A wet spring in Wisconsin pushed the state out of its drought, and the water levels of a quartet of Madison lakes are higher than they've been in years, but residents are wary after a 2018 flood.
Madison is located on an isthmus between Lakes Mendota and Monona, and Lakes Waubesa and Kegonsa lie to the southeast.
By the end of June, the city had received 23 inches of rain, about five more inches than usual at that time of year, The Capital Times reported. In 2018, the tally was 22 inches, and then nearly four inches fell in one day in August, killing one person and causing millions of dollars in damages.
This year's rainfall is on a similar trajectory and was up to 8.2 inches above normal as of July 14. When 2.5 inches fell July 2, it marked the third rainfall event of 1.9-plus inches since May 24. On July 14, 2018, the yearly precipitation total was 3.5 inches above normal. The lakes haven't been this full since 2020.
So, everyone is keeping a close eye on the dams between the lakes.
"At this point, everything is open," Dane County Land and Water Resources Department assistant director John Reimer told the Times last month, explaining that a lack of elevation difference between the lakes makes it tough to move the water.
"It just takes time, whenever we get a rainfall event, for water to leave the system. … It's just Mother Nature that's given us more abundant rain than we've seen recently."
After the 2018 flood, the city began evaluating its watershed. It is now a model for responsible water management, though there's a long way to go.
Madison is one of just two state locales that require development and redevelopment projects to eliminate runoff, whether by green roof, ground penetration, or collection. These methods can feature rain gardens, water barrels, and other inventive measures, which help to mitigate flood risks while saving homeowners money on their water bills.
"The storms themselves have changed," Greg Fries, a deputy city engineer for Madison, told the Times. "We can discuss why, but there's no argument that the number of large storms and the amount of rain that this area is receiving is significantly higher than it was 30 years ago."
As extreme weather events become increasingly severe and frequent as a result of rising global temperatures, this is just one way to react. In the long term, individuals, governments, and corporations will have to be more proactive, divesting from sources of dirty energy that directly contribute to such warming.
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