Impacts of the recent prolonged rain event

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Based on the flooding of 2018, there is always a lot of community concern when we have a prolonged rainfall event. Although all of the lakes will continue to gradually rise above summer maximums as the water works its way through the watershed, it will not rise to flood levels or anywhere near where we were in 2018.

The rainfall for the rest of the week will be minimal. Dams in the lower watershed will be open while water will be restricted out of the Tenney Dam and held back in Lake Mendota to not overwhelm the lower lakes.

We have our quarterly Lake Levels update on Thursday and we will get a detailed report from staff and I will post about it.

Here is a link to our Lake Levels page:
https://lwrd.countyofdane.com/lake-levels

Here is a link to operational dam changes that I had the department add to the web site in the last term:
https://lwrd.countyofdane.com/Dam/TabularData

Here is a detailed summary that was put out to the public from the Land and Water Department:

"From the recent rainfall, all lakes are above summer maximum. The past weekend rainfall totaled lower amounts of approximately 3" in the northern watershed (Mendota) compared to 5" in the southern (Kegonsa). Currently all the downstream dams (Babcock and Lafollette) are wide open. We are seeing aquatic plant growth in the river starting to die off for the season which reduces friction and increases flow. Near the end of the week, the lower lakes are expected to experience peak water levels from this weekend's rain.

We will continue to keep Babcock and Lafollette dams wide open with lower flows out of Tenney to reduce lake levels from Monona to Kegonsa (due to experiencing higher rainfall amounts). It is anticipated near the end of the week (after peak levels on the lower lakes) Tenney dam will be opened to reduce Lake Mendota levels. From today to near the end of the week, all lakes are expected to rise but not to flood levels.

The National Weather Service is predicting less than a quarter of an inch for the remainder of the week. We will continue to monitor rainfall predictions and runoff into the lakes and make adjustments as weather forecasts or flows change."

PFAS testing and Stormwater Permits

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Dear Neighbors,

I hope you are enjoying your summer on the east side and all of the wonderful community events are giving you a reprieve from the continuous challenges we are seeing as a country and global community.

It has been a little while since I have done a District 6 update and I am going to be changing the format of my updates. I used to provide a long form style update that was quite dense and approximately quarterly. This format is not as suitable to a rapidly changing world that I sometimes find hard to keep up with as I am sure you do as well.

I will be using this space to provide more frequent shorter updates and then use my social media, neighborhood newsletters and community meetings to go more in depth on topics. I hope to see many of you at the Fete De Marquette this weekend!

PFAS testing and Stormwater Permits

Dane County challenged a Wisconsin DNR storm water permit that required PFAS testing. The claim was that this testing was duplicative of what was required in a remediation plan that is ongoing.

My main goal is to ensure that thorough PFAS testing is conducted, the results are publicly reported and that we are mindful of new EPA guidance that says any level of PFAS in our water is a a threat to public health.

I was recently elected chair of the Environment, Ag, and Natural Resources committee and we are holding a hearing on this tonight. It is the only item on our agenda and is a special meeting. Here are the question I intend to ask:

  • What PFAS testing is the County doing under the remediation plan?

  • How does this differ from what the DNR is asking for?

  • Where is the County publishing its PFAS tests?

  • Can EANR be CC'd on all PFAS tests that are conducted and submitted to the DNR?

  • Does the testing the County is doing under the remediation plan meet or exceed what the DNR is requesting?

  • The stormwater permit compels the County to perform PFAS testing. Does the remediation plan compel the County to stick to a PFAS testing plan? What enforcement mechanisms are there to ensure that the County is sticking to that plan? Can the remediation testing plan be provided to EANR and the County Board?

  • What is the process for appealing the stormwater permit? Can the County Board have any involvement in that process or is there any oversight capabilities that the ordinances provide?

You can get a lengthier explanation of this issue in this excellent WORT-FM story:

https://www.wortfm.org/dane-county-sues-dnr-over-pfas-regulations-for-stormwater-permit/

Here is a link to our meeting tonight that you can attend in person or virtually:

https://dane.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=988099&GUID=2831AAD8-A616-4A54-9826-9844DA1531F6&Options=info|&Search=

Redistricting, Voit Farm, Budget and PFAS resolution moves forward

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Redistricting, Voit Farm, Budget and PFAS resolution moves forward

Dear Neighbors,
These are busy days for the County Board. We have almost daily meetings surrounding the budget, redistricting, PFAS and public hearings. In this update, I will cover the new tentative supervisory maps, an amendment in favor of funding a community vision for Voit Farm, the County’s budget proceedings and progress on protecting our neighbors from PFAS resolution.

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Budget, Redistricting, PFAS pollution and helping our housing insecure neighbors

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Budget, Redistricting, PFAS pollution and helping our housing insecure neighbors

Dear Neighbors,
The sun is going down earlier, the kids are back in school and we are entering fall which is budget time for Dane County. In this update, I will outline the budget process, provide details on redistricting, discuss how I am fighting for clean water and to regulate PFAS pollution as well as talk about an innovative resolution to help our housing insecure neighbors.

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Protecting our water, No Knock-Warrants, and Summer Updates

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Protecting our water, No Knock-Warrants, and Summer Updates

Hello Neighbors,
I hope you are staying cool and enjoying your summer. I look forward to running into many of you at AtwoodFest, Orton-Front Fest and other community gathering. As we continue to vaccinate our community, we can slowly return back to normal. Please reach out to me if you need help scheduling a vaccination appointment as the Alliant Energy Center vaccination site has closed.

In this update, I discuss the progress on sediment removal to prevent flooding, County Board recommendations on No-Knock warrants and protecting our land and water from PFAS pollution from the F-35 basing at Truax Field.

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Supporting our AAPI Communities, Jail Contract Mismanagement and Vaccines for Everyone!

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Supporting our AAPI Communities, Jail Contract Mismanagement and Vaccines for Everyone!

Dear Neighbors,
I am so happy that our Federal and State governments have efficiently rolled out Covid-19 vaccines to our neighbors in Wisconsin. We still are seeing some gaps in distribution but both the State and County are working hard to efficiently and equitably distribute the vaccine.

In this update I express my gratitude for the support that you all have shown for the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, express my disappointment in the Jail design and architecture contracts (along with proposing solutions going forward) and have some quick updates for issues affecting our district.

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Covid-19 and Vaccine News, Tenant Support and F-35 updates

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Covid-19 and Vaccine News, Tenant Support and F-35 updates

I have been carefully following the Dane County Covid-19 dashboards. The good news is that the number of people who have received at least one dose of vaccine is now more than double the number of people who have gotten COVID-19 over the past year. The bad news is that we are fighting the more infectious B.1.1.7 strain.

In this update I will cover the current state of Covid-19 and vaccination, programs to help support tenants, F-35 updates and neighborhood news.

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Budget Updates, Stormwater Ordinances, and Surviving the Pandemic

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Budget Updates, Stormwater Ordinances, and Surviving the Pandemic

Dear Neighbors,
Dane County recently passed our 2021 budget. There are a number of projects to highlight along with some disappointing outcomes. It was a challenging budget in light of Covid-19 and we expect more challenging budgets in the coming years. I am grateful for how diligent everyone has been in pulling together to survive this pandemic.

In this update, I will also cover stormwater and illicit dumping ordinances, arts funding, medicare for all, and new colleagues on the board. I always want to give a special sendoff to Alderperson Marsha Rummel who has represented our district with dignity and grace for the last 14 years.

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Budget Update, Jail moves forward, and VOTE!!!

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Budget Update, Jail moves forward, and VOTE!!!

Dear Neighbors,
We are on the cusp of the most important election of our lifetimes. Democracy is in peril. The president is actively trying to disrupt the election with misinformation and by crippling institutions like the US Postal Service. District 6 is always among the statewide leaders in voter turnout. Let’s push for 100 percent voter turnout. In this update, I also cover the County Budget process and updates on the Jail project.

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Budget, Jail Analytics, Covid-19, and Time to Vote

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Budget, Jail Analytics, Covid-19, and Time to Vote

Dear Neighbors,
It has been an incredibly busy and challenging summer. As the kids return to virtual school (in most cases), I have updates on Jail Analytics, a tough budget cycle, arts funding, land purchases, dredging, an acceleration of Covid-19 in our community and a critical fall election. I will also update you on pausing the jail project and various resolutions related to the criminal justice reform.

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Forward Dane Phase 1 Observations and Feedback

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Dear Neighbors,
On May 22nd, Public Health Madison and Dane County released emergency order #3 authorizing phase 1 of a re-opening plan in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. In response to phase 1, I signed on to a public letter expressing concerns and encouraging a dialogue. I was happy to see a detailed response from Public Health that addressed many of the points. As a results of the response letter, I requested a meeting with Janel Heinrich, director of Public Health to better understand the challenges of phase 1 re-opening and mitigation strategies going forward.

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COVID-19 Updates and 2nd Term Responsibilities

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COVID-19 Updates and 2nd Term Responsibilities

Hello Neighbors,
I am hope you are staying safe and healthy and following all of the recommendations of Madison Dane County Public Health. I know it is mentally and physically challenging to practice social distancing but I am real proud of how seriously our community is taking the pandemic and how we are working to protect our most vulnerable neighbors.

I am happy to announce that I was elected chair of Land Conservation Committee (LCC) and Vice-Chair of the Environment, Agriculture and Natural Resources (EANR) committee. In this update, I will focus on Covid Relief efforts at the County level and give a detailed recap on the pressing environmental issues that LCC and EANR will tackle.

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My remarks to the County Board about the Corona Virus and our Community

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Fellow Board members,

We are in the beginning of a crisis like we have never witnessed before in our lives. The next few weeks will be a real test of the strength, character and resilience of our community. It has been encouraging to see everyone helping each other. Let's hold on this spirit as our patience wears thin and the situation potentially deteriorates.

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