County projects pass flood test with flying colors

While damage to Ozaukee County parks and waterways was widespread from the recent storm that inundated the area, damage was fairly limited thanks to many of the restoration projects that have been implemented in recent years, officials were told last week.

“With a flood like this, we normally would have heard from (park) neighbors. We held back the water really well,” county Planning and Parks Director Andrew Struck told members of the Natural Resources Committee last week.

Mineral Springs Creek in Port Washington, in particular, responded well.

In August 2018, the creek was washed out by nine inches of rain that fell in a single day, exposing a sewer line that forced the city to create a concrete dam as a temporary fix.

Since then, the county and city have worked to restore fish passage in the creek and surrounding habitat.

The creek, which runs from the Port Washington industrial park northeast until it joins Sauk Creek at Coal Dock Park, is considered one of the most important in Ozaukee County for spawning fish. 

The storm on Aug. 9 and 10 dumped almost the same amount of rain as in 2018, Struck said. 

“It held all of it in,” Struck said. “There was no erosion. That is exactly what it was 

designed for.”

Other projects that handled the storm well included the floating boardwalk at Lion’s Den Gorge Nature Preserve in the Town of Grafton.

Due to drier weather in recent years, the boardwalk has rarely been showcased.

But it was front and center less than a week after the storm when Gov. Tony Evers and other elected officials toured the preserve to see the progress the county has made on several environmental projects.

“It was the first time the floating boardwalk was really used,” Struck said.

Restoration of Little Tendick Creek in Tendick Nature Park in the Town of Saukville “held up extremely well, holding water and limiting damage downstream,” Struck said. 

“It’s nice to see some of the projects we’ve done in the past doing what they’re designed for,” committee Chairman Rob Holyoke said.

While Highway W in Saukville was flooded, as it usually is after heavy rainfalls, officials got a preview of how the redesign of the road will work once it is completed.

Plans call for installing large culverts under the road, allowing the Milwaukee River to flow under it into an oxbow that will hold floodwaters rather than flooding out private property downstream.

“Hopefully when it’s completed we won’t be closing W on an annual basis as has been pretty much the case,” Struck said.

Struck said total damage in county parks amounted to about $216,000, not including lost income from parks being closed.

River Oaks Park in the Town of Grafton had five trees downed and the road in Waubedonia Park was undermined by floodwaters, creating sink holes.

“There was some significant damage to the pavement,” Struck said.

Historic Covered Bridge Park in the Town of Cedarburg was hit hard with 95% of the park underwater.

Two picnic tables were washed downstream and a log jam banging against the historic bridge caused some damage to its siding, which crews were able to repair, Struck said.

The Ozaukee Interurban Trail suffered only some shoulder damage, he said.