OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The streets of Oshkosh are dry right now. But many city residents know how quickly some streets can fill with water.
“Historically, we’ve had a lot of flooding issues over the years,” says Director of Oshkosh Public Works James Rabe. “And a lot of that has lead to a lot of projects on our storm warning utilities undertaken to reduce those impacts.”
As the city continues to prepare for future flooding, Rabe says the city has taken steps to ward off rising waters.
“As an organization, we’ve spent a lot of effort upsizing sewers, constructing stormwater management practices to really store, detain that water and reduce those flooding impacts. This time of year, it’s working with the residents to make sure inlets are cleared.”
And rain is not the only thing that can cause impactful flooding.
“The winter time is a bad time to get a lot of rain because the ground is frozen and nothing can soak in,” says Rabe. “And especially, you know, like I said, a couple of weeks ago, we had a foot of snow and a lot of the inlets were covered, so the rain didn’t have anywhere to go.”
Residents of W 9th Avenue in the Sacred Heart neighborhood have often dealt with these flood issues.
In July of 2021, the city announced a project to improve the drainage system that would take place during 2023-2024.
“We had a first phase of that. You know, we got the new outfall constructed to the Fox River and we got about a block in from the river there. Right now, we’re working on design plans,” says Rabe.
He says preventing flood issues requires a partnership between residents and the city.
“We’re not able to be everywhere all the time to know where there’s issues. And if we don’t get some help from our residents letting us know, seeing problems, it’s harder for us to address them.”
This is ‘Flood safety Awareness Week’ across Wisconsin.
Click here to learn more about current projects by the Oshkosh Public Works Department.
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