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West Allis engineering report: August floods were a 1,000‑year event; 1,000‑year upgrades estimated at $23M
Summary
West Allis engineering staff told the council the region experienced a '1,000‑year' storm in August, explained why local sewers were overwhelmed and said a high‑level estimate to upgrade Honey Creek drainage to a 1,000‑year capacity would exceed $23 million; responsibility for some infrastructure rests with the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD).
West Allis engineering staff presented findings on the August flooding event, saying the rainfall behaved like a "1,000‑year" storm that overwhelmed local stormwater infrastructure and that a city‑side upgrade sized for a 1,000‑year event would be costly.
The engineering department presenter (Speaker 2) told the committee the report was prepared to answer whether the city’s infrastructure failed, whether storm‑sewer valves could have been used to prevent flooding, and what it might cost to build systems able to convey a 1,000‑year storm. "We did a very high‑level analysis... it would be over $23,000,000," Speaker 2 said, adding that number is a baseline that would increase with detailed modelling and utility coordination.
The city’s sewers are designed to convey a 5‑year storm (about a 20% chance annually), Speaker 2 said, and that standard reflects tradeoffs cities make about acceptable risk and cost.…
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