Jefferson County: Two cities face floods

From the WI State Journal

With rivers not expected to crest in some parts of Jefferson County until Friday or Saturday, residents and officials are preparing for the worst.

The Rock River was above flood stage in the cities of Jefferson and Fort Atkinson on Tuesday and it's expected to go higher as water from the weekend's torrential rains flows south.

"It's larger than the flooding that we had in April from the heavy snows," said Fort Atkinson City Manager John Wilmet.

He said firefighters planned to go door-to-door Tuesday night in an area of about 200 to 250 homes near where the Rock and Bark rivers meet, passing out leaflets warning residents and urging them to have plans to leave at a moment's notice.

The city is prepared, Wilmet said. "It's getting the property owners and the residents prepared."

Interstate detour

The rising Rock River forced the indefinite closure of the two westbound lanes of Interstate 94 at Johnson Creek Tuesday night, the state Department of Transportation announced.

The lanes are being closed as a precaution, officials said.

The detour route will run south on Highway 26 to highways B, V and 89 back to I-94.

Treatment plants

The sewage treatments plants in Fort Atkinson and Jefferson are at or near capacity, officials said, and more flooding, rain or both could overwhelm the systems and force both cities to release treated or partially treated sewage into the Rock River.

Throughout the county, some 50,000 sandbags have been distributed, said Donna Haugom, director of the county's emergency management office.

She said the nature of the flooding has been "bizarre," with places that flooded during the April melt-off dry, and places that were dry flooded.

"I don't get it," she said. "I just don't get it."

The Rock River at Watertown crested Monday, but it's been nearby Silver Creek that's caused the most problems, flooding about three city blocks on the Dodge County side of the city.