Stream Crossing Inventory Pilot Project Underway
Summer is officially here, and for CARPC staff, that means field work season. Environmental Resources Planner Melissa Michaud has been out and about in eastern Dane County leading a pilot project to help towns in the Koshkonong Creek, Door Creek, and Maunesha River watersheds prioritize proactive bridge and culvert replacement.
Following the Great Lakes Stream Crossing Inventory Protocol, Melissa and other CARPC staff are collecting data at town, county, and state roads crossed by perennial streams. The resulting stream crossing inventory will help towns create a shortlist of high priority crossings that would be cheaper and more effective to upgrade before they’re damaged in a flood.
Wisconsin communities are experiencing higher temperatures and precipitation. According to the Wisconsin State Climatology Office, this spring was the 7th warmest on record, and May 2024 was the 10th wettest on record. These conditions increase the likelihood of more frequent strong storms and flood events and are likely to accelerate in the coming decades.
Current infrastructure designed based on historic conditions may already be inadequate to withstand the increased risk of flooding in our region. Without identifying and upgrading critical infrastructure, extreme weather events are likely to cause further infrastructure failure and service disruptions.
At each road-stream crossing, CARPC staff assess the structural condition, stream health, aquatic organism passability, and overall flood vulnerability. This data is uploaded in real time to the Stream Crossing Dashboard. Completed assessments of several crossings along Koshkonong and Door Creek within the Town of Cottage Grove are already available to view.
Beginning with 67 crossings in the Towns of Cottage Grove, Deerfield, Medina, and Sun Prairie, CARPC aims to create a process that can be replicated in other townships. In addition to giving towns valuable information on safety, stream connectivity, and fish passage issues, the inventory will identify recommended improvements and potential funding opportunities.
Looking forward, CARPC is applying for grant funding to continue the pilot and expand the assessment into other townships and watersheds across Dane County. Data collected as part of the stream crossing inventory can then be used for future watershed modeling and studies to assess regional flood vulnerability and climate resilience.