Wauwatosa Flood Pain Relief: 4 Plans Come Forward

WAUWATOSA, WI — In July 2010, at just after 5 p.m., the skies blackened, huge swirling clouds rolled over the north metro Milwaukee area, and torrential rain began to pour down.

The water came so fast that even areas of high ground were swamped. That water simply could not run off nearly as fast as it was coming down.

The flood that followed, and another one in 2014, remain powerful memories for the thousands whose homes and businesses were swamped and for those who were caught out in it, trapped in cars for hours on inundated freeways and city streets.

In 2017, Wauwatosa officials are working with the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission to develop plans on how to fix Wauwatosa's flooding woes. 'Tosa also saw major floods in 1997 and 1998.

Four plans available online present four options, as well as four costs and four consequences. The plans vary in construction costs, 100-year storm effectiveness and in the number of properties that would need to be acquired to make the flood plan happen.

Plan 1 calls for adding new concrete pipes, box culverts and sewer routes throughout the village at a cost of about $23.3 million. Engineers say this would result in only minimal street flooding during a 100-year storm.

Plan 2 calls for increasing the size of an existing storm sewer while also calling for a new mile-long pipe to be constructed from 66th and Lloyd to the Menomonee River. Cost estimate: $36.5 million. Engineers say this would result in significantly reducing street flooding during a 100-year storm.

Plan 3 calls for the construction of a 10-foot wide water diversion channel that would stretch about 4,900 feet through Wauwatosa. 122 properties would need to be acquired to facilitate the project. Cost estimate: $62.4 million. Engineers say this would result in eliminating street flooding during a 100-year storm.

Plan 4 calls for the construction of two storage tanks that could hold up to 16.4 million gallons of water during a 100-year storm. This plan would require the acquisition of 76 properties in the village. Cost estimate: $39 million. Engineers say this would result in eliminating street flooding during a 100-year storm.

Image Via Patch.com File Photo