Flood Management Project

Since March of 2004, the collaboration of Village residents, elected officials and staff from various federal, state and local agencies has coalesced into a long term solution to flood-related problems that impact the residential and commercial communities within the Village.

The intent of this web page is to provide residents, business owners, concerned citizens and the general public with relevant, timely and significant information regarding the Village’s flood management plan; information provided will be specific to both project implementation and construction. For some time the Village has provided information related to the planning and development phases of the project. Now that project implementation is underway, the Village finds it necessary to expand the scope of the web page to address not only past accomplishments, but also current progress and future opportunities.

POINTS OF REFERENCE

Questions/Comments for the Construction Manager
- updated 11-30-2005

Construction Timeline
- updated 6-21-2007

Detour Information
- updated 4-12-2006

DNR Project Permit
- updated 12-07-2005

Flood Management Plan Components
- updated 10-07-2005

Park Plan Status
- updated 3-31-2006

Obtaining Additional Information
- updated 6-27-2006

General Floodplain Property Information
- updated 10-07-2005

VILLAGE PARK OPENS JUNE 9, 2007

THE PARK AND PATHWAYS WILL OPEN FOR USE.
PLEASE STAY OFF OF ALL NEWLY SEEDED AREAS WITHIN THE PARK.

THE SOFTBALL FIELDS AND SOCCER FIELDS WILL CONTINUE TO BE CLOSED FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE 2007 SEASON.**

The Village Hall, Library, Police Department, and Fire Department
will remain open during regular hours.

Village Ordinance § 204-2, Special Hours
"Any Village park or part thereof may be declared opened or closed to the public by the Village Board of Trustees at any time for any interval of time, either temporarily or at regular and stated intervals, daily or otherwise, and either entirely or merely to certain uses, as the Village Board of Trustees shall find reasonably necessary. "

* *Residents and Village Park users are hereby notified that failure to
comply with Village regulations governing use
of the park will result in the issuance of a citation from
the Elm Grove Police Department that carries
a forfeiture amount up to $172.00.

Click on the image above to view an aerial photo of Village Park taken on November 22, 2006. Use your "back" button on the browser to return to this web page.

How To Obtain Additional Project Information

Questions/Comments for the Construction Manager

To assist with oversight of this large project the Village has hired a construction manager, Dick Bloomer .
As construction manager, Mr. Bloomer will oversee the contractors on a daily basis and communicate with
residents regarding project concerns.

Dick can be contacted by e-mail at dick.bloomer@gasai.com or by phone at 262-786-9875.

What are the components of the selected flood management plan?

Pond Location Considerations

Wet floodwater storage will be constructed at the north end of Village Park. A portion of this storage will remain wet at all times, with the entire area filling with water during a flood. Native wetland species will be planted within the site, enhancing the Park's existing wetland. Although trees will likely be removed in the Park, every effort will be made to save those of the highest quality.

During the planning phase for floodwater storage Village staff and consultants engaged in on-going discussions with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) and the Army Corps of Engineers regarding the placement of the pond and the impacts to the waterway. Two sets of regulations in particular were considered as part of the placement. The first is the WDNR Chapter 30 requirements, which pertain to any construction work around navigable waters. The second, NR103, examines the impacts to wetlands. An informational handout is available to further explain these regulations.

Removal of Concrete Channel Liner

The concrete lining the bottom of Underwood Creek in Village Park will be removed and the Creek will be reconstructed in a more natural state. This will help to better control the amount of water flowing out of the Village Park floodwater storage during a flood event.

Legion Post - TV John Storage

Dry floodwater storage will be excavated at the former location of the Legion Post and former TV John Building (13555 Juneau Boulevard). This storage will remain dry most of the time, filling with water during a flood event.

Underground Overflow Culvert

An underground overflow culvert will be constructed under Legion Drive, through the Elm Grove Terrace Condominium property, and through the Department of Public Works Yard. This culvert will be used to divert stormwater around downtown during a flood event.

Villager Apartments - Sleepy Hollow Motel

Dry floodwater storage will be constructed at this location. This storage area will remain dry most of the time, filling with water during a flood. Public comment has been received in regard to what type of recreational uses may be anticipated at this site upon completion of the flood management project.

Underwood Creek Culvert

At this time, the existing Underwood Creek culvert that is located under the Sentry and Park & Shop parking lot will remain in its current condition. However, negotiations amongst private property owners, the WDNR and the Village are underway to contemplate a future day-lighting of the creek in the downtown business district.

Ongoing Considerations

Implementation of the flood management plan is expected to comprise the majority of the Village’s stormwater management program costs over the next 20 years. The Village also currently provides and will continue to provide many routine operation and maintenance activities to manage the quantity and quality of stormwater runoff within the Village. These activities include, but are not limited to street sweeping, catch basin cleaning, repair and replacement of storm sewers, culverts and ditch work.

Stormwater Utility

The Village proposes to use a stormwater utility to fund the balance of the flood management project that cannot be supported through Tax Increment Financing (TIF). Although a stormwater utility fee will appear on annual tax bills, it is a dedicated fee that can only be used to fund flood management and stormwater activities.

A stormwater utility is an organizational tool that provides for the planning and financing of the Village’s flood management plan. The stormwater utility has a separate fund to account and budget for these infrastructure improvements within the Village’s existing governmental structure. The stormwater utility is similar to a local sewer utility. More information can be found in the stormwater utility ordinance, which enables the Village to implement the stormwater utility concept.

Stormwater utility fees are based on the share of stormwater runoff generated by each parcel of land within the Village. The fees are designed to charge customers of the stormwater utility in reasonable proportion to their actual contribution of runoff to the stormwater system. Charges for the stormwater utility are based on an “Equivalent Runoff Unit” (ERU), which is the amount of impervious surface on a typical residential parcel in the Village. Impervious areas are surface areas that do not allow stormwater to soak into the ground, which includes areas paved with concrete, asphalt and areas covered by buildings.

In Elm Grove, an ERU is defined as 4,660 sq. ft. The annual charge per ERU is $65.50. Each single-family residential home will be billed one ERU, or $65.50 per year. Other types of properties were assigned a number of ERUs as described in a previous flood management newsletter. Based on the number of ERUs in the Village, the stormwater utility will generate approximately $228,000 in fiscal year 2005.

The fee structure of the utility provides equitable conditions for all property owners within the Village. Costs for the utility are shared based on use and contribution rather than property value. This method also requires that all tax-exempt properties contribute to the utility, as many of these properties are large contributors to stormwater runoff. A service charge study, explaining the reason behind the stormwater utility, is available for review. The Village’s contracted engineering firm, Ruekert and Mielke, prepared this study.

What is the status of the Village Park redevelopment plans?

Over the past two years, many people have contributed to the development and refinement of several conceptual Village Park layouts. Survey responses, public participation, committee recommendations and Village Board action have established the framework for redesign of Village Park. Please see the links provided below to various visual depictions of final Village Park design:

Note: Download Files are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. PDF plug-ins in Internet Explorer do not support the level of graphics included in the maps below. For a quick overview, use ".jpg image". For clearer detail, view map in full Adobe PDF Reader by first downloading the image to a local drive.

General Floodplain Property Information

For many people, the concept of a floodplain may be difficult to understand. It is the intent of this web page to provide homeowners, lenders, real estate agents and others with helpful information to assist them when working with properties within the floodplain.