August 17 through September 14, brought tornadoes and heavy rains. Many rivers in the area reached record crests, including other sections of the Baraboo River. The Baraboo River at Rock Springs rose to 27.60 feet on August 31, and 26.40 feet on September 6.

Aerial view of August 2018 Flooding in Rock Springs

August 31, 2018 modeled flooding, flood crest height: 27.60 feet

Once again, villagers were forced to evacuate as the downtown area flooded. 4 feet of water rose into the recently recovered Community Center. Among the properties destroyed was a restaurant aptly renamed Flood Zone (pictured at right) after it was damaged during the 2008 flood. It had reopened only a few months earlier.​

September 6, 2018 modeled flooding, flood crest height: 26.40 feet

The closed Flood Zone restaurant, October 2019, about a year after flood damage had occurred

22 Wisconsin homes were destroyed in the floods and 348 sustained major damages. The president issued a Disaster Declaration for the state on October 18.

Recovery Continues....

After the 2018 floods, Rock Springs again applied for a grant through the HMGP. The community received funding to acquire and demolish 8 properties, with 3 alternate properties set to be bought out if leftover funding allowed for this.  

The Community Center was included in the buyouts. The Community Center’s relocation to high ground was approved by the village board in January of 2020 and land was purchased to construct an 8,200 square foot building. Village members broke ground at the construction site in November 2020.​

The new Community Center is only one change of many in store for Rock Springs in the future. The devastation caused by the 2008 and 2018 floods led to plans to relocate the entire downtown out of the floodplain. The 20 properties already demolished, as well as those in process, present a start to the relocation process. Had the properties demolished after DR-1768 been rebuilt, they would likely have been devastated again in the 2018 flood and sustained expensive losses.

At right: 2008 acquired parcels and August 2018 floodplain.

Now, most downtown buildings are being moved to higher ground across the Baraboo River. The new downtown is expected to be complete in about five years' time. The properties bought out in the old downtown will become green space.​

At right: 2008 acquired parcels and September 2018 floodplain.

Hope and progress are ahead for Rock Springs as recovery efforts continue and residents and businesses relocate out of the floodplain. Support from the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, in addition to other grants and funding sources, will aid the community in rebuilding and mitigating flood damage in the future.​

Glossary

Abbreviations

  • WEM: Wisconsin Emergency Management​​
  • FEMA: Federal Emergency Management Agency
  • ESF: Emergency Support Function

Terms

  • Acquisition/demolition: A process of voluntary acquisition of properties located in a floodplain. Structures on the property are demolished. Future uses of the property are then deed-restricted to ensure open space remains. For example, the land could be used for a greenspace or park.​
  • Disaster Declaration: Disasters are declared by the US President when communities and states are unable to supply the funding necessary to recover from the event. Declaration requests are made by the Governor. The declaration process is a part of the Stafford Act.
  • Elevation: A process of raising or elevating structures in a floodplain above the base flood elevation, or the 1%-annual-chance flood level, to mitigate future damages.
  • Emergency Support Functions (ESFs): Groupings that create an organizational structure to coordinate support among federal agencies in response to emergencies.
  • Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP): A grant funded by FEMA which local, state, and tribal governments are eligible to apply for after a disaster is federally declared, in order to mitigate future losses from a similar disaster.​
  • Long-Term Community Recovery (LTCR): A program designed to help coordinate state and federal recovery assistance for communities and to provide planning, technical, and other support to communities.

Major flood events in recent years have impacted many Village residents and businesses

Rock Springs lies within the Narrows Creek-Baraboo River sub-watershed, where the Baraboo River and Narrows Creek meet.

The grant supported the construction of a ramp to improve accessibility to the Town Hall during Community Center renovations.