As flooding hits area, rains forecast to continue

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JANESVILLE — Public safety and public works officials spent Tuesday
 tussling with
 weather-related problems that ranged from power poles on fire to
flooded intersections.

Many homeowners spent Tuesday in dismayed amazement,
marveling at the amount
of water their basements could hold.

All of those public and private problems will be exacerbated by an
unambiguous forecast:
100 percent chance of rain through Thursday night.

Nick Labansky, co-owner of Dry Otter Basement Waterproofing
and Repair, said the calls
have been non-stop.

“At one house, there was a stream of water shooting out of a
crack in the foundation about
three feet,” Labansky said. “The homeowners were collecting
the water in buckets.”

In another home, about six inches of water had collected in
 the basement—it was all
groundwater infiltration.

“We’ve had water coming in through window wells and even
water coming over
foundation walls,” Labansky said.

The frost is out of the ground in most places, so the water does
have some chance
 to settle in. However, the ground can only absorb so much
moisture, he said.

How bad is it? The Rock River is at or near flood stage in the
Afton and Newville
areas, as is the Sugar River near Avon, according to the
National Weather Service.

At 3 p.m. Tuesday:

-- The Rock River in Newville was at 6.1 feet. Flood stage
 is 5.5 feet.

-- The Rock River at the north end of Lake Koshkonong
was at 9.8 feet. Flood stage is
10 feet, and water is expected to rise above flood stage by
this morning and continue
 to rise to near 11.3 feet by Saturday night.

At 11.3 feet, knee-deep water covers Blackhawk Island
Road in the town of Sumner.

-- The Rock River in Afton was at 9.6 feet. Flood stage
is 9.1 feet.

At 11.5 feet, water surrounds at least two homes near
the river, a number of
secondary roads in the Afton area are closed and water
covers South River Road
 on the south side of Janesville.

-- The Sugar River in Brodhead was at 2.3 feet. Flood
stage is at 5 feet. However, the
 water is expected to rise above flood stage by Thursday
morning.

Town of Fulton clerk-treasurer Connie Zimmerman
said one resident had stopped by
to pick up sandbags.

“He lives on Ellendale Road, and he was being very
proactive,” Zimmerman said. “He
 didn’t want a repeat of 2008.”

In 2008, the county suffered record flooding.

The Rock County Sheriff’s Office reminded residents to
avoid traveling through high water
 on roads and to report any roads that are impassible.

Residents should call the sheriff’s office at 608-757-2244
 to report any high water or roads
 that are impassable.

Sgt. Shena Kohler of the Rock County Sheriff’s
Office Emergency Management Division
 said deputies are reporting flooding they see while on patrol.