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Vernon County wins pre-disaster flood resilience grant; funding to support culvert inventory and hydrologic studies
Summary
Vernon County was awarded a pre-disaster flood resilience grant that will fund a culvert inventory and 22 hydrologic/hydraulic studies across two watersheds; the county expects roughly $300,000 in state award with a county match of nearly $100,000.
Vernon County will use an awarded pre-disaster flood resilience grant to fund a culvert inventory and hydrologic-and-hydraulic (H&H) studies to assess flood impacts and prioritize infrastructure upgrades in two watersheds.
Amy told the committee the county applied for about $400,000 and learned in mid-December that it had been selected. She said the county will receive roughly $300,000 from Wisconsin Emergency Management and will match nearly $100,000 from local sources. The statewide program received 16 applications and awarded eight; total awards statewide were about $1,200,000.
The grant’s work program includes two primary components. First, staff will inventory culverts on county roads and highways that are six inches in diameter or less (county staff described this as culverts “6 diameters or less”), a dataset the county currently lacks. That inventory will be completed by trained interns over the next two years after training coordinated with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Second, the grant will fund 22 H&H studies focused on two watersheds — Coombe Creek and the West Fork of the Kickapoo — to model flows, identify bridges and other structures at risk if dams are removed or decommissioned, and prioritize future infrastructure investments.
Amy said the studies will help the county understand how waterflow could shift if dams are decommissioned and which bridges and roads would become more vulnerable, information that will be used to pursue additional grant funding for specific bridge or road improvements.
Committee members asked whether the $400,000 estimate would cover the studies; Amy said they collected multiple estimates and used the average in the grant application and that the next step is a request for proposals to secure a consultant to perform the studies. She confirmed the award is state money provided through Wisconsin Emergency Management and that the state has already allocated the funds for the county’s project.
Staff will proceed with an RFP for consultant services and recruit interns for the culvert inventory work. Amy said she will request additional study slots from the state if grant funds remain after the initial 22 studies.
