Washington County committee pledges to press DNR over Druid Lake "flood storage" mapping

WASHINGTON COUNTY — Members of the Washington County Land Use and Planning Committee said at a committee meeting that they will pursue a resolution urging the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to reconsider a new flood-storage mapping overlay for Druid Lake after staff described rules that residents and supervisors said could make shoreline homes difficult to repair, modify or sell.

At the meeting, Brett Schur, the county’s land use manager, described the mapping process and its effects on homeowners. Schur said the DNR used lidar-derived contours in a floodplain study that produced preliminary FEMA flood insurance rate maps (FIRM) released in March 2024, followed by a public open house in May and a 90-day appeal window that closed in December. Schur said no appeals were filed from unincorporated townships handled by county staff and that, once finalized, the DNR will notify the county and the ordinance must incorporate the new maps within six months.

The issue drew repeated concern from committee members because the DNR’s overlay would add a "flood storage" layer on top of the flood fringe. Schur said that under the DNR overlay homeowners would still be in the flood fringe but an added storage designation would bar adding or removing fill on a lot without compensating changes elsewhere: "If you do add fill, you have to remove the same amount of fill somewhere else on the property," he said. Schur described other requirements tied to the new mapping: new construction must be raised 2 feet above base flood elevation, utilities must be 2 feet above grade, and DNR guidance effectively requires 15 feet of fill around a house — a requirement Schur said is difficult to meet on many Druid Lake lots that are about 50 to 60 feet wide.

Why it matters

Schur said the assessed value of land and structures around Druid Lake exceeds $23,000,000 and that residents have contacted county staff frequently over the past year. He explained how federal FEMA rules also limit improvements: under the FEMA "50% rule" a home is capped on total allowable improvements relative to its assessed value, which can leave homeowners effectively unable to carry out renovations without raising the structure to meet floodplain requirements. "Essentially, you can't do anything to the home until you get it to comply," Schur said.

Committee reaction and next steps

Committee members expressed sympathy for lake residents and urged county support. Supervisor Kelly said he would personally sign on to a resolution and called the DNR action "an overreach." Supervisor Mary said she "concur[red] totally" and asked that any resolution be forceful. The group discussed drafting resolution language aimed at the DNR’s flood-storage rule and, if appropriate, at federal regulators.

The committee did not take a formal vote during the meeting. Instead, members signaled consensus support for drafting a resolution and for county staff to meet directly with residents. Schur said the county will meet with the lake association on June 30 at Aaron Town Hall at 6:00 p.m. to gather residents' concerns and refine resolution language. Schur also said homeowners retain technical options: they may pursue individual map amendments through FEMA (a LOMA/LOMR), but he described that path as costly — citing typical application fees he described as "6 or $7,000" just to submit paperwork, with total costs often exceeding $10,000–$20,000 when surveys and engineering are included.

Background and constraints

Schur explained that the DNR’s flood-storage designation is more restrictive than FEMA in this case; FEMA does not apply the flood-storage overlay but the DNR does. He said Wisconsin’s requirements do not generally accept alternative engineered approaches that other states and FEMA sometimes permit, such as elevating on helical piers or pylons. "They said the only way they would allow it would be that 15 feet of fill," Schur said. County staff also noted two recent Board of Adjustment cases in February that resulted in variances: one for a new house where lots were too narrow to meet DNR fill requirements, and another to allow an addition related to a disability that triggered FEMA’s 50% threshold. Schur said the DNR provided recommendations on those variances but warned the DNR can audit and comment — and that excessive variance approvals could jeopardize the county's participation in the National Flood Insurance Program, which could raise insurance costs dramatically for residents.

What the county can do

Staff and supervisors discussed multiple tactics, including one or more resolutions: options include targeting the flood-storage rule specifically, petitioning for allowance of other engineered compliance methods, or coordinating with other counties through the Wisconsin Counties Association. Schur said the county could pursue multiple drafts directed at different regulatory levels.

Committee members emphasized outreach and showing support to residents. No formal ordinance change or binding action was adopted at the meeting; staff will draft resolution language and meet with residents June 30 before returning to the committee for further direction.