Local municipalities receive state funds to assess flooding issues

The State of Wisconsin is providing money to three local governments to help assess issues related to flooding.  

The trio are part of a group that is receiving $2 million in funding through the Pre-Disaster Flood Resilience Grant (PDFRG) program created by Governor Tony Evers in 2023.  

“Taking action now, before flooding strikes, will help reduce the impacts of future flooding events,” said Wisconsin Emergency Management Administrator Greg Engle. “By helping Wisconsin communities become more flood resilient, we will save on response and recovery costs later.”

All three-Vernon County, the Town of Shelby, and the Town of Dodge in Trempealeau County-get assessment grants from the program.  

Vernon County gets $299,039, Shelby $114,465, and Town of Dodge receives $102,603. 

The PDFRG program focuses on areas that have seen severe flooding within the past ten years. 

The assessment grants are for items including a culvert inventory, studying water flow and hydraulic structure, erosion potential, and ways to increase flood resilience.  

Once the assessments are finished, the municipalities can use that information to create a plan to modify or restore wetlands, floodplain, and stream areas as well as culverts to better deal with flooding issues.