submitted by Jocelyn Riley
This week’s Rotary meeting opened with the singing of Simon & Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water, a suitable lead-in to UW-Madison Professor Emeritus Ken Potter’s presentation, “Responding to Increasing Yahara Lakes Flood Risk.”
Professor Potter pointed out that this past summer was the “wettest summer since I came here over forty years ago.”
He said that what he called “extreme rainfall” is only one aspect of alleviating flooding risks in Dane County. Urbanization is even a more important factor, he said, pointing out that in 2017 there was twice as much development in the Yahara Lakes watershed as there was in 1970. “But most of the Yahara Lakes watershed is not yet developed,” he said, and made the case that we need to oversee more thoughtful development that will improve water movement in the area. “We are not going to stop urbanization,” he said, “but we need to find ways to plan development more strategically.”
There are some state regulations and laws in place currently that are helpful, but Dr. Potter also pointed out that some state laws recently passed undermine efforts to control flooding.
In answer to a question of what we as individuals can do to help with flood control, Dr. Potter made some specific suggestions, including constructing rain gardens and moving downspouts to send water onto grass or a garden area and not onto a driveway. The goal should be to “keep as much water as you can on your property.”
If you missed our meeting this week, you can watch the video here.
Rotary Club of Madison, Wisconsin 