One year after historic flood, here's what local agencies are doing to limit future damage

WEST ALLIS, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Crews this week were at McCarty Park performing the early stages of a $6 million project aimed at, essentially, installing a bigger and better drain.

Workers will install a new trash rack at the north end of the park. The goal is to do a better job of keeping Honey Creek from getting clogged.

The thousand-year flood last August plugged the drain with branches and trash. Kevin Shafer, executive director of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD), said that helped cause the swollen creek to flood dozens of nearby homes.

"That blocked up the trash rack. The water rose up over the road," Shafter said. "And it went downstream and flooded a lot of homes. It was terrible."

One of those homes belongs to Andy Radjenovich, who is the owner and chef at the Jackson Grill supper club. Last August, we watched as Radjenovich sorted through much of his waterlogged and mud-caked baseball memorabilia collection.

"Honestly, I'm not really trying to think about it," Radjenovich said this week. "I'm just trying to move forward and onward."

Both MMSD and Milwaukee's Department of Public Works (DPW) had to look back on last summer as they look to implement improved flood mitigation projects.

Further downstream along Honey Creek, there's a visible track of dirt that's been dug up on each side of the water. Shafer said crews cut down trees and removed branches; their hope is to leave less brush that can get washed away during heavy rain events.

"We've already done up clearing along the creek upstream of here to prevent more debris from coming down," Shafer said.

Beyond the McCarty Park project, MMSD is speeding up the timeline of four major basin projects. That includes one near N. 35th St. and W. Capitol Dr., where work was originally slated to start in four years but will now begin early next year.

Not far from the 35th Street basin location, the Milwaukee DPW is close to implementing a new, smaller basin near 31st and Capitol.  

City Engineer Kevin Muhs said the goal of that project will be to collect water at the northwest corner of the intersection, which is where Ned's Pizza once stood. If more of the water pools there, Muhs said that lessens the risk of water rushing toward Lincoln Creek or flooding the viaduct at Capitol and Roosevelt.

"What the city's been taking on is identifying some of those smaller [basin] sites," Muhs said. "And trying to figure out where we can, in collaboration with them, be helpful so this overall goal of managing stormwater better."

Rebuilding from the '25 flood

Radjenovich initially considered selling his West Allis home and taking whatever a buyer would offer. However, he said the voices closest to him said the basement could be rebuilt.

Indeed, he said this week that restoration work is now close to complete.

While it wasn't possible to replace much of his damaged baseball memorabilia collection, Radjenovich said strangers approached in the weeks following the flood and offered their own baseball souvenirs.

"I think, like, on the news and social media posts, people saw what was going on," he said. "There's been a handful of people like, 'Here, I saw you lost all your bobbleheads. I got some extra bobbleheads' or 'Here, my boyfriend is a really big Brewers fan. I got an autographed baseball bat for you.'"

'A reality that we have to face'

Both Shafer and Muhs said they believe climate change is a big part of why Milwaukee and southeast Wisconsin have seen significant flood events last August and again in April.

"Us and MMSD are very well aware of what the modeling is showing and what we're now experiencing," Muhs said. "Which is that climate change is leading to larger and more concentrated rain events."

Shafer said MMSD has spent $630 million so far on flood mitigation projects. Despite that work, he added about $900 million worth of projects still remain. Following last August's flood, about $100 million worth of work has been accelerated.

The regional water treatment and sewerage agency is banking on state and federal funding in the coming years to get through that extensive list of flood mitigation projects.

"It's a reality that we have to face," Shafer said. "And it's not gonna be pleasant."