Days of Rain Lead to Flooding, Road Closures, Sewage Dumping

Flood watches and warnings are in effect throughout Southeastern Wisconsin, some lasting until Friday. Officials are keeping watch on area rivers as they continue to rise, approaching or surpassing flood stages.

The rain that just keeps coming is causing trouble throughout the Milwaukee area, from to sewage dumping. JSOnline has a roundup of road closures throughout the Milwaukee area. Travel Midwest has a congestion map that shows incidents and traffic speeds in the Milwaukee area. The Flood Watch for Southeastern Wisconsin through 9 p.m. Thursday evening and rainfall is expected to reach 4 inches in some areas. According to the Emergency Services Department, rivers will rise reaching a number of flood stages. Rivers that are already in flood stage will worsen, rising into moderate and major flood levels. Officials are watching the Rock, Fox, Root and Milwaukee Rivers as localized flooding caused concerns last week. The ground may be thawed, but …

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City Asks Residents to Cut Water Use During Heavy Rains

You can help save yourself, your neighbors and everyone who lives downstream from flooding problems by taking a few steps to reduce the chance of flooding.

From the Wauwatosa Department of Public Works: The National Weather Service has forecast heavy rain and issued a flood watch for all of southeastern Wisconsin through Friday. As a precautionary measure, the City of Wauwatosa is encouraging residents to reduce the risk of sewer overflows and basement backups by reducing the amount of water they use. Using less water now, reduces the amount of water flowing into the sewer system during heavy rainfall. Here are some simple ways to help (source: MMSD): Here are some easy and quick preventative steps residents can take to reduce the risk of basement flooding or backups. The best way to have the greatest prevention impact is to move water as far away from the foundation of your house as possible…

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Flood Watch in Effect Through Friday for Tosa, Region

Forecasters are expecting as much as 3 inches of rain over the next few days, and concerns for flooding rise as the rain falls, including here in Wauwatosa.

The Menomonee River is raging through Wauwatosa, but as of mid-afternoon Tuesday it wasn't too close to leaving its banks. Yet. More rain is on the way for the next few days, and according to the weather experts, rivers in the region could rise to flood stage. Mike Kreiter, supervisor of operations for the Wauwatosa Department of Public Works, said Tuesday afternoon that he had no reports of any localized flooding of city streets. "We've had the street sweepers out and cleaned all city streets," Kreiter said, "so I think getting all the debris off has kept the grates open." The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch for portions of Southeast Wisconsin, including Dodge, Jefferson, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Walworth, …

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Jim Price

3:07 pm on Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Not even close yet, and almost surely won't this week. Underwood Creek has to rise to its 100-year (1%) flood level to reach the bypass tunnel.   more ›

Old Meets New in Wauwatosa Transactions

Stein will take over Hawk's retail center, Qdoba will fill gap in Village, and Schoonmaker Creek will run on under new ownership.

An old Milwaukee business joined forces with an even older Wauwatosa business. A brand new chain business is entering the oldest part of Wauwatosa. And, Wauwatosa agreed to give up one of its very oldest features – a natural one, Schoonmaker Creek. In separate actions, all of which have been reported on before, the Wauwatosa Common Council on Tuesday night approved: Hawk's Nursery owner and landscape architect Joe Kresl agreed to lease his retail operations to Stein, while keeping independent control of his landscaping services business on the same site. The joint operating agreement also brings Hawk's landscaping services to the customers of 11 other large Stein garden centers in the metro area, affording him an opportunity to expand that…

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Tosa's Schoonmaker Creek Figures in Annual MMSD Video Review

Sewerage district talks about what it did in 2012, and a good deal of that talk has to do with issues in Wauwatosa.

The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District has released its annual review video for 2012, and more than one highlight from the reel has implications for Wauwatosa – one of them directly. Segments on inflow and infiltration of stormwater into sanitary sewer laterals should be familar language by now to residents of East Tosa, where 80-year-old sewer lines are in need of $100 million in repairs. Among local laterals already investigated and repaired under MMSD pilot projects are many in East Tosa. At the 2:28 mark in the video, MMSD's Tim Bate talks about a major capital project completed in 2012 at North 59th and State streets. That's the location of the mouth of Schoonmaker Creek. The video footage shows a torrent of water pouring from …

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Delayed Schoonmaker Creek Vote Could Cost a Year in Flood Relief

Highlands neighbors hold up application to have MMSD take charge of stream, even though the city is under no obligation to follow through after vetting of the proposal.

The city engineer is recommending that Wauwatosa look into turning over jurisdiction of one of its waterways to the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, and he says that could save the city millions of dollars in sewer repairs. But a small group of irate citizens from one of Wauwatosa's more notable neighborhoods, the Washington Highlands, prompted aldermen to delay a vote on applying for the change, and that delay could put off for a full year any progress on the switchover and any work on the sewers. It could also expose thousands of households thoughout East Tosa to another year of possible flooding. The reason for the neighbors' anger? They weren't told the city was considering such a move nor consulted on it beforehand. They say …

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anita

6:15 pm on Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Paul, please point out what you find so disturbingly biased.   more ›

With Public Split, Board Approves Bid for Sewer Project

Resident's along 90th Street say they will be much-affected by construction without really knowing why. Residents of flood-prone area tell what it's like to see their homes ravaged six and seven times.

Over the objections and concerns of some, and with pleadings for speedy action from others, the Wauwatosa Board of Public Works voted Monday morning to approve bids for a huge and suddenly controversial sewer project. A divided crowd filled City Hall's largest committee room to near its legal capacity to ask questions or make statements about the Meineke Project, as it is known. The board's vote of approval could have sent the project directly to the full Common Council on Tuesday night despite any objections, making Monday's hearing the last chance for public input. But concerned neighbors will get a little more time and at least one more opportunity to be heard, if for no other reason than that the lowest bid for the work came in at $2 …

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Jim Price

4:48 pm on Tuesday, May 15, 2012

ALERT! To anyone who has noted that the Meineke Sewer Project DOES appear on the Common Council agenda for approval tonight, that is an error. The Common Council will not hear this item tonight, Tuesday May 15, as it was not referred to that body. It will go first to the Budget and Finance Committee on May 29.   more ›

Wauwatosa Homeowners Concerned About Basement Flooding

Residents say frustration is growing and that city is doing little to resolve problem.

One Year Later: July 22 Flood Effects Can Still Be Felt

Meteorologists explain the perfect storm that led to massive new control efforts.

One year ago today, July 22, 2010, at just after 5 p.m., the skies blackened, huge swirling clouds rolled over the north metro Milwaukee area, and torrential rain began to pour down. The water came so fast that even areas of high ground were swamped. That water simply could not run off nearly as fast as it was coming down. The flood that followed will remain a powerful memory for the thousands whose homes and businesses were swamped and for those who were caught out in it, trapped in cars for hours on inundated freeways and city streets. The flood also wrought permanent changes in Milwaukee and its suburbs. Soon afterward, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, under fire from the whole north half of its service area, announced a 10…

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Nate

7:51 pm on Friday, July 22, 2011

Specifically, Menomonee Falls' ignorance of proper drainage has come to fruition, as constant subdivision development put stress on yards down the road. The term "100 year flood" is their only excuse they throw at you. I've had 300 years of floods in that case and I don't live by a river. Dig bigger ditches and quit using soda straws for culverts.   more ›