Motivation
Dane County's 2018 Flooding
In the ten days that spanned between August 17th and 27th of 2018, severe weather through a series of storm events produced immense rainfall in southern Wisconsin. One of the storm events included what is now the highest recorded total rainfall the state of Wisconsin has seen in a 24-hour period. The western portion of Dane County was hit the hardest during this storm; a rain gauge in Cross Plains, WI recorded a total rainfall of 15.33 inches. The flooding that ensued showed Madison’s vulnerability to extreme storm events. The total damages caused from flood of the rain events during this period exceeds 154 million dollars within Dane County, affecting residences, public infrastructure, and businesses. The precipitation within the Yahara River Watershed flows between the chain of lakes, ending in Lake Kegonsa. On September 3, 2018 the reported flooding in Lake Kegonsa was above to the water level of a 100-year flood. Although Door Creek represents a smaller contribution to the water level, improvements that limit the water discharging into Lake Kegonsa is worth investigating.
Door Creek Channel Morphology
Since the early 20th century, the Door Creek stream morphology has changed from one with several meandering sections to one that has been noticeably straightened in the present day. The images below provide a closer look at a segment of the channel, where the straightening is very apparent. These channel modifications alter the total distance the water flows within the channel, which may impact the Door Creek flooding downstream. A further look may show the impact of channel morphology on flooding.