Provide Input on Dam Decommissioning Plans
Late on August 27, 2018 a storm system entered West Fork Kickapoo and Coon Creek watersheds with intense rainfall for approximately six to seven hours, dropping between 9 and 10 inches of rain. Five dams within the watersheds failed in the early morning of August 28, causing significant sudden failures at two of the dams, leading to a large breach wave with sufficient velocity and energy to cause significant damage and flooding downstream.
That event caused officials in the national office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to take notice, and in 2019 NRCS commissioned a $1.8 million study to look at the West Fork Kickapoo and Coon Creek Watersheds to determine what caused those failures, and how to move forward. Whether fixing those dams, and keeping the aging dams in those watersheds in place was worth the cost. The result of that study was that the NRCS determined that keeping those dams was not worth the cost, and has since been working toward decommissioning all of those dams (with the possible exception of Jersey Valley) in those two watersheds over the next five years.
The NRCS, in partnership with Monroe, Vernon and La Crosse Counties, in which the watersheds reside, have developed a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for each watershed. The process provides for public comment and input on the decommissioning process. The final documents will inform the decision makers with potential solutions and open the door for potential federal funding sources to match local funds. This is a very lengthy and technical document that includes costs, and engineering plans, but we would appreciate you taking some time to browse through it, and provide your comments. This is your chance to have a voice in this process, so please give your feedback if you can.
Coon Creek Watershed | Coon Valley American Legion Hall, 12:00-2:30 pm | Thursday, January 18, 2024.
West Fork Kickapoo Watershed | Cashton Community Hall, 4:00-6:30 pm | Thursday, January 18, 2024.