Stormwater Expert Panel: When you look at a major storm event, what's the first thing you notice or think about as a stormwater engineer?

The City of Madison Engineering Division is proud to take part in the statewide Wisconsin Stormwater Awareness Week 2026! Wisconsin Stormwater Week is a collaborative effort of organizations throughout the state that work to raise awareness about the sources of stormwater pollution. WI Governor Tony Evers signed a proclamation establishing September 19 – 27, as the 2026 WI Stormwater Week.  Each day this week, we're hosting a blog panel: focusing on one question, and answers from staff experts in stormwater in our agency. We asked our staff, and here's what they said: 

QUESTION: When you look at a major storm event, what's the first thing you notice or think about as a stormwater engineer? 

Jim Wolfe, City of Madison Engineering Division City Engineer 

“I look at debris left behind, not only as an indicator of water levels and storm impact, but also as reminder that we may try design stormwater infrastructure to function as best as possible, but during a major event, those designs and system functionality can be disrupted in sometimes unpredictable ways." 

Greg Fries, City of Madison Engineering Division, Deputy City Engineer – Stormwater and Sanitary Sewer Design  

“I have now been a stormwater engineer for the larger part of my life.  Prior to that role, I used to love  thunderstorms, as you might expect that is not the case anymore 😊.  Generally, I watch runoff from storms wherever I am and use radar information to estimate the impacts any particular storm is going to have and to try to get a jump on any response we may have to have. In recent years, we have partnered with the USGS to install water depth monitoring devices at key locations throughout the city.  This has really taken the guess work out of response as we now have real time data to rely on." 

Janet Schmidt, City of Madison Engineering Division, Principal Engineer and Section Manager for Stormwater Design Section 

“Will our systems stand up to the test. In Madison, we have been tested this way and luckily most of our systems did hold up to massive flooding events.  We do find some places that need help but in general we are doing OK!" 

Phil Gaebler, City of Madison Engineering Division, Stormwater Resource Engineer  

“First, I think about all the rain gardens in the City filling up to their maximum capacity. Then, I think about all the low spots that fill up deeper than 1 foot and I hope no one drives through that water."