Challenge
When high lake levels combine with storm surge, the village of Suamico, Wisconsin, experiences flooding along a main road, affecting dozens of homes and the village’s only public access point to Lake Michigan. In one year alone, this combination of high lake levels and storm surge caused at least seven flooding events.
The land elevation is high enough along the lake side to keep moderately high water levels from overtopping the road. However, a culvert that provides drainage from a wetland to the lake ultimately works in reverse during high-water events, allowing water to overtop the road from the wetland side.
The village determined the best solution would be a culvert with an operable gate. The gate would be open when water levels were normal to allow water flow from the wetland to the lake, but the gate could be closed during high-water events to stop water from entering the wetland. While seeking a grant to fund this project, the village realized their need to include flood probability estimates within the application—and fast.
Solution
The village enlisted the help of the Wisconsin Sea Grant program, which used NOAA’s Lake Level Viewer to quickly and easily assess the Lake Michigan water level elevations that would produce road flooding. Once Wisconsin’s Sea Grant program determined these water level elevations, they used FEMA’s Flood Information Study for the area to determine the probability of storm-induced water levels reaching this elevation.
This information was then used to complete a benefit-cost analysis to complete the village’s grant application. (2025)
