Flooding

The City of Madison Engineering Division launched its Watershed Series in May 2018. During the studies, Engineers will work with eight watershed areas to determine flooding issues and how to design a more resilient stormwater system. This is a continued effort to address areas hardest hit by flooding last summer.

To address these issues, the City is conducting large watershed studies. In 2019 – 2020, the City will focus on the eight watershed studies. These studies will help the City identify existing problems, develop solutions, and prioritize improvements. 


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To learn more about why flash flooding occurs, what a watershed study entails, and the City’s ongoing plan to build flooding resilience, please visit the Flash Flooding Resilience page.

Watershed Study Updates 

Aug. 16, 2019 Update

Focus group time, dates and locations have been set. The City of Madison Engineering Division is rolling out its next phase of its Watershed Studies with organized focus group meetings. The meetings were requested by community members, and are open to the public, but the conversation will be tailored to gathering more information on flooding issues in the meeting area. If a resident wants to request an additional focus group meeting not on the list, fill out the City’s focus group meeting form . The focus group meetings scheduled are going to look further into the issues that caused flooding in the last few years specific to the meeting area.

The public was encouraged to sign up for these groups as part of the Watershed Public Information Series that happened earlier this summer.  However, if anyone wants to attend the focus group meetings and did not sign up during the public information meetings, residents should feel free to attend any of the scheduled meetings in their neighborhood at their designated date and time. The Engineering Division worked with alders, and residents to find a date, location and time that worked for the specific areas.

During the focus group meetings, Engineers will meet with groups of residents on site, in specific areas hit the hardest by flooding in the past few years, including the August 2018 flood event. The purpose of the first round of focus group meetings will be to gather flooding information based on residents’ experiences.
The meetings are expected to take one hour, and most meetings will be held outside, rain or shine, in a walk-and-talk format. If rain is predicted, please dress and accessorize appropriately with umbrellas, jackets and proper footwear.

Click to your respective watershed to find more information about the specific group dates and locations of upcoming focus group meetings.

April 12, 2019 Update

The City of Madison Engineering Division released its plan for upcoming watershed studies public information meetings. The Division also posted a new interactive map for the community to keep updated on the progress in each watershed study.  This is a continued effort to address areas hardest hit by flooding last summer. The Engineering Division released information about upcoming public information meetings. Visit your watershed study page to see the presentation from the respective public information meetings.