Hazard Mitigation Plan
Washburn County, Wisconsin
Original Plan Date – August 2010
EPTEC, INC Lenora Borchardt 7027 Fawn Lane Sun Prairie, WI 53590-9455 608-834-0802 [email protected] Contents
Table of Contents
Table of Contents ...... 3 Introduction and Background ...... 6 Previous Planning Efforts and Legal Basis ...... 7 Plan Preparation, Adoption and Maintenance ...... 9 Physical Characteristics of Washburn County ...... 12 General Community Introduction ...... 12 Plan Area ...... 14 Geology ...... 15 Topography ...... 15 Climate ...... 16 Hydrology ...... 19 Soil Types ...... 21 Wetlands ...... 23 Land Use ...... 25 Vegetation ...... 28 Demographics ...... 29 Human Settlement Patterns...... 29 Population ...... 30 Transportation Network ...... 32 Washburn County Roadway Classification ...... 32 Classification ...... 32 Public Safety Support ...... 33 Archaeological and Historical Resources ...... 38 Hazard Analysis ...... 44 All Hazards ...... 46 Vulnerability ...... 46 Hazard Mitigation Strategies...... 47 Drought and Dust Storms ...... 52 Physical Characteristics ...... 52 Frequency of Occurrence ...... 54 Vulnerability ...... 55 Hazard Mitigation Strategies...... 55 Earthquakes ...... 57 Physical Characteristics ...... 57 Frequency of Occurrence ...... 59 Vulnerability ...... 62 Hazard Mitigation Strategies...... 62 Flooding and Dam Failure ...... 63 Physical Characteristics ...... 63 Watersheds ...... 67 Floodplain Regulations ...... 71 Frequency of Occurrence ...... 72 Vulnerability ...... 73
Page 3 Contents
Hazard Mitigation Strategies...... 75 Forest and Wildfires ...... 80 Physical Characteristics ...... 80 Frequency of Occurrence ...... 82 Vulnerability ...... 82 Hazard Mitigation Strategies...... 82 Landslide ...... 85 Physical Characteristics ...... 85 Frequency of Occurrence ...... 87 Vulnerability ...... 88 Hazard Mitigation Strategies...... 88 Severe Temperatures ...... 89 Characteristics ...... 89 Physical Characteristics: Heat ...... 89 Physical Characteristics: Cold ...... 90 Frequency of Occurrence ...... 91 Vulnerability ...... 92 Hazard Mitigation Strategies...... 92 Storms: Hail ...... 94 Physical Characteristics ...... 94 Frequency of Occurrence ...... 95 Vulnerability ...... 97 Hazard Mitigation Strategies...... 98 Storms: Lightning ...... 99 Physical Characteristics ...... 99 Frequency of Occurrence ...... 100 Vulnerability ...... 100 Hazard Mitigation Strategies...... 101 Storms: Thunderstorms ...... 102 Physical Characteristics ...... 102 Frequency of Occurrence ...... 103 Vulnerability ...... 105 Hazard Mitigation Strategies...... 105 Storms: Tornadoes and High Winds...... 106 Physical Characteristics ...... 107 Frequency of Occurrence ...... 109 Vulnerability ...... 110 Hazard Mitigation Strategies...... 113 Storms: Winter ...... 115 Physical Characteristics ...... 115 Frequency of Occurrence ...... 116 Vulnerability ...... 118 Hazard Mitigation Strategies...... 118 Utility Failure ...... 120 Physical Characteristics ...... 120 Frequency of Occurrence ...... 121
Page 4 Contents
Vulnerability ...... 121 Hazard Mitigation Strategies...... 122 Volcano, Coastal Erosion, Hurricane and Tsunami ...... 124 Appendix A: Maps ...... 125 Map of County Municipal Divisions ...... 125 Wisconsin Total Severe Weather Events ...... 126 County Emergency Services Zones ...... 128 Earthquakes in Wisconsin ...... 129 Washburn County Forests ...... 130 Wisconsin Annual Precipitation ...... 131 County Watersheds ...... 132 Wisconsin Total Flood Events ...... 133 Washburn County Dams ...... 134 St. Croix Basin Bedrock ...... 135 Landslide Incidence and Susceptibility ...... 136 Karst Potential ...... 137 Wisconsin Hail ...... 138 Wisconsin Lightning ...... 139 Wisconsin Severe Thunderstorm Winds ...... 140 Wisconsin Tornadoes 1844-2008 ...... 141 Wisconsin Tornadoes (1982-2007) ...... 142 Wisconsin Tornado Events Paths 1950 – 2006 ...... 143 Wisconsin Tornado Density ...... 144 Wisconsin Seasonal Snowfall (2006-2007) ...... 145 Electric Transmission Lines ...... 146 Electrical Substations ...... 147 Natural Gas Pipelines ...... 148 Wastewater Facilities ...... 149 Appendix B: Plan Adoption ...... 150 Appendix C: Summary of Mitigation Strategies ...... 167 Appendix D: City of Shell Lake Mitigation Strategies Progress Report ...... 177 Appendix E: Community Input ...... 188 Appendix F: Inter-Revision Updates ...... 230
Page 5 Introduction and Background
Introduction and Background
The Washburn County Hazard Mitigation Plan is intended to provide strategies for reducing future damages to public and private infrastructure in the county. The Washburn County Emergency Management Office applied for and received a hazard mitigation planning grant in 2006. This grant program is sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and is administered by the state Department of Military Affairs - Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM.) The procedures utilized in preparing this plan are based on guidance provided by FEMA and WEM and should therefore be considered consistent with the requirements and procedures in the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000.
Section 409 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (P.L. 93-228, as amended) is the impetus for involvement of state and local governments in evaluating and mitigating natural hazards as a condition of receiving federal disaster assistance. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has rules in 44 CFR Part 206 Subpart M for implementing Section 409.
Section 409 states that the county is obligated to try to reduce any hazard that has received relief funding in the past. Developing a hazard mitigation plan provides an opportunity for communities to meet this requirement by developing strategies for reduction of potential losses from future natural disasters. Hazard mitigation planning is the process of developing a set of actions designed to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to people and property from hazards and their effects. Completion of this plan should put Washburn County in an advantageous position when competing for pre- and post-disaster mitigation project dollars because projects have been pre-identified. The cooperation of government, private and volunteer agencies is essential in mitigation efforts and over the long term it is hoped that implementation of this plan will save taxpayer dollars because less money is needed for post-disaster recovery activities. Furthermore, mitigation planning measures incorporated in economic or community development goals support more comprehensive and effective government. This plan evaluates the risks that all natural hazards pose to the citizens and property of Washburn County by presenting:
A profile and analysis of past hazardous events
Page 6 Introduction and Background
An assessment of vulnerability of community assets
Potential hazard mitigation strategies
Methods for building community support and ensuring plan adoption
Plan Overview
The Washburn County Hazard Mitigation Plan provides background information on Washburn County and identifies those hazards that have occurred or could occur in the county. It includes a description of each hazard, its frequency of occurrence, appropriate actions in case of emergency and possible steps to mitigate the hazard. These hazards are the basis for the development of all county emergency plans.
A well-prepared plan allows emergency management to act swiftly and efficiently in the event of a hazard, reducing the damage and the cost incurred from displacing residents and businesses. Hazard mitigation activities will be emphasized in the plan as a major component of overall emergency management. The plan is intended to provide strategies for reducing future damages to public and private infrastructure in the county, including flood damage along the Brill, Clam, Namekagon, Ounce, Totagatic and Yellow Rivers.
Previous Planning Efforts and Legal Basis
The Washburn County Emergency Management Office has completed and regularly updates the Washburn County Hazard Analysis. This Hazard Analysis identifies all likely natural and technological hazards that might or have occurred within the county. The Hazard Analysis does not generally include detailed mitigation strategies for the identified hazards.
In December 1995, Washburn County completed a Flood Hazard Mitigation Plan that was used as a reference for this document. Other reference plans include the Washburn County Land and Water Resource Management Plan (v. April, 2005), the City of Shell Lake Stormwater Plan (v. 2004) and the City of Shell Lake Pre- Disaster Mitigation Plan. It should be noted that this is Washburn County‘s first hazard mitigation plan and that the City of Shell Lake agreed to include its plan (developed and approved in 2005) into
Page 7 Introduction and Background
the county-wide plan. As such, the single jurisdiction plan for the City of Shell Lake is incorporated into the Washburn County plan. As part of Washburn County‘s planning process, the City of Shell Lake‘s risk assessment was updated when incorporated into the county plan. Appendix D contains the City of Shell Lake Mitigation Strategies Progress Report. There have also been plans and ordinances completed by individual Washburn County departments or municipalities, some of these were used as reference materials for this plan, including:
Washburn County Ordinances http://www.municode.com/resources/gateway.asp?pid=13283&sid= 49 Chapter 14 Buildings and Building Regulations Chapter 28 Environment Chapter 38 Land Development Code Chapter 54 Planning Chapter 62 Subdivisions Chapter 74 Utilities
City of Shell Lake Ordinances Zoning Code - http://www.shelllakeonline.com/government.htm Floodplain Ordinance - http://www.shelllakeonline.com/files/REVISED%20FLOODPLAIN%20ORDINANCE.doc Shoreland Buffer Mitigation Standards - http://www.shelllakeonline.com/files/Shoreline%20Buffer%20Mitigation%20Standards.htm
City of Spooner Code of Ordinances http://www.municode.com/resources/gateway.asp?sid=49&pid=137 89 Chapter 14 Buildings and Building Regulations Chapter 22 Environment Chapter 30 Floodplain Zoning Chapter 42 Licenses Chapter 54 Shoreland-Wetland Zoning Chapter 66 Subdivisions Chapter 78 Utilities
Village of Birchwood Code of Ordinances PART II – Code of Ordinances Chapter 6 Buildings and Building Regulations Chapter 10 Environment Chapter 14 Fire Prevention and Protection Chapter 20 Streets, Sidewalks and Other Public Places Chapter 22 Subdivisions Chapter 26 Utilities
Page 8 Introduction and Background
Chapter 28 Zoning
Town of Casey Ordinances http://townofcaseygov.net/ordinances/ No 2004-05 Plan Commission Ordinance No 2008-12 Uniform Building Code Inspector Ordinance No 2009-03 Uniform Building Code Ordinance
Town of Gull Lakes Ordinances http://www.townofgulllake.us/ordinances.html 103b Driveway Ordinance 106 Planning Commission
Town of Minong Ordinances http://www.townofminong.us/ordinances.html Subdivision Ordinance 21
All of the above-mentioned plans, codes and ordinances were instrumental in the creation of this plan and those governmental bodies responsible for the review, editing and updating of these documents will be provided with a copy of this plan and its hazard mitigation strategies and will be urged to incorporate hazard mitigation into their processes.
Plan Preparation, Adoption and Maintenance
The Washburn County Emergency Management Director contracted with Emergency Planning, Training and Exercise Consulting (EPTEC, Inc.) to draft this plan. A Hazard Mitigation Committee was organized to oversee the completion of this plan. The committee members include:
. Tim Wallace, Washburn County Emergency Management Director (to Feb 2010) . Carol Buck, Washburn County Emergency Management Director (March 2010 continuing) . Dave Vold, City of Shell Lake . Bill Marx, City of Spooner . Darren Vik, City of Spooner Fire Department . Tom Miller, Washburn County Information Technology . Nathan Nelson, Washburn County Land Information Office (GIS) . Paul Deneen, Washburn County Land Information Office (GIS) . Mike Keefe, Washburn County Administration
Page 9 Introduction and Background
. Cheri Nickell, Washburn County Health Department . Lenora Borchardt, EPTEC, Inc. (Contractor)
An informational brochure was created and copies were distributed throughout the community. Meetings have been held with chief elected officials from the municipalities to explain and gather input regarding the program (e.g., previous occurrences, mitigation strategies.) Surveys were also distributed to the leadership committee of each municipality to gather information. The committee met several times, first to evaluate and incorporate input from local officials and later to review and provide input on the progress of the plan. An opportunity to review the plan was provided and announced via a public notice so that members of the general public, local officials, academia and business and industry leaders could provide input. The plan was distributed to the County Emergency Management Directors from Douglas, Sawyer, Barron and Burnett Counties for review; comments received from the directors were incorporated into the plan. A copy of the mitigation brochure and a list of meeting dates and informational sessions to gather public and official input can be viewed in Appendix E.
The Washburn County Hazard Mitigation Plan Workgroup reviewed the past events records (generally gathered from the National Weather Service) and a consensus was reached on the potential probability of future events. This probability was designated as ―high,‖ ―medium‖ or ―low‖ by the workgroup.
The workgroup also, after reviewing the draft plan, selected the potential mitigation projects, which are listed in Annex C (Summary of Mitigation Strategies) and discussed in more detail in each chapter‘s Hazard Mitigation Strategies section. The workgroup participants were given the Mitigation Ideas: Possible Mitigation Measures by Hazard Type (Mitigation Ideas, FEMA-R5, 9/02) booklet as an aid to generating ideas. All of the ideas generated during the workgroup meetings were incorporated into the plan and can be found in the Hazard Mitigation Strategies section of each chapter and are summarized in Appendix C. Based on the information collected, each of these projects was assigned a ―high,‖ ―medium‖ or ―low‖ priority.
The municipal leaders were briefed regarding the need to formally adopt this plan as a prerequisite for future mitigation funding eligibility. A draft has been sent to Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM) for review and tentative approval. Based on WEM‘s comments, a final draft plan has been completed and will be forwarded to FEMA for approval. Once approved by FEMA, a
Page 10 Introduction and Background resolution adopting the plan will be put on publically-posted agendas for the county board and every participating city, village and town for review and adoption.
A resolution also has been passed by the Washburn County Board, the Cities of Shell Lake and Spooner and the Villages of Birchwood and Minong. Each of the 21 towns was also given the opportunity to adopt the plan with the Towns of Barronett, Birchwood, Casey, Evergreen, Long Lake, Minong, Springbrook and Spooner adopting it. Scanned copies of the adoption resolutions can be found in Appendix B.
The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 requires the monitoring, evaluation and updating of the hazard mitigation plan every five years. This hazard mitigation plan is designed to be a ―living‖ document and therefore will be reviewed and updated within five years from its approval date. The Washburn County Hazard Mitigation Plan Workgroup will provide leadership and guidance throughout the plan‘s life cycle (i.e., monitoring, evaluating and updating.) Updates will allow municipal leaders and the public to provide input into the process. The public will be notified of this opportunity via legal public notices.
As information is received by the County Emergency Management Director between the five-year update periods (e.g., comprehensive or capital improvement plans) that might be included, it will be added to Appendix F: Inter-Revision Updates. The Washburn County Emergency Management Office maintains responsibility and is the point of contact for all issues regarding this plan. Municipalities can contact the County Emergency Management Director to add updated local information to Appendix F. Furthermore, the County Emergency Management Director will include in the Plan-of-Work program an annual letter that reaches out to the applicable county offices and municipalities. This letter will query if there are new elements for the mitigation plan as well as asking if there are any plans (new or updates) in which the mitigation plan can and/or will be used as a source plan.
Page 11 Physical Characteristics
Physical Characteristics of Washburn County
General Community Introduction
Washburn County, created in 1883 from Burnett County, is named after Cadwallader Washburn, a Civil War colonel, Wisconsin governor, U.S. congressman and president of the State Historical Society. Located in northwest Wisconsin, the county seat is Shell Lake. Following is an edited excerpt from the book, Fifty Years in the Northwest (by W. H. C. Folsom, published by Pioneer Press Company 1888 found at http://washburn.wigenweb.org/histories/communities/50northwest/in dex.htm), which describes some of the early conditions and communities in Washburn County:
Washburn County was organized in 1883, and embraces townships 37 to 42, inclusive, and ranges 10 to 13, inclusive, a total of 24 townships. It is drained by St. Croix waters with the exception of the southeast corner, which is drained by a branch of the Chippewa River. It has been a rich timbered region and large forests of pine still remain. The greater part of the county is adapted to agriculture and is settling rapidly. Two lines of railway traverse the county, one from the south to north and the other from southwest to northeast, giving the county excellent facilities for transportation and marketing of products. The county is divided into two towns, Bashaw in the south and Veasie in the north. These towns were organized in 1877 while Washburn was a part of Burnett County. The town of Bashaw was the first settled. John McMullen settled in township 38, range 13, in 1872, in Bashaw Valley. L. E. Thomas was the second settler in Bashaw and in Washburn County and …built the first house. Nellie Raberge taught the first school in Bashaw, in 1881. The first post office was established in 1880, Mrs. Malcolm Dobie, postmistress. The first sermon was preached by Rev. Ellingwood. G. P. Pearly was the first physician; A. L. Bugbee, the first lawyer. Messrs. Hart, Baker, Gardner and others have large farms in Bashaw Valley.
By the act of organizing the county, SHELL LAKE was made the county seat. It is beautifully located on the shores of Summit Lake. It has a court house, built at a cost of $11,000, in 1885, one of the most tasteful buildings of the kind in the St. Croix Valley. The town is built on railroad lands, purchased by the Shell Lake Lumber Company and by them surveyed into lots. The streets are from
Page 12 Physical Characteristics sixty-six to eighty feet wide. A restriction in the deeds to the lots and lands against the sale of alcoholic drinks has been continuously violated. In 1883 the town board fixed license at five hundred dollars, a plain violation of the original agreement.
A fine school building with four apartments was built in 1885 at a cost of $5,000. Prof. Halphyde is principal of the schools. The Episcopalians and Catholics have church buildings. The Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans and Presbyterians have church organizations. The Masons, Good Templars and Knights of Labor have organizations.
Summit Lake, on the west bank of which the town is situated, is about two and a half miles broad by three and a half long. It has bold, gravelly shores. The water is deep, clear and pure. The slopes surrounding it are covered with evergreen and hardwood timber. One small steamer floats upon its waters.
The Shell Lake Lumber Company was organized in 1880 under Iowa laws. Their mills are located on the northwest side of Summit Lake. They have a capacity of 50,000,000 feet per year. The capital stock amounts to $500,000. Employment is furnished to 250 men. In 1880 the hour system of labor was adopted. A narrow gauge railroad, twelve miles long, supplied with two locomotives and fifty cars, is used for bringing logs to mill. This road has a steel track and 3,000 feet of piling. The refuse burner of the mill is 20 feet in diameter and 102 in height. There are 63 tenement houses to accommodate the laborers.
Sawyer Creek obtained its name from Seth M. Sawyer, of Stillwater. This stream flows into Yellow River, five miles from Summit Lake. It rises from springs three hundred feet from the lake, and one hundred feet lower down, and may be considered its subterranean outlet, as visible outlet there is none. The lake, literally a summit lake, the receding and descending slopes, the springs uniting to form a larger stream, form a peculiar landscape, quite park-like in some of its features, and worthy of being converted into a park.
SPOONER, in the township of Veazie, on the north branch of the Yellow river, township 39, range 12, is a dinner station on the North Wisconsin railroad. The railroad company has fitted up an elegant eating house, and a few neat buildings, the nucleus of a much larger village, cluster around it.
Page 13 Physical Characteristics
VEAZIE VILLAGE is in township 41, range 10, and has a post office. The town of Veazie, occupying the northern part of the county, was organized in 1877. Millions of feet of pine timber have been gathered and marketed from this town, and it is estimated that 150,000,600 feet still remain. Ames and Sinnot station are in the township of Veazie.
Plan Area
Located in the northwest portion of Wisconsin, Washburn County is bordered on the north by Douglas County, on the east by Sawyer County, on the south by Barron County and on the west by Burnett County. It comprises an area encompassing approximately 850 square miles and is the 26th (out of 72) largest county in Wisconsin.
The northern third of Washburn County lies within the Northern Highland geographical province. The Northern Highland belongs to a great upland area that stretches northward in Canada to Labrador and Hudson Bay. It has a strong southward slope and, as the highland is shield- shaped and gently arches, it also has east and west components of slope. The slant of a medial line from the northern to the southern border is less than six feet to the mile.
The southern two-thirds of Washburn County lie within the Central Plain geographic province. The Central Plain of Wisconsin is a crescent- shaped belt covering about 13,000 square miles. All of it is floored by the weak Cambrian sandstone, except in the northwest where the removal of the sandstone has exposed the underlying Keweenawan lavas for a small area.
In Wisconsin, there are three types of sub-county, full-service local government units: towns, which are unincorporated, and villages and cities, which are incorporated. Washburn County contains the Cities of Shell Lake and Spooner; the Villages of Birchwood and Minong and the Towns of Barronett, Bashaw, Bass Lake, Beaverbrook, Birchwood, Brooklyn, Casey, Chicog, Crystal, Evergreen, Frog Creek, Gull Lake, Long Lake, Madge, Minong, Sarona, Spooner, Springbrook, Stinnett, Stone Lake and Trego. (See Appendix A for a map of Washburn County.) The County, the cities, the villages and many of the towns have adopted the plan (Copies of the adoptions can be found in Appendix B.)
Page 14 Physical Characteristics
Geology
Glacial deposits, consisting of glacial till, loess and alluvial sands and gravels, cover much of Washburn County with thicknesses up to 106‘ thick. Much of the county is covered by glacial deposits greater than 100 feet. The underlying bedrock in the northern portion of the county is Keweenawan sandstone and basaltic lava. Sandstone underlies much of the southern portion of the county with small areas of quartzite. (Martin, 1932)
Topography
Wisconsin lies in the upper Midwest between Lake Superior, the upper peninsula of Michigan, Lake Michigan and the Mississippi and Saint Croix Rivers. Its greatest length is 320 miles, greatest width 295 miles for a total area 56,066 square miles. Glaciation has largely determined the topography and soils of the state, except for the 13,360 square miles of driftless area in southwestern Wisconsin. The various glaciations created rolling terrain with nearly 9,000 lakes and several areas of marshes and swamps. Elevations range from about 600 feet above sea level along the Lake Superior and Lake Michigan shores and in the Mississippi floodplain in southwestern Wisconsin to nearly 1,950 feet at Rib and Strawberry Hills.
The Northern Highlands, a plateau extending across northern Wisconsin, is an area of about 15,000 square miles with elevations from 1,000 to 1,800 feet. This area has many lakes and is the origin of most of the major streams in the state. The slope down to the narrow Lake Superior plain is quite steep. A comparatively flat, crescent-shaped lowland lies immediately south of the Northern Highlands and embodies nearly one-forth of Wisconsin. The eastern ridges and lowlands to the southeast of the Central Plains are the most densely populated and have the highest concentration of industry and farms. The uplands of southwestern Wisconsin west of the ridges and lowlands and south of the Central Plains make up about one-fourth of the state. This is the roughest section of the state, rising 200 to 350 feet above the Central Plains and 100 to 200 feet above the Eastern Ridges and Lowlands. The Mississippi River bluffs rise 230 to 650 feet.
(http://www.uwex.edu/sco/state.html)
Page 15 Physical Characteristics
The topography of Washburn County is gently rolling and is characterized by belts of drift hills and by numerous lakes. The highest elevations are east of Shell Lake, where the altitude is between 1,200 and 1,400 feet above sea level. Farther north, in the Yellow, Namekagon, and Totagatic River Watersheds, the altitude is generally between 1,000 and 1,200 feet. The highest point in Washburn County is 1,500 feet in the Town of Birchwood near County Line Lake. The lowest point is the Namekagon River outlet to the St. Croix River at about 930 feet above sea level. Topographic maps are on file in the Spooner NRCS Field Office.
Climate
The Wisconsin climate is notoriously varied, which can be seen in the following graphic that rated each city on variations in temperature, precipitation, storms (thunderstorms, hail, tornadoes, etc.), snow and other factors. Washburn County is approximately 80 miles from Duluth, MN, which ranked 26th and approximately 100 miles from Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN, which ranked 43rd in variability out of 277 cities.
http://www.weatherpages.com/variety/main.html
The Wisconsin climate is also typically continental with some modification by Lakes Michigan and Superior. Winters are generally cold and snowy and summers are warm. About two- thirds of the annual precipitation falls during the growing season; this is normally adequate for vegetation although there are occasional droughts. The climate favors dairy farming and the primary crops are corn, small grains, hay and vegetables. Storm tracks generally move from west to east and southwest to northeast.
Page 16 Physical Characteristics
The average annual temperature varies from 39oF in the north to about 50oF in the south with statewide extreme records of 114oF (Wisconsin Dells, 7/13/1936) and minus 55oF (Couderay, 2/2 & 4/1996.) During more than one-half of the winters, temperatures fall to minus 40oF or lower and almost every winter temperatures of minus 30oF or colder are reported from northern stations. Summer temperatures above 90oF average two to four days in northern counties and about 14 days in southern districts. During marked cool outbreaks in summer months, the central lowlands occasionally report freezing temperatures.
The freeze-free season ranges from around 80 days per year in the upper northeast and north-central lowlands to about 180 days in the Milwaukee area. The pronounced moderating effect of Lake Michigan is well-illustrated by the fact that the growing season of 140 to 150 days along the east-central coastal area is of the same duration as in the southwestern Wisconsin valleys. The short growing season in the central portion of the state is attributed to a number of factors, among them an inward cold air drainage and the low heat capacities of the peat and sandy soils. The average date of last spring freeze ranges from early May along the Lake Michigan coastal area and southern counties to early June in the northernmost counties. The first autumn freezes occur in late August and early September in the northern and central lowlands and in mid-October along the Lake Michigan coastline, however a July freeze is not entirely unusual in the north and central Wisconsin lowlands.
The long-term mean annual precipitation ranges from 30 to 34 inches over most of the Western Uplands and Northern Highlands, then diminishes to about 28 inches along most of the Wisconsin Central Plain and Lake Superior Coastal area. The higher average annual precipitation coincides generally with the highest elevations, particularly the windward slopes of the Western Uplands and Northern Highlands. Thunderstorms average about 30 per year in northern Wisconsin to about 40 per year in southern counties and occur mostly in the summer. Occasional hail, wind and lightning damage are also reported.
The average seasonal snowfall varies from about 30 inches at Beloit to well over 100 inches in northern Iron County along the steep western slope of the Gogebic Range. Greater average snowfall is recorded over the Western Uplands and Eastern Ridges than in the adjacent lowlands. The mean dates of first snowfall of consequence (an inch or more) vary from early November in
Page 17 Physical Characteristics
northern localities to early December in southern Wisconsin counties. Average annual duration of snow cover ranges from 85 days in southernmost Wisconsin to more than 140 days along Lake Superior. The snow cover acts as protective insulation for grasses, autumn seeded grains, alfalfa and other vegetation.
In Washburn County, the average temperature is 14.9 degrees F and the average daily minimum temperature is 4.5 degrees in winter. The lowest temperature on record, which occurred on February 16, 1936, is -46 degrees. In summer, the average temperature is 67.1 degrees and the average daily maximum temperature is 79.3 degrees. The highest temperature, which occurred on July 11, 1936, is 110 degrees.
In Washburn County, the total annual precipitation is about 30 inches. Of this total, 19.56 inches, or 65 percent, usually falls in May through September. The growing season for most crops falls within this period. The heaviest 1-day rainfall on record was 4.41 inches on May 9, 1918. Thunderstorms occur on about 35 days each year, and most occur between June and August.
The average seasonal snowfall is 51.8 inches. The greatest snow depth at any one time during the period of record was 40 inches on February 5, 1971. On an average, 107 days per year have at least 1 inch of snow on the ground. The heaviest 1-day snowfall on record was 18 inches on March 25, 1996.
The average relative humidity in mid-afternoon is about 50 percent in April and May and 70 percent in December. Humidity is higher at night, and the average at dawn is about 90 percent in the summer and 80 percent in the winter. The sun shines approximately 62 percent of the time possible in summer and about 50 percent in winter. The prevailing wind is from the south in most months, but it is from the northwest from December through April. Average windspeed is highest, around 11 miles per hour, in April.
(http://soildatamart.nrcs.usda.gov/Manuscripts/WI129/1/Washburn_ WI.pdf)
Page 18 Physical Characteristics
Climate Normals Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
Ave Daily High 20.8 27.4 39.6 56.4 69.4 77.4 82.1 79.0 69.2 58.1 39.8 24.6 (F°)
Ave Daily Low (F°) -1.6 3.3 17.5 31.4 42.4 51.5 56.8 54.1 45.9 35.7 22.7 6.1
Growing Degree 0 1 18 132 318 468 597 528 321 152 19 1 Days Heating Degree 1717 1389 1128 633 310 92 23 53 231 561 1011 1538 Days Cooling Degree 0 0 0 0 28 74 162 103 9 0 0 0 Days Ave Precipitation 0.76 0.65 1.39 2.16 3.16 3.85 3.76 4.27 3.82 2.53 1.49 0.96 (")
Ave Snowfall (") 12.9 8.0 9.8 2.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.6 5.8 12.3 http://www.wisconline.com/counties/Washburn/climate.html
Midwestern Regional Climate Center
Hydrology
The land in Wisconsin drains into Lake Superior, Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River. The Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers form most of the western boundary. About one-half of the northwestern portion of the state is drained through the Chippewa
Page 19 Physical Characteristics
River, while the remainder of this region drains directly into the Mississippi or St. Croix Rivers and into Lake Superior. The Wisconsin River has its source at a small lake nearly 1,600 feet above mean sea level on the Upper Michigan boundary and drains most of central Wisconsin. Most of its tributaries also spring from the many lakes in the north except for the Rock River, a Mississippi River tributary which flows through northern Illinois, eastern Wisconsin drains into Lake Michigan.
Most of the streams and lakes in the state are ice-covered from late November to late March. Snow covers the ground in practically all the winter months except in extreme southern areas. Flooding is most frequent and most serious in April due to the melting of snow and spring rains. During this period, flood conditions are often aggravated by ice jams which back up the flood waters. Excessive rains of the thunderstorm type sometimes produce tributary flooding or flash flooding along the smaller streams and creeks.
(http://www.uwex.edu/sco/state.html)
Groundwater reservoirs are recharged by direct precipitation. Spring is a prime time for recharge because evapo-transpiration is low and melting snow and rainfall infiltrate and percolate the water table on unfrozen ground. Fall is another prime time for high recharge. During the summer, groundwater levels drop because precipitation is lower causing losses to evaporation and transpiration to exceed precipitation. In addition, groundwater is lost to surface waters by discharge in the form of springs (DeVaul, 1967.) The winter period normally lacks infiltration because of frozen ground.
Water resources, (both surface and groundwater) are one of the most commonly used natural resources, serving intrinsic and essential functions in the community. Plants, animals, and people all consume water on a daily basis. Over 70% of all Wisconsin, communities (that is, every two out of three state citizens) rely on groundwater not only for domestic use but also for agriculture, industrial uses, recreational purposes, etc. All Washburn County residents use groundwater for domestic water consumption. Water is one of the most easily contaminated resources. Because of its mobile nature, contaminants can travel far from their source through the water cycle. Contaminants in the water cycle coming from a variety of sources are commonly known as non-point source pollution (NPSP). Non-point source pollution comes from many diffuse sources such as agriculture runoff, leaking septic systems,
Page 20 Physical Characteristics
road salt and road building, parking lots, lawn and golf course runoff, all of which directly impact water resources. Point source pollution comes from identifiable sources such as a single factory or overflow from a sewage treatment facility.
Eleven watersheds are contained completely or partially within Washburn County (See Appendix A for a map of county watersheds). Seven of these are part of the St. Croix River Basin; three watersheds drain to the Lower Chippewa River Basin; and one watershed drains to the Upper Chippewa River Basin. The Saint Croix and Eau Claire Rivers, Totagatic River, Lower Namekagon River, Upper Namekagon River, Trego Lake/Middle Namekagon River, Shell Lank and Upper Yellow River and North Fork Clam River watersheds are all located in the St. Croix River Basin. The Brill and Red Cedar Rivers, Red Cedar Lake, and Yellow River watersheds are located in the Lower Chippewa River Basin. The Couderay River watershed, which only has a few square miles of land, is located in the Upper Chippewa Basin.
Soil Types
The soil of Washburn County (see Appendix A: Maps) is similar to that found throughout Wisconsin. Soils in Washburn County vary from droughty and loamy sands to very poorly drained wet organic soils with a wide range of well drained to moderately well drained, sandy and silty loams between these extremes. A Washburn County digital soil survey is available through the Natural Resources Conservation Service. (http://soildatamart.nrcs.usda.gov/Manuscripts/WI129/1/Washburn_ WI.pdf)
Droughty sands and loamy sands dominate the north and west portions of the county while the more agriculturally valuable silty and sandy loams are more prevalent in the south and east portions. Washburn County soils tend to be acidic and low in essential nutrients necessary for crop production.
The most productive farm soils are located in the southern third of the county. The majority of these soils were formed in outwash material. They include Antigo Silt Loam, Anigon Silt Loam and Rosholt Sandy Loam. Freeon Silt Loam and Haugen Sandy Loam soils are also commonly farmed in Washburn County.
Page 21 Physical Characteristics
Severe limitations for sewage disposal systems occur in the gravely sands and poorly drained soils of the county. There are numerous wetlands and organic soils that have severe limitations for septic systems scattered throughout the county.
Parent material largely determines the physical and chemical properties of the soil, such as the capacity or ability of the soil to store water and nutrients for plants and the rate at which water can pass through the soil. The soils in Washburn County formed in a wide variety of parent materials, including till, outwash, glaciolacustrine deposits and alluvial deposits. Till is unsorted, unstratified drift consisting mainly of clay, silt and sand. It may contain gravel, cobbles, stones or boulders.
The till in the southern part of the county is dominantly sandy loam. Freeon and Magnor soils are examples of soils that formed in silty deposits and in the underlying loamy till. The loamy till is dense at a depth of 40 to 60 inches. This dense layer restricts the movement of water through the soil.
Fremstadt and Spoonerhill soils are examples of till soils that are dominantly sandy throughout. They have a thin loamy upper layer but have friable sandy till in the subsoil and substratum. These soils are in the central part of the county on moraines surrounded by sandy outwash soils.
Some of the soils in the northeastern part of the county that formed in till are underlain by basalt bedrock. Magroc and Metonga soils are examples of soils that formed in silty deposits underlain by till over the bedrock. Outwash is sand, sand and gravel, or stratified sand and gravel deposited by water flowing from a melting glacier.
Rosholt, Scott Lake, and Oesterle soils formed mostly in loamy deposits over sandy and gravelly outwash. Anigon, Antigo, Brill, Sconsin, Billyboy and Poskin soils formed mostly in silty deposits over sandy and gravelly outwash. Graycalm, Grettum, Mahtomedi and Menahga soils are examples of outwash soils that are sandy or gravelly throughout. These soils are in the central and northwestern parts of the county
Glaciolacustrine deposits are materials ranging from fine clay to sand derived from glaciers and deposited in glacial lakes, mainly by glacial meltwater. Many deposits are interbedded or laminated. In Washburn County, ice-walled lake plains formed as surrounding
Page 22 Physical Characteristics
stagnant ice melted. These dish-shaped plateau formations are easy to recognize on topographic maps (Johnson, 2000). Barronett, Comstock, and Crystal Lake soils are examples of soils that formed in areas where these deposits are dominantly loamy. Cublake, Flink and Sissabagama soils are examples of soils that formed in areas where loamy glaciolacustrine deposits are covered by deep deposits of sandy outwash.
Other glaciolacustrine deposits in Washburn County were laid down in areas once covered by Glacial Lake Grantsburg. Glacial Lake Grantsburg formed as the Grantsburg Sublobe of the Des Moines glacial advance dammed the southwest flowing St. Croix River in the vicinity of Grantsburg in Burnett County. It is estimated that Glacial Lake Grantsburg lasted for about 80 to 100 years (Johnson, 2000). Dody, Karlsborg and Perida soils are examples of soils that formed in areas where a thin layer of clayey Glacial Lake Grantsburg glaciolacustrine deposits were covered by moderately deep or deep sandy outwash or glaciolacustrine deposits. These soils occur in small pockets in the east-central part of the county.
Some of the soils in the county, such as Totagatic and Winterfield soils, formed in sandy postglacial alluvial deposits that were laid down as rivers overflowed and deposited fresh sediments on the flood plains. Fordum soils are examples of soils that formed in loamy alluvial deposits. (Soil Survey of Washburn County, 2004)
Wetlands
Because wetlands provide many benefits to the environment, several municipal, state and federal ordinances/regulations protect wetland areas. The basic concept associated with these laws is that wetland areas on any property can not be disturbed without a permit. Wetlands store flood waters and filter water from precipitation before it enters lakes and streams. Some wetlands also recharge local groundwater aquifers. By slowing water movement, wetlands reduce the likelihood that heavy rainfall or spring snowmelt will cause erosion and flooding. Wetlands retain eroded soil and hold nutrients that would otherwise promote excessive weed growth and algae blooms in lakes and streams. These nutrients, when held in the wetlands, produce a heavy growth of vegetation that provides nesting sites, food and cover for waterfowl, small mammals and many other types of wildlife. Wetlands also provide recreational opportunities for humans (wildlife observation, hiking, hunting, etc).
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There are three basic factors in determining whether or not a property is a wetland: o The presence of water at, near or above the surface (hydrology).
o Water present long enough to sustain aquatic plant life (hydrophytic vegetation).
o Soils indicative of wet conditions (hydric soils).
Deciding what is or is not a wetland can be extremely confusing if you only associate ―wetlands‖ with the presence of water. It is possible that a property could have standing water for a portion of the year and still not be a wetland and it is also possible that a true wetland with all three of the above characteristics may never have water present above the land surface.
Wetlands serve a variety of functions, including playing an important role in stormwater management and flood control, filtering pollutants, recharging groundwater, providing a habitat for many wildlife species and plants and offering open space and passive recreational opportunities. Wetlands include all marshes, swamps, fens, bogs and those areas excluded from cultivation or other uses because they are intermittently wet.
The Wisconsin Wetland Inventory (WWI) was completed in 1985. Pre-European settlement wetland figures estimate the state had about 10 million acres of wetlands. Based on aerial photography from 1978-79, the WWI shows approximately 5.3 million acres of wetlands remaining in the state representing a loss of about 47% of original wetland acreage. This figure does not include wetlands less than 2 or 5 acres in size (minimum mapping unit varies by county). Because the original WWI utilized aerial photographs taken in the summer, some wetlands were missed. In addition, wetlands that were farmed as of the date of photography used and then later abandoned due to wet conditions were not captured as part of the WWI. (Wetland data in this inventory is to the county level only.) According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Washburn County has approximately 72,900 acres of wetlands (approximately 15.0% of its total area). This is approximately 1.5% of the total statewide acreage of wetlands.
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/water/fhp/wetlands/acreage.shtml
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Land Use
The land in Washburn County consists of farmland, shoreland and forests as well as commercial, residential and industrial land. The total area is 857 square miles. Of that area, approximately 810 square miles are land and 44 square miles are surface water. The land is mostly forested or a mixture of forested land and cropland. The Washburn County Forest covers 148,357 acres. Agricultural land use is the second most prevalent land use in Washburn County, comprising 62,977 acres or nearly 12 percent of the county‘s total area. Most agricultural land use is centered in the central and southern portion of the county where soil conditions are generally more favorable for agricultural uses. Areas of the county defined as ―prime farmland‖ (NRCS) are primarily limited to the southern and central portions of Washburn County. Farmland classification identifies the location and extent of the most suitable land for producing food, feed, fiber, forage and oilseed crops.
Washburn County is located within the northwestern part of the State of Wisconsin. This region is characterized by an abundance of lakes, rivers, and streams set amongst a heavily forested landscape. Agricultural activity is a prominent feature of the landscape within the central and southern parts of the county. Like most northern Wisconsin counties, the overall land use and development pattern has been heavily influenced by tourism and recreational home development. Washburn County is predominantly rural and the highest population densities within the county are found in the cities and villages, with a generally low overall population density in the rural areas except along certain lakes. Most home development within Washburn County has occurred in the rural areas.
Washburn County Existing Land Use Acreage (Unincorporated Areas)
Existing Land Use Total Acres Agriculture 62,977.1 Communications/Utilities 33.4 Commercial 176.8 County Highways 1,153.6 County Roads 250.1 Farm 76.4 Federal Highways 709.5 Government/Institutional 84.8 Industrial 327.0 Local Roads 6,204.2
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Mobile Home Park 3.2 Open Space 1,689.3 Park & Recreation 291.1 Residential 3,565.0 Shed 35.3 State Highway 444.6 Water 32,439.1 Woodlands 425,347.9 Total 535,808.3 Source: NWRPC GIS Inventory, 2002
Washburn County has about 141,500 acres of county forest land (CFL), distributed among 16 towns. CFL lands are publicly owned lands primarily utilized for timber production, wildlife habitat and various forms of recreation. Because these are publicly owned lands, they effectively block development, much like a national or state forest. Additionally, road density within Washburn County forest land blocks is substantially lower than is found elsewhere in the county. It should be noted that private parcels are found within the CFL and some development has occurred on these parcels. A growing trend in the north is the construction of housing in close proximity to large tracts of publicly owned land. Referred to as ―fringe growth,‖ this form of development takes advantage of the access provided by these parcels. Historically, these fringe parcels have been small hunting cabins or seasonal recreational homes. Much like the conversion of lakeshore cabins to permanent residences, these fringe structures are being converted from hunting cabins to homes or larger recreational structures. The National Park Service owns and manages 12,500 acres along the Namekagon River as part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers system.
There are over 20,300 acres of industrial forestland within Washburn County. The use of these lands for the production of forest products has prohibited other forms of development. While continued industrial use is not ensured, it has in the past served as a ―barrier to development‖. Most of industrial forest land in Washburn County is found in the Town of Minong, with smaller holdings in the Towns of Chicog, Trego, Springbrook, Crystal, Stone Lake, Bass Lake, Evergreen, Madge, Spooner, Brooklyn, Gull Lake and Casey.
Lands that are enrolled in forest management programs such as Managed Forest Law (MFL) or Forest Crop Law (FCL) can provide
Page 26 Physical Characteristics some assurance that these lands will continue to be utilized as forest. These lands are under contractual commitment, which may or may not be renewed upon expiration. Development or conversion of use is possible on Forest Tax Law lands; although, various program incentives encourage continued enrollment. Forest Tax Law program enrollment in Washburn County includes 37,136 acres in MFL (20,379 acres open, 16,757 acres closed) and 17,183 acres in the Forest Crop Law program. (Washburn County Comprehensive Planning, 2004)
Located in Sarona, the Hunt Hill Audubon Sanctuary is an environmental learning community with over 450 acres of wooded glacial hills, mature maples, groves of ancient white pines, meadows of grasses and wildflowers and black spruce and tamarack bogs.
The Namekagon River stretches 50 miles through Washburn County. The Namekagon River and visitors center is located in Trego. The Namekagon River is mostly undeveloped and allows visitors to view deer, muskrats, turtles, herons and bald eagles that live along the riverbank. The National Park Service maintains primitive campsites accessible only by water.
A portion of the Loghead and Sawmill Lakes Primitive Canoe Routes are located in Washburn County. These routes were used by Native Americans and fur traders of Northern Wisconsin 200 years ago. The routes include access to more than 30 lakes and through an extensive portage and trail system.
The Spooner Area Recreation Trails can be used for hikers, bicyclists, snowmobilers, skiers and horseback riders. They are maintained by the Washburn County Forest Administration.
The Gov. Tommy G. Thompson State Fish Hatchery in Spooner is the largest hatchery of its kind in the world. It is operated by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The facility annually produces nearly 2 million walleyes, 100,000 muskellunge and some northern pike. Each year hatchery workers collect 32 million muskie and walleye eggs and five million northern pike eggs — plus a staggering 100 million sucker eggs to feed the hungry muskie babies. When they arrive at their new home, the eggs first go into hatching jars. In the wild, less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the eggs would survive. In the hatchery, 60 to 95 percent survive. After a few days the fish hatch and swim into indoor tanks. As they grow, they move to one of 46 outdoor rearing ponds for a few weeks.
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When the fish are big enough, they are stocked back into Wisconsin lakes.
Sawmill Lake offers primitive camping, 20 sites with tables and fire rings, no electricity dock, open shelter, vault toilets, hand pump for water. Totagatic Park, west of Minong, offers 20 sites with electricity and 50 sites without electricity; water, firewood, flush and vault toilets and a dumping station. Trego Town Park offers 50 sites with water, electric; showers, firewood and flush toilets. Shell Lake Municipal Campground offers 45 sites and electric and water hookups. Doolittle Park in Birchwood offers 40 sites; electricity, flush toilets, showers, a dump station, swimming, firewood, boat docking, playground and picnicking.
Vegetation
In the northern two-thirds of Washburn County, jackpine and prairie grasses; areas of black spruce, tamarack and ceda are interspersed with white and red pine. In the southern third of Washburn County, maple, hemlock and yellow birch predominate.
(http://www.wisconline.com/counties/Washburn/index.html)
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Demographics
Human Settlement Patterns
The first evidence of human settlement in the Mississippi River Region was approximately 11,000 years ago, following closely the withdrawal of the Wisconsin glacier. These earliest known ―Paleo- Indians‖ were hunter-gatherers that traveled in small nomadic family groups. This Ice Age era was known geologically as the Pleistocene period.
The first white visitors to present day Washburn County arrived in about 1660. These visitors were missionaries and fur-traders traveling the east-west route provided by the Namekagon River. In 1754, the Ojibwa (Chippewa) Indians migrated south from Lake Superior to occupy the region.
Fur trading was the dominant local industry until 1875, when a dam was constructed along the Namekagon River near Stinnett. Following this period, the logging industry became the principal economic activity in the county, and large tracts of virgin white pine were harvested and floated to mills in Saint Croix Falls, Wisconsin and as far south as Saint Louis, Missouri. The introduction of rail transportation into Washburn County in the year 1879 further expanded the logging industry by providing easier access to lumber in areas farther removed from the traditional river routes.
Washburn County received its name from former Wisconsin governor, businessman, and Civil War veteran, Cadwallader C. Washburn, an entrepreneur and speculator involved in business ventures in northern Wisconsin. Prior to 1883, present day Washburn County was part of Burnett County. The county became official on April 7, 1883, following action by the Wisconsin state legislature.
In the wake of the logging boom, agriculture became prevalent in the county. Former forestlands were converted to agricultural use; and by 1935, there were 1,754 farms and 215,000 acres in production. Agricultural productivity was greatly limited by the land, and much of these agricultural lands were eventually returned to forest cover and commercial timber production.
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Present day Washburn County is economically diverse and modern. The primary industry within the county is tourism, evident by the number of motels, restaurants, museums, shops and recreational facilities now present in the county.
Population
Washburn County is generally rural with an estimated 2004 population of 16,762. Washburn County‘s population increased 4.5 percent from 2000 to 2004
According to the 2000 U.S. census report, there are 6,604 households in Washburn County with an average of 2.39 people per household. This is an increase of 1,148 households, or 17.4%, over the 1990 census when 5,456 households were reported. The 2000 U.S. census numbers indicate that the median household income is $33,716 and that the per capita income is $17,341. Approximately 9.9% of the people live below the poverty line. The 2000 census also indicated that there are approximately 10,814 housing units within the county, 6.3% of which are multi-unit structures. 80.8% of homes are owned by the families residing in them and the median home value is $85,700.
The population of Washburn County rose from 13,772 to 16,036 between the 1990 and 2000 censuses. This is an increase of 2,264 people—a population growth rate of 14%.
Percent Change Per Age Category Between the 1990 and 2000 Censuses
60.0% 50.0% 40.0% 30.0% 20.0% 10.0% 0.0% -10.0% -20.0% <5 5 - 24 25 - 44 45 - 54 55 - 59 60 - 64 65 - 74 75 - 84 >84
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According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the overwhelming majority of people in Washburn County reported that they were white. People of Hispanic or Latino origin were counted as a subcategory of those reporting that they were white, as another race or as two or more races. These groups totaled 1.5% of those categories. There are no Native American tribal lands located within Washburn County.
Race
White 1.2% Black 0.1% American Indian 97.3% 2.7% 0.2% 0.2% Asian Other Race 1.0% Tw o or More Races
Other miscellaneous demographic information reported by the census bureau is detailed below. These figures identify potential needs for special consideration in a disaster response or in recovery operation planning and implementation.
60.0% 49.7% 39.7% 40.0%
18.8% 18.5% 19.4% 20.0% 12.3% 5.1% 1.0% 3.5% 0.0%
Female Disabled <5 years old Foreign born < 18 years >old 64 years old College Degree
No English atHigh home School Grads
Washburn County contains the Cities of Shell Lake and Spooner; the Villages of Birchwood and Minong. There are also 21 towns including of Barronett, Bashaw, Bass Lake, Beaverbrook,
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Birchwood, Brooklyn, Casey, Chicog, Crystal, Evergreen, Frog Creek, Gull Lake, Long Lake, Madge, Minong, Sarona, Spooner, Springbrook, Stinnett, Stone Lake and Trego.
Transportation Network
Washburn County‘s road network includes approximately 1,400 miles of highways and local roads that connect the county‘s inhabitants and visitors to commercial, recreational and educational sites. Several important roadways bisect and cross the county, including US Highways 53 and 63; state trunk highways (STH) 48, 70, 77, and 253 and numerous county trunk highways (CTH). These roadways support the majority of the traffic movement within the county. Roadways in Washburn County are categorized by a functional classification system based on the level of service the roadway provides in carrying vehicular traffic. Functional road classifications for rural areas include principal arterials, minor arterials, major collectors, minor collectors and local roads.
Washburn County Roadway Classification
Miles of Classification Roadway
Principal arterials 81.19 Minor arterials 48.31 Major collectors 189.36 Minor collectors 96.95 Local roads 990.29 Total 1,406.10 Source: WisDOT, District 8
Washburn County has a sufficient transportation network. State and county roads connect the population centers. US 53 runs north-south through the center of the county and connects Sarona, Trego and Minong. US 63 runs southwest-northeast across the county and passes through Shell Lake, Spooner, Trego, Earl and Springbrook. Washburn County has maintained these roads along with a large county highway network to provide a safe and efficient transportation system. With continued maintenance, these roads will continue to serve the population effectively. (Washburn County Comprehensive Plan, 2004)
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Public Safety Support
Medical
Four ambulance services provide emergency medical transportation in Washburn County. For more information on ambulance and rescue services see appropriate individual town comprehensive plans.
Birchwood Four Corners Emergency Services District - covers the Village of Birchwood and Towns of Meteor (Sawyer County), Birchwood, Edgewater (Sawyer County), Long Lake (part), Wilson (Rusk County) and part of Cedar Lake (Barron County).
Minong Area Ambulance - covers the Village of Minong and Towns of Minong, Frog Creek, Chicog and Brooklyn.
North Ambulance Service - covers the half of Washburn County around Spooner and Shell Lake and portions of Burnett County; also has a unit stationed at A&H in Burnett County.
Stone Lake Ambulance - covers the Towns of Stone Lake and Sand Lake (Sawyer County).
Washburn County has a network of first responders who are paged or called to medical emergencies by the Washburn County Sheriff‘s Office. They typically provide assistance at the scene, as ambulances are en route. Many of the first responders are also certified emergency medical technicians (EMTs).
Over the 20-year planning horizon, it is anticipated the existing ambulance services available will continue to provide adequate service to area residents and property owners.
The residents of Washburn County are served by hospitals, medical centers and clinics in Rice Lake, Hayward and the Village of Birchwood including the following two hospitals:
Indianhead Medical Center (IMC) - located at 113 West Fourth Street, Shell Lake. IMC is a care hospital that is state- licensed and accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations. A wide range of
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inpatient and outpatient services are offered, and the emergency room is staffed 24 hours a day. Services include physical therapy, chemotherapy, respiratory therapy, cardiac and pulmonary testing and rehabilitation, mammography, CT scans and diabetes consultation. A staff of specialists provides oncology, orthopedic, podiatry and urology care. IMC Home Health Agency also provides home health care services.
Spooner Health System - located at 819 Ash Street, Spooner, is a 40-bed care facility with an attached 90-bed nursing home and home health care agency. The Spooner Health System serves the needs of Washburn County residents by providing skilled care. Spooner Health System is also fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations and is state licensed. A full range of services are provided with both in and out patient settings, including 24-hour emergency care, surgical services, obstetrics, rehabilitation, diagnostic care including a state-of-the-art CT scanner and in-house hospice. The facility also offers access to ten specialty clinics from a 34-member consulting specialist staff. Spooner Health System also provides home health care services. (Washburn County Comprehensive Plan, 2004)
Fire Service
Seven fire departments provide fire protection in Washburn County, and each gives mutual aid to neighboring departments. For more information on fire departments, see appropriate individual town comprehensive plans.
Birchwood Four Corners Emergency Services District - covers the Village of Birchwood and the Towns of Birchwood, Doyle (Barron County), Long Lake, Edgewater (Sawyer County), Wilson (Rusk County) and part of Cedar Lake (Barron County).
Chicog Volunteer Fire Department - covers the Town of Chicog.
Minong Area Fire Department - covers the Village of Minong and the Towns of Minong, Frog Creek, and Brooklyn.
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Shell Lake Volunteer Fire Department - covers the City of Shell Lake and all or part of the Towns of Bashaw, Barronett, Dewey, Beaver Brook, Roosevelt (Burnett County) and Sarona.
Spooner Fire District- covers the City of Spooner and all or part of the Towns of Bashaw, Beaver Brook, Casey, Crystal, Evergreen, Gull Lake, Madge, Rusk (Burnett County), Spooner, Springbrook and Trego.
Stone Lake Fire Department- covers the Towns of Stone Lake and Sand Lake (Sawyer County).
Hayward Fire Department- covers the Town of Bass Lake and Stinnett in Washburn County.
Cortec Spray Technologies explosion and fire on 18 March 2008. The explosion injured two workers and destroyed 80% of the facility.
The Washburn County Forestry Department and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources provide the primary fire fighting protection in the area of wildfires. At the county level, five forestry staff members are fully trained for wildfire fighting. County wildfire
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equipment consists of a 550H Dozer with water tanks and PPE, Hester fire plow, semi and trailer with 800 gallon water tank mounted on trailer, two ATV's with water tank inserts, three slip on water tanks for 4 x 4 pickups, JD 6410 and PosiTrack 2810 available for other needs, two water pumps in addition to the pumps on the slip on units, pickups equipped with radios programmed with all necessary emergency frequencies and portable radios. The forestry department operates under a cooperative MOU with DNR Fire Control that commits the county to assist with wildfire suppression on county forest lands and also on other private lands at the request of DNR.
Over the 20-year planning horizon, it is anticipated the county will continue to maintain and upgrade fire protection services and provide adequate services to area residents and property owners resulting from wildfires. (Washburn County Comprehensive Plan, 2004)
Washburn County has no Level B Hazardous Materials Team. For hazardous materials response, they utilize the Level A Hazardous Materials Team from Superior, which is part of the Wisconsin Regional Hazardous Materials Response Team Network. This network was established with the unanimous support of the legislature and Governor Tommy G. Thompson. Act 104 created a tiered system of hazardous material response. Regional Teams to respond to the most serious of spills and releases requiring the highest level of protective gear and training or was of such a quantity or magnitude as to exceed local capability.
The Superior Regional Hazardous Materials Team specializes in responding to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive incidents. These incidents may be caused by accidental or intentional acts. The team is able to rapidly deploy to assist local responders and the Incident Commander by providing trained responders and equipment that will help isolate the incident, begin mitigation operations and provide decontamination.
The Superior Regional Hazmat Team is tasked by the State of Wisconsin to cover an eight county response area in northwestern Wisconsin including: Ashland, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Iron, Price, Sawyer and Washburn.
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Law Enforcement
The Washburn County Sheriff's Office is the primary law enforcement agency within the county. However, there are several municipal and state agencies that have law enforcement responsibilities in their respective jurisdictions (i.e., Wisconsin State Patrol, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Spooner Police Department, Shell Lake Police department, Minong Police Department and the Birchwood Police Department.) The Village of Birchwood also employs two full-time law enforcement officers with multi-jurisdictional coverage for the Village of Birchwood and the Towns of Birchwood, Edgewater, Cedar Lake, Long Lake and Wilson.
The Washburn County Sheriff's Office is typical of a rural county Sheriff's Office. The Sheriff and his staff are responsible for responding to calls for service, all criminal investigations, civil process service, search and rescue, service to the court, jail operations and dispatch and all other emergency police, fire and EMS services in the county.
Amateur Radio
The NorWesCo RACES (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service) is an amateur radio communications group that can provide emergency communications via handheld, mobile and base radios to augment government resources. Resources and capabilities include the following:
RACES has their own nation-wide repeater system with the NorWesCo group having three linked repeaters in Sire, Shell Lane and Lampson. These repeaters have the capability of connecting to linked repeaters north to Superior, WI and south to the rest of the state. The group has APRS tracker stations and transmitters that can be placed on vehicles and people to track them and display their locations on maps at the Incident Command. NorWesCo has an emergency van with a 4 kilovolt generator and 12 volt DC system to support mobile Incident Command. There is also a 15 volt trailer-mounted generator that can be towed to any location needed. The group can also set up a remote television transmitter that can be monitored at the Incident Command.
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Archaeological and Historical Resources
The Wisconsin Historical Society has a listing of archaeological sites that have been identified in Washburn County; this list is available to governmental agencies upon request. The National Register of Historic Places also includes a listing of three locations in Washburn County. As mitigation projects are considered, the county is committed to ensuring that archaeological and historical sites are preserved.
Historic Sites
Historic Site Name Street Address Municipality
Polson, Mrs. Richard, N of Spooner Spooner House Building
Salem Lutheran 301 8th Ave. West Shell Lake Church Building
Siegner, George V., 513 Dale St. Spooner House Building
The Wisconsin Historical Society maintains a list of archaeological sites and cemeteries known as the Archaeological Site Inventory Database (ASI). Up to this point in time, 173 archaeological sites and cemeteries have been reported to the Wisconsin Historical Society for Washburn County. These sites cover an extended period of time, which include campsites/villages/communities, cabins/homesteads, sugar mapling sites, cemetery/burial/ mounds, trading/fur posts, mill/sawmills and kilns.
All of these sites have been reported to the State Historical Society of Wisconsin and are protected sites. If there is concern that a mitigation project will impact one of these or any other identified or suspected archeological site, the county will work with the proper authorities to ensure that all applicable laws and regulations are followed.
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Archaeological Sites Site Name Site Type Cultural Study Unit Barronett Lakeside Cemetery Cemetery/burial Historic Euro-American Bashaw Campsite/village Historic Indian Ed Hart Indian Cemetery Cemetery/burial Historic Indian Cemetery/burial Historic Indian Cemetery/burial Historic Indian Corn hills/garden beds Unknown Campsite/village Historic Indian Campsite/village Unknown Campsite/village Unknown Campsite/village Unknown Shell Lake Trading Post Trading/fur post Historic Euro-American Shell Lake Protestant Cemetery/burial Historic Euro-American Cemetery Bass Lake C.A.I. #13-110-2 Campsite/village Unknown Prehistoric C.A.I. #13-110-1 Campsite/village Unknown Prehistoric 1. Campsite/village 2. Lithic scatter 1. Unknown Prehistoric C.A.I. #15-140-1 Other Historic Euro-American Campsite/village Unknown Prehistoric 1. Other 2. Lithic scatter 1. Early Woodland 2. Middle Woodland homestead Historic Euro-American Beaver Brook
1. Mound(s) – Conical 2. Campsite/village 3. Shell Lake Mound 1. Unknown Cemetery/burial
Butenhoff Mounds 1. Mound(s) – Other/Unk 2. Cemetery/burial 1. Woodland Birchwood
Mound 1. Mound(s) – Other/Unk 2. Cemetery/burial 1. Unknown
1. Mound(s) – Other/Unk 2. Campsite/village 3. 1. Unknown Cemetery/burial Campsite/village Unknown 1. Campsite/village 2. Cemetery/burial 3. Corn 1. Unknown hills/garden beds Woodlawn Cemetery Cemetery/burial Historic Euro-American Unnamed Cemetery Cemetery/burial Historic Euro-American Cabin/homestead Historic Euro-American Old Farmstead Site Cabin/homestead Historic Euro-American 1. Cabin/homestead 2. Poli 1. Unknown Prehistoric Campsite/village Brooklyn
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Lampson Cemetery Cemetery/burial Historic Euro-American Sophies Choice Campsite/village Late Woodland Hist Dump #1 Other Historic Euro-American Hist Dump #2 Other Historic Euro-American Julius Richard Logging camp Historic Euro-American Casey Rosewood Cemetery (AKA Parker Cemetery/burial Historic Euro-American Cemetery) Chicog C.A.I. #24-123-1 Other Unknown Foundation/depression Historic Euro-American Campsite/village Unknown Prehistoric Chicog Town Cemetery Cemetery/burial Historic Euro-American Waukegon News Campsite/village Late Woodland West Wilcox Lake Campsite/village Late Woodland Jedlicka Site Cabin/homestead Historic Euro-American Hudson Barn & Chicken Coop Other Historic Euro-American J. Bickell Post Other Historic Euro-American 1. Foundation/depression 1. Historic Euro-American 2. Homestead Crystal Anah Cemetery Cemetery/burial Historic Euro-American Unnamed Cemetery Cemetery/burial Historic Euro-American Anah Cemetery Cemetery/burial Historic Euro-American Evergreen
1. Mound(s) – Other/Unk 2. Cemetery/burial 1. Unknown
Unnamed Cemetery Cemetery/burial Historic Euro-American Rocky Ridge Cemetery Cemetery/burial Historic Euro-American Yellow River Bridge Unknown Unknown Prehistoric Harvest Campsite/village Unknown Prehistoric Yellow Grass Campsite/village Unknown Prehistoric Evergreen Campsite/village Woodland White Tail Campsite/village Unknown Prehistoric Green Snakes Campsite/village Woodland Riegel-Cook Site Cemetery/burial Historic Euro-American Frog Creek Chittamo Methodist Cemetery Cemetery/burial Historic Euro-American Little Barn Site Cabin/homestead Historic Euro-American Woodpecker Other Historic Euro-American Homestead Historic Euro-American Homestead Historic Euro-American
1. Homestead 2. Kiln 3. Logging camp 1. Historic Euro-American
Long Lake
1. Mound(s) – Conical 2. Cemetery/burial 1. Unknown
1. Mound(s) – Other/Unk 2. Cemetery/burial 1. Unknown
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Cemetery/burial Unknown Historic Campsite/village Unknown Historic 1. Other 2. Cemetery/burial 1. Unknown Trading/fur post Historic Euro-American Long Lake Lutheran Church and Cemetery/burial Historic Euro-American Cemetery 1. Historic Indian 2. Late Hanks 1. Campsite/village Archaic Madge ‗Tater Lake Campsite/village Late Woodland Evergreen/Baptist Mission Cemetery Cemetery/burial Historic Euro-American Madge Evergreen Cemetery Cemetery/burial Historic Euro-American Harmon Lake Lumber Camp Logging camp Historic Euro-American Minong Cemetery/burial Unknown Cemetery/burial Unknown Historic 1. Mound(s) – Other/Unk 2. Cemetery/burial 1. Unknown Greenwood Cemetery Historic Euro-American Historic Forest Cabin/homestead Historic Euro-American Historic Dump #3 Other Historic Euro-American Cutbank Campsite/village Unknown Prehistoric D. Walter 2 Campsite/village Unknown Prehistoric 1. Cabin/homestead 2. 1. Unknown Historic 2. D. Walter 1 Campsite/village Unknown Prehistoric Luviland Cabin/homestead Historic Euro-American Oil Barrel Only Cabin/homestead Historic Euro-American Kippered Beef Site Cabin/homestead Unknown Historic Whittler School Site Other Historic Euro-American St. Mary‘s Catholic Cemetery (AKA Cemetery/burial Historic Euro-American Old Minong Cemetery) 1. Historic Euro-American 2. Parent, Hist #4 1. Cabin/homestead Unknown Prehistoric 1. Historic Euro-American 2. Birch Trail 1. Campsite/village Late Woodland 1. Historic Euro-American 2. Hutchins Site 1. Cabin/homestead Unknown Historic Deal Site Cabin/homestead Historic Euro-American Ayers Site Cabin/homestead Historic Euro-American Sarona 1. Campsite/village 1. Unknown Sarona Cemetery Cemetery/burial Historic Euro-American Spooner Campsite/village Unknown Campsite/village Unknown 1. Mound(s) - Other/Unk 2. Cemetery/burial 1. Unknown 1. Mound(s) - Other/Unk 2. Porter Mound 1. Unknown Cemetery/burial
Page 41 Hazard Analysis
1. Historic Euro-American 2. Palmer‘s Vaseux Lake Post 1. Trading/fur post Historic Indian 1. Mound(s) - Other/Unk 2. Cemetery/burial 1. Unknown
1. Other 2. Campsite/village 3. 1. Historic Indian Cemetery/burial Campsite/village Unknown Historic 1. Mound(s) - Conical 2. Twin Mounds 1. Unknown Cemetery/burial 1. Late Archaic 2. Middle Chido 1. Campsite/village Archaic 3. Middle Woodland Super Star Campsite/village Late Woodland 1. Unknown Historic 2. Unknown Schricker 1. Campsite/village Prehistoric Mitchell Campsite/village Late Woodland 1. Mound(s) - Other/Unk 2. Hadden Mound 1. Unknown Cemetery/burial 1. Mound(s) - Other/Unk 2. Bowman Mound 1. Unknown Cemetery/burial Porter Village Campsite/village Historic Indian Cemetery/burial Historic Indian Unnamed Cemetery Arbuckle Site Cemetery/burial Unknown Talcot‘s Name Plate Isolated finds 1. Historic Euro 1. Historic Euro-American 2. Sugar Camp 1. Sugar bush Unknown Springbrook
1. Cabin/homestead 2. Homestead 1. Historic Euro-American 3. Logging camp C.A.I. #17-126-1 Campsite/village Unknown Prehistoric C.A.I. #17-126-2 Campsite/village Unknown Prehistoric C.A.I. #17-126-1 Campsite/village Unknown Prehistoric St. Luke‘s Episcopal Cemetery Cemetery/burial Historic Euro-American St. Mary Magdalene Cemetery Earl Cemetery 1. Cabin/homestead 2. Foundation/depression 1. Historic Euro-American Chittamo March Isolated finds Unknown Prehistoric Mill/sawmill Historic Euro-American Transportation site Historic Euro-American Homestead Historic Euro-American Foundation/depression Historic Euro-American 1. Homestead 1. Historic Euro-American 2. Unknown Prehistoric Stinnett Stinnett Logging Camp and Dam/historic earth work Historic Euro-American Dam/CAI 14-164-1 Dam/historic earthwork Historic Euro-American Lithic scatter Late Prehistoric
Page 42 Hazard Analysis
Lithic scatter Unknown Prehistoric Trego C.A.I. #18-108-1 Cabin/homestead Historic Euro-American Campsite/village Late Woodland Workshop site Unknown Prehistoric Campsite/village Late Woodland 1. Campsite/village 1. Historic Euro-American 2. Historic Indian Campsite/village Unknown Prehistoric Veazie Town 1. Other 2. Logging camp 1. Historic Euro-American Veazie Dam Dam/historic earthwork Historic Euro-American St. Joseph Cemetery Historic Euro-American Riverside Cemetery Historic Euro-American Schroyer Pines Farmstead Historic Euro-American Trego Trail Isolated finds Unknown Prehistoric Trego I Cabin/homestead Historic Euro-American Trego II 1. Trading/fur post 1. Historic Euro-American 2. Unknown Prehistoric Trego III Campsite/village Unknown Prehistoric Trego IV Campsite/village Unknown Prehistoric Trego V (Rowan‘s Campsite/village Unknown Prehistoric Resort) Trego VI Campsite/village Unknown Prehistoric Source: Wisconsin Historical Society
Page 43 Hazard Analysis
Hazard Analysis
The following sections identify those hazards that have occurred or could occur in Washburn County. Each includes a description of a hazard and its frequency of occurrence. Also included is a section that describes the general vulnerabilities of the community and its infrastructure to each particular type of hazard. More detailed and specific analyses will be conducted as projects are identified for inclusion in grant applications. As part of the application process, the methodology of data collection and future development patterns will be addressed. Estimates of potential dollar losses and the methodology used to arrive at those estimates will also be described during this application process.
Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM) completed and regularly updates the State Hazard Mitigation Plan, which was last revised in 2008. This plan describes the hazards that have occurred or are most likely to occur within the state and includes the frequency of occurrence, potential impacts and suggested actions to mitigate the hazard. This plan is the basis for the development of all emergency management plans and is distributed upon revision to county emergency government directors and other stakeholder agencies.
The Washburn County Emergency Management Director develops and annually updates a listing of all hazards that have occurred or could occur within the county. This listing includes the definition, frequency of occurrence and actions to mitigate the hazard. In general, the threat of most hazards is consistent throughout the county. The only hazard where there were differences identified within the county was for flooding and for that hazard, specific locations are identified.
The emphasis in the following sections is on mitigation activities for each hazard as a major component of overall emergency management. Mitigation or prevention activities reduce the degree of long-term risk to human life and property from natural and man- made hazards. The cooperation of government, the private sector and volunteer agencies is essential in mitigation efforts. The Washburn County Emergency Management Office is committed to working with municipalities and the private sector to ensure that county mitigation information is shared and it is incorporated into their planning as appropriate.
Page 44 Hazard Analysis
Each community will be given a copy of the plan to use as a reference during their own preparedness activities (i.e., planning, training, permitting, zoning.) Communities that have their own comprehensive plan will reference this mitigation plan and its contents in the next scheduled plan update. Municipalities that do not have comprehensive plans either are under the purview of and request assistance from the County Planning and Zoning Department or they have their own planning departments. Members of the County Planning and Zoning Department and municipal planning departments were included on the Hazard Mitigation Workgroup and are aware of the benefits and requirements to utilizing this plan as they go about their preparedness activities.
Page 45 All Hazards
All Hazards
One of the bedrock principles of emergency management is to approach issues from an all-hazards perspective. This is generally very cost effective because it accomplishes preparedness and/or mitigation goals for many types of disasters with one resource. Some of the all hazards mitigation projects that Washburn County would like to accomplish are detailed in the following sections.
The planning committee also used the all hazards approach to identify mitigation goals for the county and all of its municipalities. The purpose of the hazard mitigation plan is to identify hazard areas, to assess the risks, to analyze the potential for mitigation and to recommend mitigation strategies where appropriate. Potential mitigation projects will be reviewed using criteria that stress the intrinsic value of the increased safety for people and property in relation to the monetary costs to achieve this (i.e., a cost-benefit analysis). Projects that meet the cost-benefit analysis review will be moved further into the funding process by the departmental stakeholders leading that project. With that in mind, the overall planning goals of the mitigation planning committee were:
o Objective 1: To preserve life and minimize the potential for injuries or death. o Objective 2: To preserve and enhance the quality of life throughout Washburn County by identifying potential property damage risks and recommending appropriate mitigation strategies to minimize potential property damage. o Objective 3: To promote countywide planning that avoids transferring the risk from one community to an adjacent community, where appropriate. o Objective 4: To identify potential funding sources for mitigation projects and form the basis for project grant applications.
Vulnerability
Perhaps the largest risk that falls under the all-hazards banner is public alert and notifications limitations. While there are other means of notification (NOAA Weather Alert radios, broadcast media), Washburn County has a large number of citizens involved
Page 46 All Hazards
in outdoor labor (e.g., logging, farming) that rely on sirens for timely notification of impending disasters. The lack of sirens could impact safety by not providing the citizens timely and adequate alert and notification of impending disasters and the actions that can be taken to help protect themselves, their families and their property.
Hazard Mitigation Strategies
In general, most of the projects that can be done with current budgetary dollars are not capital improvement projects and are not very expensive. Projects that require significant outlays of dollars are, for the most part, grant-dependent. Since the profile (e.g., economic, geographic) of an area may change between the identification of a project in this plan and the availability of grant funds, projects will be identified within the plan and be slated for detailed study and analysis at such time as grants become available. The detailed study will identify the types and numbers of existing and future structures, the potential dollar losses to vulnerable structures and the lead agency or department who will manage the project. At that point, grant-eligible projects will be evaluated using the appropriate grant criteria for factors such as:
. Overall benefit to the community
. Economic feasibility (i.e., a cost-benefit analysis)
. Compliance with environmental, social justice and other laws
The hazard mitigation strategies listed below are not ―bricks and mortar‖ changes rather they are enhancements to technological equipment and plans that allow better communication between responders and with the public in times of crisis. Therefore they are not expected reduce disaster effects on existing or future buildings and infrastructure.
Public Alert and Notification
Public alert and notification plans are vital in a time of crisis to reduce property damage and human casualties. An advance plan allows the appropriate authorities to perform their emergency duties in an efficient manner. Washburn County will maintain the following:
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Facilities, systems and procedures to activate warning and communication capabilities,
Systems to support communications, including:
o Sirens to warn the public in municipalities that request it (i.e., Shell Lake, Birchwood, Minong, Stinnett). The current status of sirens in the county is:
Shell Lake – two sirens
Birchwood – one siren
Minong – one siren
Stinnett is in the process of purchasing and installing a siren.
The City of Spooner has three sirens and would like to install two more. The city operates and maintains its own sirens.
Each community should regularly test and maintain its sirens. It should be noted that the City of Shell Lake considers the testing of their sirens regularly to ensure operability a high priority mitigation project. This will be covered by the annual department budgets and is an ongoing project.
o Telephone and radio to notify public personnel,
o Local television, radio and newspaper to spread warning information,
o Local law enforcement, fire and rescue communications,
o An emergency communications center.
Washburn County Sheriff‘s office to receive and distribute warning information to the public and first response agencies.
During an emergency, the general public receives information by sirens, NOAA weather radio, local broadcast or printed media,
Page 48 All Hazards door-to-door notification by emergency services personnel and a mobile public address system. It should be noted that the ability to use the NOAA weather radio system for an expanded list of emergency messages is a positive move that makes this alert and warning tool even more valuable. As a result, Washburn County will continue to promote increased use of these radios among the public. The county and its municipalities recognize that the cost- benefit analysis for having adequate sirens for coverage in the rural areas is not feasible. If a grant becomes available, they would like to purchase NOAA weather radios for the rural people not covered by sirens.
Methods for notification of the special needs populations include door-to-door warnings, foreign language media messages and closed-caption television messages. Other notices and procedures can be found in Washburn County‘s Emergency Operations Plan which is reviewed and updated on a regular schedule.
Washburn County should be capable of the following:
Disseminate emergency warning and notification to the public though its county-wide warning systems;
Support emergency management operations;
Provide adequate warning and communication systems;
Plan for alternative means and resources in the event of a warning or communication system breakdown.
Washburn County will prepare facilities, systems and procedures to activate warning and communication. During an emergency, Washburn County will deliver prompt and accurate warnings to businesses and residents. As of May 2007, the county completed a high-priority, grant funded project to create the capability to be able to locate a 9-1-1 call received from a cellular telephone (i.e., Reverse Enhanced 9-1-1). The county would like to conduct a feasibility study and cost benefit analysis for installing a Reverse 9- 1-1 communications system in the county. This project is an expensive one that the county can not afford but is important for rural notification. There are technical problems with switching capacity at the Century Tel switches.
Currently, a new tower was built in the county to provide wireless internet service (i.e., a hotspot) for emergency personnel to use
Page 49 All Hazards
vehicle data terminals. This project is being led by the Information Technology Department and will be completed with the additional required equipment as grants are available. The Spooner Police Department used this tower to solve a communications issue with the Utility Departments. Because these departments were on the same frequency, they often interfered with each other‘s transmissions; the addition of the tower allowed them to go onto separate frequencies. This $16,000 project was self-funded and is now completed.
Website
Geographic information system (GIS) mapping data is available from the Washburn County website. In recognition of the importance of the internet as a communication tool, especially in pre-planning activities, county offices will review their web pages to ensure that important emergency information and links for general preparedness topics are available. The Emergency Management Department will continue to add/update links on the existing county web site (e.g., American Red Cross, Homeland Security/FEMA, WEM, Ready.gov) especially focusing on preparedness bulletins and will publicize the website in the wider community.
Other Potential Projects
The county and/or its municipalities would like to also address the following:
. The Cities of Shell Lake and Spooner, in conjunction with the Washburn County Emergency Management Office, would like to publish a special section in the paper(s) of record with emergency information on severe weather and a list of emergency agencies to contact. This medium priority project would cost approximately $3,000 per printing and would be dependent upon the receipt of grant funding.
. The county would like to upgrade the communications ability of the EOC to include a base station for fire and law enforcement frequencies and computers. This medium priority project would cost approximately $40,000 and would be dependent upon the receipt of grant funding.
. Evaluate services, contracts and prices for a fixed satellite telephone for the EOC. The Public Health Department has a
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mobile satellite phone that might be used for field operations. This low priority project would cost approximately $4,000 and would be dependent upon the receipt of grant funding.
. Apply for Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS) cards for land-line and cellular telephone services. GETS cards for priority land-line and cellular telephone usage were applied for and received. This high priority project was self-funded.
Page 51 Drought and Dust Storms
Drought and Dust Storms
Two types of drought occur in Wisconsin: agricultural and hydrologic. Agricultural drought is a dry period that reduces crop yields. Hydrologic drought is a dry period of sufficient length and intensity to affect lake and stream levels and the height of the groundwater table. These two types of drought may, but do not necessarily, occur together.
Dust storms result from a combination of high winds and dry, loose soil conditions. While high winds and periods of drought have each occurred in Washburn County, there has never been a recorded dust storm event. Since natural hazards that have occurred in the past are more likely to occur in the future, it is unlikely that a dust storm event will occur in Washburn County. This assertion is further bolstered by the fact that there is very little irrigation done within the county and that the soils in Washburn County are not prone to blowing. While there are concerns about topsoil erosion and some mitigation activities may be planned that would reduce the effects of these types of events, they will not be a major focus of this plan.
Physical Characteristics
The understanding that a deficit of precipitation has different impacts on groundwater, reservoir storage, soil moisture, snowpack and streamflow led to the development of the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) in 1993. The SPI quantifies the precipitation deficit for multiple time scales. These time scales reflect the impact of drought on the availability of the different water resources. Soil moisture conditions respond to precipitation anomalies on a relatively short scale. Groundwater, streamflow, and reservoir storage reflect longer-term precipitation anomalies. For these reasons, the SPI is calculated for 3, 6, 12, 24 and 48 month time scales.
The SPI calculation for any location is based on the long-term precipitation record for a desired period. This long-term record is fitted to a probability distribution, which is then transformed into a normal distribution so that the mean SPI for the location and desired period is zero. Positive SPI values indicate greater than median precipitation and negative values indicate less than median precipitation. Because the SPI is normalized, wetter and drier
Page 52 Drought and Dust Storms climates can be represented in the same way and wet periods can also be monitored using the SPI.
The classification system shown in the SPI values table (below) defines drought intensities resulting from the SPI. The criteria for a drought event are also defined for any of the time scales. A drought event occurs any time the SPI is continuously negative and reaches an intensity of -1.0 or less. The event ends when the SPI becomes positive. Each drought event, therefore, has a duration defined by its beginning and end and an intensity for each month that the event continues. The positive sum of the SPI for all the months within a drought event can be termed the drought‘s ―magnitude.‖ Current SPI maps for the United States can be found at http://www.drought.unl.edu/monitor/spi.htm.
SPI Values 2.0+ Extremely wet 1.5 to 1.99 Very wet 1.0 to 1.49 Moderately wet -0.99 to 0.99 Near normal -1.0 to 1.49 Moderately dry -1.5 to -1.99 Severely dry -2.0 and less Extremely dry http://www.drought.unl.edu/whatis/indices.htm#spi
The Palmer Index is an older scale and is used more often by governmental organizations. It is effective in determining long-term drought (i.e., over several months) and is not as good with short- term forecasts (i.e., weeks.) It uses a zero as normal; drought is shown in terms of negative numbers and excess moisture is reflected by positive figures. The future incidence of drought is highly unpredictable and may also be localized, making it difficult to determine probability with any accuracy.
Drought conditions may vary from below-normal precipitation for a few weeks to a severe lack of normal precipitation for several months. Drought primarily affects agricultural areas because the amount and timing of rainfall has a significant impact on crop production. The severity of a drought cannot therefore be completely measured in terms of precipitation alone but must include crop yields.
Page 53 Drought and Dust Storms
Frequency of Occurrence
Drought is a relatively common phenomenon in Wisconsin and has occurred statewide in 1895, 1910, 1939, 1948, 1958, 1976, 1988, 1992, 2003 and 2005. The 1976 drought received a Presidential Emergency Declaration with damage to 64 Wisconsin counties, including Washburn. Estimated losses of $624 million primarily affected the agricultural sector. Reports show that Washburn County was as affected as the rest of the state in this drought, receiving money for emergency feed programs for livestock and for increased fire protection of its wilderness areas. It should be noted that only 19% ($119,434,924) of this loss was compensated by any federal program.
The Palmer Index chart for the years between January, 1895 and December, 2006 in Northwest Wisconsin, which includes Washburn County follows:
http://www.aos.wisc.edu/~sco/clim-watch/graphics/pdsi-ts-01-l.gif
On July 15, 2005, the Governor declared a drought emergency for the entire state of Wisconsin. This declaration, the first since August 2003, allowed farmers access to additional water for crop irrigation. The National Weather Service has four recorded drought events and no dust storms for Washburn County between 1 January 1950 and 31 October 2009. Considering past occurrences, it can be surmised that Washburn County has a low
Page 54 Drought and Dust Storms
probability of drought occurrence in the future and the likelihood of damage due to drought is considered low for agricultural losses and low for other types of losses.
Year Date Location Human Losses Damage Losses Miscellaneous 2006 07/18 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Drought 2006 08/01 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Drought 2006 09/17 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Drought 2007 5/1 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Drought
Vulnerability
Droughts and dust storms could impact Washburn County because a portion of the land area is used for agricultural activities. Drought generally impacts farm output by reducing crop yields and the health and product output (e.g., milk) of livestock. As a result, a drought will moderately impact the economy of the entire county. Dust storms impact farms in the long term by blowing away the top levels of soil, which are the richest. This could economically impact the county by reducing its long-term viability for farming. Drought is also a major risk factor for wildfire.
Drought can reduce the amount of surface water available for recreational activities (e.g., boating, fishing, water skiing), a major part of Washburn County‘s economy, and for wildlife. This is important because, for example, low water levels can lead to an outbreak of disease (e.g., botulism) in migratory bird pools.
Prolonged drought can also impact the groundwater reserves. This can reduce the ability of the municipal water services and rural individuals on wells to draw adequate fresh water. This may especially impact rural homeowners who tend to have wells that are not drilled as deeply as municipal wells. In Washburn County, the population that lives outside of the cities and villages are generally on well water. There could be a safety risk during dust storms if they are severe enough to reduce the visibility of the roadways for drivers.
Hazard Mitigation Strategies
The goal of drought and dust storm mitigation activities is to reduce, in a cost effective manner, the loss of lives and property due to these events. In general, mitigation strategies for periods of
Page 55 Drought and Dust Storms
drought include preparing informational releases and plans for farmers and homeowners that can be used if needed.
Some Washburn County communities have adopted water usage regulations during drought conditions but more could be done to prepare and publicize water usage regulations and restrictions for non-farm areas during drought. Also, it is important to encourage residents and businesses to reduce water consumption through implementing water flow reduction measures. These efforts will be conducted by the county‘s municipalities, including the City of Spooner, and will be funded through the annual budget.
The Cities of Shell Lake and Spooner would like to use current annual budgeting to support a project by 2014 that will include an assessment of water and sewage capacity for residential/human use and manufacturing/industrial needs based on existing and projected future inhabitants and development.
Washburn County farmers can contact the Washburn County U.W. Extension Office and the Department of Agriculture Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS) for information and guidance related to drought and the purchase of crop insurance. Various federal and state publications are available regarding ground water movement, the hydrologic cycle and irrigation methods. These agencies are also the lead agencies for obtaining emergency food and water supplies for agricultural use and for providing information regarding crop insurance. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) also can provide assistance and permits for stream pumping for farms.
The hazard mitigation strategies listed above primarily involve providing information on water conservation measures to farmers and the public. Water conservation will ensure that the resource is available for critical residential, business and agricultural uses (drinking, food irrigation, manufacturing, firefighting) and good farming practices may help prevent erosion of the rich topsoil found in Washburn County. Since drought and dust storms are not hazards that affect buildings or traditional infrastructure (e.g., bridges, culverts) these strategies did not need to be designed to reduce damages to existing or future buildings and infrastructure.
Page 56 Earthquakes
Earthquakes
An earthquake is a shaking or sometimes violent trembling of the earth which results from the sudden shifting of rock beneath the earth‘s crust. This sudden shifting releases energy in the form of seismic waves (wave-like movement of the earth‘s surface.)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/earthquake_guide.pdf
Physical Characteristics
Earthquakes can strike without warning and may range in intensity from slight tremors to great shocks. They can last from a few seconds to over five minutes and they may also occur as a series of tremors over a period of several days. The actual movement of the ground during an earthquake is seldom the direct cause of injury or death. Casualties usually result from falling objects and debris because the shocks have shaken, damaged or demolished buildings and other structures. Movement may trigger fires, dam failures, landslides or releases of hazardous materials that compound an earthquake‘s disastrous effect.
Earthquakes are measured by two principle methods: seismographs and human judgment. The seismograph measures the magnitude of an earthquake and interprets the amount of energy released on the Richter Scale, a logarithmic scale with no upper limit. For example, an earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter Scale is ten times more powerful than a 5.0 and 100 times more powerful than a 4.0. This is a measure of the absolute size or strength of an earthquake and does not consider the effect at any
Page 57 Earthquakes
specific location. The Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) Scale measures the strength of a shock at a particular location (i.e., intensity.)
A third less often used way of measuring an earthquake‘s severity involves comparing its acceleration to the normal acceleration caused by the force of gravity. The acceleration due to gravity, often noted ―g,‖ is equal to 9.8 meters per second. Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) measures the rate of change of motion relative to the rate of acceleration due to gravity and is expressed as a percentage. These three scales can be roughly correlated, as expressed in the table that follows (Wald, Quitoriano, Heaton and Kanamori, 1999):
Earthquake PGA, Magnitude and Intensity Comparison Table PGA Magnitude Intensity Description [MMI] [ %g] [Richter] [MMI] <0.17 1.0 - 3.0 I I. Not felt except by a very few under especially favorable conditions. 0.17 - 1.4 3.0 - 3.9 II - III II. Felt only by a few persons at rest, especially on upper floors of buildings. III. Felt quite noticeably by persons indoors, especially on upper floors of buildings. Many people do not recognize it as an earthquake. Standing motor cars may rock slightly. Vibrations similar to the passing of a truck. Duration estimated. 1.4 - 9.2 4.0 - 4.9 IV - V IV. Felt indoors by many, outdoors by few during the day. At night, some awakened. Dishes, windows, doors disturbed; walls make cracking sound. Sensation like heavy truck striking building. Standing cars rock noticeably. V. Felt by nearly everyone; many awakened. Some dishes, windows broken. Unstable objects overturned. Pendulum clocks may stop. 9.2 - 34 5.0 - 5.9 VI - VII VI. Felt by all, many frightened. Some heavy furniture moved; a few instances of fallen plaster. Damage slight. VII. Damage negligible in buildings of good design and construction; slight to moderate in well-built ordinary structures; considerable damage in poorly built or badly designed structures; some chimneys broken. 34 - 124 6.0 - 6.9 VII - IX VIII. Damage slight in specially designed structures; considerable damage in ordinary substantial buildings with partial collapse. Damage great in poorly built structures. Fall of chimneys, factory stacks, columns, monuments, walls. Heavy furniture overturned. IX. Damage considerable in specially designed structures; well-designed frame structures thrown out of plumb. Damage great in substantial buildings, with partial collapse. Buildings shifted off foundations. >124 7.0 and higher VIII or higher X. Some well-built wooden structures destroyed; most masonry and frame structures destroyed with foundations. Rails bent. XI. Few, if any [masonry] structures remain standing. Bridges destroyed. Rails bent greatly. XII. Damage total. Lines of sight and level are distorted. Objects thrown into the air.
Page 58 Earthquakes
Most of Wisconsin‘s occurrences have not been severe, with only one registering 5.1 on the Richter Scale.
Frequency of Occurrence
Earthquakes that have affected Wisconsin from 1899 to 1987 are listed in the table that follows. The most severe earthquake in Wisconsin was the record earthquake of 1811, centered along the New Madrid Fault. Most earthquakes that do occur in Wisconsin are very low in intensity and can hardly be felt. These very minor earthquakes are fairly common, occurring every few years. Events of moderate magnitude have occurred in locations in Illinois and Michigan. Those and other stronger earthquakes centered in other parts of the country have been felt primarily in Southern Wisconsin.
Date Location Latitude Longitude Maximum Magnitude North West Intensity 10/12/1899 Kenosha 42o 34‘ 87o 50‘ II 3.0 3/13/1905 Marinette 45o 08‘ 87o 40‘ V 3.8 4/22/1906 Shorewood 43o 03‘ 87o 55‘ II 3.0 4/24/1906 Milwaukee 43o 03‘ 87o 55‘ III -- 1/10/1907 Marinette 45o 08‘ 87o 40‘ III -- 5/26/1909 Beloit 42o 30‘ 89o 00‘ VII 5.1 (max) 10/7/1914 Madison 43o 05‘ 89o 23‘ IV 3.8 5/31/1916 Madison 43o 05‘ 89o 21‘ II 3.0 7/7/1922 Fond du Lac 43o 47‘ 88o 29‘ V 3.6 10/18/1931 Madison 43o 05‘ 89o 23‘ III 3.4 12/6/1933 Stoughton 42o 54‘ 89o 15‘ IV 3.5 11/7/1938 Dubuque 42o 30‘ 90o 43‘ II 3.0 11/7/1938 Dubuque 42o 30‘ 90o 43‘ II 3.0 11/7/1938 Dubuque 42o 30‘ 90o 43‘ II 3.0 2/9/1943 Thunder Mountain 45o 11‘ 88o 10‘ III 3.2 5/6/1947 Milwaukee 43o 00‘ 87o 55‘ V 4.0 1/15/1948 Lake Mendota 43o 09‘ 89o 41‘ IV 3.8 7/18/1956 Oostburg 43o 37‘ 87o45‘ IV 3.8 7/18/1956 Oostburg 43o 37‘ 87o45‘ IV 3.8 10/13/1956 South Milwaukee 42o 55‘ 87o52‘ IV 3.8 1/8/1957 Beaver Dam 42o 32‘ 98o48‘ IV 3.6 2/28/1979 Bill Cross Rapids 45o 13‘ 89o46‘ -- <1.0 MoLg 1/9/1981 Madison 43o 05‘ 87o55‘ II -- 3/13/1981 Madison 43o 37‘ 87o45‘ II -- 6/12/1981 Oxford 43o 52‘ 89o39‘ IV-V -- 2/12/1987 Milwaukee 42o 95‘ 87o84‘ IV-V -- 2/12/1987 Milwaukee 43o 19‘ 87o28‘ IV-V -- 6/28/2004 Troy Grove, IL 41o 46‘ 88o91‘ IV 4.2
Page 59 Earthquakes
The nearest major active fault is the New Madrid Fault, stretching along the central Mississippi River Valley in Missouri. In recent years, considerable attention has focused on seismic activity in the New Madrid seismic zone that lies within the central Mississippi Valley, extending from northeast Arkansas through southeast Missouri, western Tennessee and western Kentucky to southern Illinois. Scientists at the Center for Earthquake Information have computed a set of probabilities that estimates the potential for different magnitude earthquakes to occur at the New Madrid Fault. Even an 8.3 magnitude earthquake at the New Madrid Fault, however, would cause only minor damage in the southeastern corner of Wisconsin. At this time it is not possible to predict the exact date, duration or magnitude of an earthquake.
Page 60 Earthquakes
Page 61 Earthquakes
As seen on the map in Appendix A, the earthquake threat to Washburn County is considered very low (the 50-year acceleration probability is 2%.) Minor damage (e.g., cracked plaster, broken windows) from earthquakes has occurred in Wisconsin but most often the results have been only rattling windows and shaking ground. There is little risk except to structures that are badly constructed. Most of the felt earthquakes reported have been centered in other nearby states. The causes of these local quakes are poorly understood and are thought to have resulted from the still-occurring rebound of the earth‘s crust after the retreat of the last glacial ice. The likelihood of damage from an earthquake is also very low.
Vulnerability
Any impact in the community from earthquake would likely be due to a few broken windows and personal effects that fell in the earthquake. The damage to critical infrastructure and buildings would be negligible.
Hazard Mitigation Strategies
Since Washburn County is not likely to suffer directly from a severe earthquake, the community impacts are not considered significant and mitigation planning for this hazard is not necessary. The goal for this section of the plan is therefore to educate on the very low risks of earthquake damage in Washburn County.
Page 62 Flooding and Dam Failure
Flooding and Dam Failure
Flooding is defined as a general condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land (i.e., the floodplains) from the overflow of inland waters or the unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any source. Floodplains are the lowlands next to a body of water that are susceptible to recurring floods.
FEMA, August 2001 Floods are common in the United States, including Wisconsin, and are considered natural events that are hazardous only when adversely affecting people and property.
Physical Characteristics
Major floods in Wisconsin usually have been confined either to specific streams or to locations that receive intense rainfall in a short period of time.
Flooding that occurs in the spring due to snow melt or during a period of heavy rain is characterized by a slow build-up of flow and velocity in rivers and streams over a period of days. This buildup continues until the river or stream overflows its banks, for as long as a week or two, then slowly recedes. Generally the timing and location of this type of flooding is fairly predictable and allows ample time for evacuation of people and property.
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For prediction and warning purposes, floods are classified by the National Weather Service into two types: those that develop and crest over a period of approximately six hours or more and those that crest more quickly. The former are referred to as "floods" and the latter as "flash floods". Flash flooding occurs solely from surface run-off that results from intense rainfall. Flash flooding occurs less frequently in Wisconsin than flooding associated with spring snow melt but it is unpredictable.
Generally the amount of damage from flooding is a direct consequence of land use. If the ground is already saturated, stripped of vegetation or paved, the amount of run-off increases, adding to the flooding. Generally the sandy, stony, silty soils in Washburn County are less prone to flooding than the heavier clay soils that can be found in other parts of the state. There is concern regarding the loss of topsoil and erosion due to flooding.
The mechanism for the severe flooding that occurs in the City of Shell Lake is different though. The area lakes (i.e., Shell, Chain, Round, Little Ripley) have no natural inlet or outlet and maintain their lake levels through precipitation, runoff and groundwater flows; the only way for these lakes to lose water is through evaporation and groundwater seepage.
Terms commonly used when referring to flooding are "100-year flood" and "flood plain." A "100-year flood" is defined as the flood water level that can be expected to occur or to be exceeded in a given location once every 100 years. There is a one percent chance of a flood of such magnitude or greater occurring in any given year. The DNR, working with local zoning offices, has designated flood plain areas as those places where there is the greatest potential for flooding.
Flooding may also occur due to a dam breach or overflow. Dams are barriers built across a waterway to store, control or divert water and a dam failure is a failure of the dam that causes downstream flooding. Failures may be caused by technological events (e.g., materials failure) or by natural events (e.g., landslide, earthquake) with flooding being the most common result.
Washburn County has 57 dams included in the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) database:
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Dam Official Name Owner Waterway Name (Popular Name) Size Lat Long Type (Downstream City) 65.04 Mile Creek Dam 46.1139999 -92.0037784 Five Mile Creek Anderson, Sanny Small 45.7616195 -92.0310117 Priv Bashaw Cr Badger Cranberry Company Large 45.7679442 -91.8322712 Cran Beaver Brook Beaver Creek Dam 45.7741604 -91.8414754 Beaver Creek Bernhard Small 45.769007 -91.8976064 Priv Trib To Sawyer Creek Birch Lake Large 45.65997 -91.5577 Co Birch Creek Black Brook Dam Large 46.1345347 -91.6132798 Co Black Brook Cartwright Small 46.1052697 -91.8177541 Priv Shell Creek Colton Large 46.151 -91.66027 Cran Totagatic R Conroy Ford Large 45.9870211 -91.990694 Co Casey Creek Crandell Small 45.8392105 -91.6133516 Priv Dam on Bean Brook 45.8993129 -91.656597 Bean Brook Dam on Beaver Creek 45.8022167 -91.8674335 Beaver Creek Dam on Chicog 46.049057 -91.9156922 Chicog Creek Dam on Chicog 46.0597543 -91.9337416 Chicog Creek Dam on Chicog 46.0598494 -91.9270634 Chicog Creek Dam on Frog Creek 46.1166738 -91.7530233 Frog Creek Dam on Frog Creek 46.121458 -91.6687485 Frog Creek Dam on Frog Creek 46.1199907 -91.7456509 Frog Creek Dam on Hay Creek 45.9007005 -91.7855053 Hay Creek Dam on Mud Creek 45.8122797 -91.7638426 Mud Creek Dam on Namekagon River 45.9016899 -91.7857567 Namekagon River Dam on Shell Creek 46.1345857 -91.8648866 Shell Creek Dam on Shell River 46.109478 -91.8583729 Shell River Dam on Slim Creek 45.7751717 -91.6161509 Slim Creek Dam on Spring Brook 45.992951 -91.7218667 Spring Creek Dam on Totagatic River 46.1300297 -91.5584005 Totagatic River Dam on Totagatic River 46.1528482 -91.5767988 Totagatic River Dam on Totagatic River 46.1484012 -91.6587371 Totagatic River Davis Wildlife Large 46.0395873 -91.6084777 Priv Chippanazie Creek Fischer Small 46.1132954 -91.8594198 Priv Shell Creek Gull Lake Small 45.9817375 -91.7390834 Co Gull Creek Hatchery Small 45.8092946 -91.7652131 Priv Crystal Brook Lake Island Fish Farm 45.7623803 -92.0312632 Priv Bashaw Cr Ligler, Wayne Small 45.9457521 -91.8841117 Priv Unnamed Little Grassy Lake Large 45.7009731 -91.9194003 Co Little Grassy Lake Outlet Long Lake Large 45.66801 -91.68066 Co Brill Lower Kimball Lake Lower Kimball Lake Large 46.1141477 -91.9526276 Cran Outlet Lower McKenzie Lake Small 45.9882595 -92.0213411 Town McKenzie Creek Lutz Lake Small 45.7516494 -91.8232384 Cran Beaver Brook Minong Flowage Large 46.1203114 -91.9341412 Co Totagatic Ness, Norman Small 45.6475993 -91.94812 Priv Unnamed Stream Potato Creek Dam 45.8581607 -91.7401212 Potato Creek
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Dam Official Name Owner Waterway Name (Popular Name) Size Lat Long Type (Downstream City) Sawyer Creek Wildlife Beaver Lodge Pond Area Small 45.7776311 -91.9566471 DNR Outlet Shell Lake Diversion Small 45.6951445 -91.9801473 Co Clam River Shell Lake Pond 1 Small 45.7485713 -91.9254492 DNR Sawyer Creek Shell Lake Pond 2 Small 45.7501159 -91.9283749 DNR Sawyer Creek Slim Creek Large 45.7913576 -91.5980642 Co Slim Creek Spooner Electric Large 45.8209864 -91.898043 DNR Yellow Spooner Lake Large 45.83721 -91.83671 City Yellow Spring Lake Large 45.8824503 -91.7823634 Priv Spring Lake Outlet Spring Lake Dam 46.1227807 -91.8561048 Rice Creek Stinnett Dam 45.9874717 -91.5991212 Namekagon River Taylor Lake Large 46.0656805 -91.7353427 DNR Trib Little Frog Creek Totagatic Wildlife Large 46.1300801 -91.5576107 DNR Totagatic Trego Large 45.94791 -91.88801 Util Namekagon Upper Flowage Large 45.8100727 -91.764744 Priv Crystal Brook
Most of these dams are small, private, mill-type dams and are under the jurisdiction of the DNR. Management and maintenance of dams is critical because severe flooding can result from inadequate attention to the dams. Long Lake dam is considered a high-hazard but managed dam. Birch Lake, Minong Flowage Spooner Electric and Spooner Lake dams are considered significant hazards. The Nancy Hydroelectric Project has an Emergency Action Plan for dam failure that is written and maintained by North American Hydro Holdings, Inc. The other dams in Washburn County are considered low-hazard. Dams are classified by the Wisconsin DNR as Low, Significant or High Hazard. A dam is assigned a rating of High Hazard when its failure would put lives at risk. The "hazard" rating is not based on the physical attributes, quality or strength of the dam itself, but rather the potential for loss of life or property damage should the dam fail. Because of regular attention and maintenance, there are no dams in other counties that pose a significant flooding risk to the citizens of Washburn County although if the Nelson Lake Dam in Sawyer County failed, it would impact approximately 20 homes in Washburn County.
One potential effect of flooding is erosion. Erosion is defined as the removal of soil by the force of waves, currents and/or ice at a lakeshore or streambank or by the power of wind or water on open land. Erosion is a natural process that can be accelerated by natural disasters (e.g., flooding, heavy rains, strong winds, drought) or by human activity (e.g., removal of plants/trees, tilling.) Because
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of the many waterways in Washburn County and the high use of recreational watercraft, there is concern about ensuring the stabilization of the shorelines.
Watersheds
Washburn County has eleven watersheds. They are:
St. Croix and Eau Claire Rivers Watershed
Totagatic River Watershed
Lower Namekagon River Watershed
Upper Namekagon River Watershed
Trego Lake/Middle Namekagon River Watershed
Shell Lake and Upper Yellow River Watershed
North Fork Clam River Watershed
Brill and Red Cedar Rivers Watershed
Red Cedar Lake Watershed
Yellow River Watershed
Couderay River Watershed
The maps in Attachment A show the watershed boundaries and 100-year flood plains for the entire county. Following is a brief description of each watershed: Eleven watersheds are contained completely or partially within Washburn County. Seven of these are part of the St. Croix River Basin; three watersheds drain to the Lower Chippewa River Basin; and one watershed drains to the Upper Chippewa River Basin. The Saint Croix and Eau Claire Rivers, Totagatic River, Lower Namekagon River, Upper Namekagon River, Trego Lake/Middle Namekagon River, Shell Lank and Upper Yellow River and North Fork Clam River watersheds are all located in the St. Croix River Basin. The Brill and Red Cedar Rivers, Red Cedar Lake, and Yellow River watersheds are located in the Lower Chippewa River Basin. The Couderay River watershed, which only has a few square miles of land, is located in the Upper Chippewa Basin.
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St. Croix and Eau Claire Rivers Watershed
The St. Croix and Eau Claire Rivers Watershed is located in the northwest portion of Washburn County, the southwest portion of Douglas County and the northeastern portion of Burnett County. The portion of the watershed in Washburn County is approximately 767.7 acres. The river and tributaries in the entire watershed are the St. Croix River, Lord Creek, Carlson Creek, Eau Claire River, Mulligan Creek, Lower Ox Creek, Upper Ox Creek, Mud Creek, Leo Creek, Park Creek, Beebe Creek, Catlin Creek, Porcupine Creek and St. Croix Creek.
There are no major population centers located in the watershed.
Totagatic River Watershed
The Totagatic River Watershed is located in the northern part of Washburn County, the southern part of Douglas County, the southeasten part of Bayfield County and the northwestern portion of Sawyer County. The portion of the watershed in Washburn County is approximately 70,068.6 acres. The rivers and tributaries in the entire watershed are the Totagatic River, Cranberry Creek, Bergen Creek, Shell Creek, Frog Creek, Little Frog Creek, Sink Creek, Black Brook, Cedar Creek, Ounce River, Snake Creek, Otter Creek, O‘Hara Creek, Cole Creek, Haymaker Creek, Williamson Creek, Cold Brook, Tag Adler Creek, West Fork Totagatic River and Hills Mill Creek.
The highways running through this area are US 53, and STH 77; the county roads are CTH I and G.
Lower Namekagon River Watershed
The Lower Namekagon River Watershed is located in the northwestern portion of Washburn County, the eastern portion of Burnett County and a very small area of southern Douglas County. The portion of the watershed located in Washburn County is approximately 101,334.5 acres. The rivers and tributaries in the entire watershed are Namekagon River, Dogtown Creek, Totagatic River, Barrens Brook, Fivemile Creek, Chicog Creek, Little Chicog Creek, Webb Creek, Nelson Creek, McKenzie Creek, Rocky Ridge Creek, Casey Creek, Christensen Creek, Stuntz Brook and Boyle Brook.
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There are no major population centers located in the watershed. The state highways running through this area are USH 53 and STH 77. The county roads are CTH K, F and E.
Upper Namekagon River Watershed
A very small potion of the Upper Namekagon River Watershed, consisting of approximately 434.6 acres, is located in Washburn County. The majority of this watershed is located in northwestern Sawyer county and southern Bayfield County. The rivers and tributaries in the entire watershed are the Namekagon River, Smith Lake Creek, Hatchery Creek, Mosquito Brook, McDermott Brook, Bitg Brook, Fourdeau Creek, Little Brook, Spring Creek, Cap Creek Fivemile Creek, Taylor Creek, Jackson Creek and Castle Creek.
There are no major population centers located in the watershed in Washburn County. There are no state or county highways passing through this area of Washburn County.
Trego Lake/Middle Namekagon River Watershed
Trego Lake/Middle Namekagon River Watershed is located in central Washburn county and western Sawyer County. The watershed covers an area of approximately 146,879.1 acres.
The rivers and creeks in this watershed include the Namekagon River, Potato Creek, Little Mackay Creek, Pine Brook, Westenberg Creek, Dugan Run, Veazie Creek, Whalen Creek, Earl Creek, Bean Brook, MacKay Creek, South Fork Bean Brook, Godfrey Creek, Little Bean Brook, Gulf Creek, Spring Creek, Spring Brook, Hay Creek, Tranus Creek, Cheppanazie Creek, Maggie Creek, Elm Creek, Flat Creek, Rainbow Creek, Spring Lake Creek, Wheeler Brook and Bradley Brook.
The Town of Trego and Springbrook are located in this watershed. US 53 and US 63 are located in the watershed. County Roads M, E and A are also located in the watershed.
Shell Lake and Upper Yellow River Watershed
Shell Lake and Upper Yellow River Watershed is located in the west and central portion of Washburn County and extends into the eastern portion of Burnett County. The watershed covers
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approximately 96,168.7 acres in Washburn County. The rivers and tributaries in the entire watershed include the Yellow River, Dahlstrom Brook, Sawyer Creek, Whiskery Creek, Dago Creek, Beaver Brook, Crystal Brook and Thompson Creek.
Spooner, Sarona and Shell Lake and located within the watershed. US 53, US 63 and US 253 are located in the watershed and County Roads K, B, and D.
North Fork Clam River Watershed
The North Fork Clam River Watershed is in the southwestern part of Washburn County and extends into the southeastern portion of Burnett County. The watershed covers approximately 19,279 acres in Washburn County. The rivers and tributaries in the entire watershed include the North Fork Clam River, Kent Creek, Indian Creek, Spencer Creek, Sand Creek, Spring Brook, Ore Creek, Bashaw Outlet, Montgomery Creek, Bashaw Brook, South Fork Clam River and Kranz Creek.
There are no population centers in the watershed. US 63 and CTH J run through the area.
Brill and Red Cedar Rivers Watershed
The Brill and Red Cedar Rivers Watershed is in southern portion of Washburn County and extends to the northern portion of Barron County. The watershed covers approximately 90,104.6 acres in Washburn County.
Red Cedar Lake Watershed
The Red Cedar Lake Watershed is in southeastern portion of Washburn County and extends to the northeastern portion of Barron County, the northwester portion of Rusk County and the southwestern portion of Sawyer County. The watershed covers approximately 12,432.2 acres in Washburn County.
Yellow River Watershed
The Yellow River Watershed is in southwestern portion of Washburn County and extends to the northern portion of Barron
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County. The watershed covers approximately 5,240.8 acres in Washburn County.
Couderay River Watershed
The Couderay River Watershed is in the eastern portion of Washburn County and extends to the western portion of Sawyer County. The watershed covers approximately 3,290.6 acres in Washburn County.
Floodplain Regulations
Floodplain regulations have been in place in the cities, towns and villages of Washburn County for many years. The Department of Natural Resources requires that each municipality approve regulations that meet DNR guidelines. These regulations and guidelines result from the value of Wisconsin lakes and waterways and a desire to preserve them and to protect the people who reside near them. Unregulated development can lead to loss of lives and property during floods.
Chapter 614, Laws of Wisconsin 1965, requires counties to adopt regulations giving all lands within 300 feet of navigable rivers or streams protection from haphazard development. Under this legislation, Washburn County has adopted a zoning ordinance which gives a measure of protection to watersheds. The law protecting flood plains was created to meet the following objectives:
Reduce the hazards to life and property from flooding.
Protect flood plain occupants from a flood which is or may be caused by their own land use, which is or may be undertaken without full realization of the danger.
Protect the public from the burden of extraordinary financial expenditures for flood control and relief.
Encroachment on floodplains, including structures or fill, reduces the flood-carrying capacity.
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Frequency of Occurrence
Wisconsin has experienced several major floods during the last two decades. The 1973 and 1986 floods revealed that no floodplains or urban areas in Wisconsin can be considered safe from damages. Washburn County does have a history of flooding problems. A series of severe storms from May 26 to July 19, 2000 followed the wettest month of May in Wisconsin since 1870. The subsequent flooding resulted in disaster declaration 1332-WI, which had damages totaling approximately $100,000. Washburn County received Public Assistance only. Washburn County has had two Flood-Related Emergencies and Disasters between 1971 and 2001. The declaration in 2001 was due to excessive rainfall paired with rapid snow melt. The county was declared for public and individual assistance and damages totaled about $150,000. Washburn County experienced high water levels on several lakes due to excessive rainfall in 1996, 1997 and 2000.
In 2003, Wisconsin Governor Doyle declared a state of emergency in Washburn County for the Shell Lake area in response to an all- time record high water level on Shell Lake that was impacting the lakeside homes.
The City of Shell Lake had experienced a rise in the level of its lakes of nine feet over the past 50 years prior to the installation of the lake diversion project. The lake diversion project was completed in November 2003 and consisted of installing a diversion pipe to drain water out of Shell Lake and deposit it approximately 4.5 miles away in the Yellow River. Financing and/or project assistance was provided by the City of Shell Lake, Wisconsin Emergency Management, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Wisconsin Department of Commerce and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The continued operation of this diversion project is considered vital to managing the lake levels so that property around the lake is no longer flooded.
As can be seen in the chart below, since the project was instituted, the lake has had a fairly stable level and in fact, has gone down some lately due to the abnormally dry conditions experienced in Northern Wisconsin recently.
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Following is a table that shows the flood events recorded by the National Weather Service between 1 January 1950 and 31 October 2009.
Year Date Location Human Losses Damage Losses Miscellaneous 1993 04/01 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Flood 1994 09/15 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Flash Flood 2000 07/08 Countywide Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Flash Flood
All of the 15 claims against the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for Washburn County have been in the City of Shell Lake. (Note that number includes two repetitive loss properties).
Mitigation projects have occurred in the city to reduce future damages. Because of this, a current review of the geography and history of flooding in Washburn County leads to a belief that there is a medium-low probability of flooding in the future and a medium-low probability of damage and losses due to flooding. This flooding could occur due to flooding, flash flooding or dam failure.
Vulnerability
After flooding, caused either by a storm or dam failure, there is often damage. Potential vulnerabilities due to flooding events can include flooded public facilities and schools, many of which are the
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community‘s shelters needed when individual housing is uninhabitable. Utilities are also vulnerable in floods, which can bring down electric lines/poles/transformers, telephone lines and can disrupt radio communications. The loss of communications can impact the effectiveness of first response agencies, which need to communicate via two-way radio to mount emergency response and recovery activities. The public media communications utilized by emergency managers to provide timely and adequate emergency public information can also be impacted.
Residential structures may suffer from flooded basements, damaged septic systems and damaged functionals (e.g., HVAC systems, clothes washers and dryers.) Homes may also be impacted by sewer back-up and, if the home is not properly cleaned after a flood, bacterial growth, mold and mildew may impact the home‘s air quality and cause illness among the occupants. Contaminated water may infiltrate the drinking water wells, especially damaging for the private residential wells that supply much of the rural population. Standing water may also breed insects, increasing the possible spreading of insect-borne disease.
Businesses can suffer building and equipment damage similar to homes. Businesses may lose expensive product stored in basement or other low areas as well as the ability to operate from their facility. If the facility must close, its owners and employees will most likely suffer economic hardships beyond what their personal losses may have entailed. Agricultural business losses involve the loss of standing crops and harvests that are damaged by flooded storage facilities in the immediate time period. On a longer time scale, the erosion of rich topsoil by floodwaters can degrade the land and impact future crop yields.
Perhaps one of the most expensive types of flood damage is that to roadways, which are washed out, inundated and/or covered by debris, blocking access to emergency and general public traffic.
According to the Wisconsin Hazard Mitigation Plan, Washburn County flood loss estimations for residential, commercial and government structures in Special Flood Hazard Areas [SFHA] for a two-foot flood are:
Residential Commercial Government Number of Structures 719 7 0 Average Value $98,675 $2,458,103 $1,129,286 Total Potential Loss $14,192,050 $3,355,310 $0
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This data was gathered with the use of Q3 data, which is available for Washburn County.
Another way to look at vulnerability is to look at the number of claims against the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) over the last thirty years. Washburn County has had 15 claims with $545,984 in building claims and $6,383 in contents claims for a total of $552,367. The Wisconsin Hazard Mitigation Plan lists Washburn County 7th (of 72 possible counties and it should be noted, the first among the smaller population counties in WI) when losses claimed were ranked according to claim amount. The county places 40th when ranked according to the number of claims submitted.
The Wisconsin Hazard Mitigation Plan also projects future risk for Washburn County based on a 30-year horizon. The results show annual claims averaging $18,412 and future risk at $228,496. When ordered by projected future flood risk, Washburn County ranks 7th in Wisconsin.
Hazard Mitigation Strategies
The purpose of the flood mitigation portion of the plan is to identify areas that are particularly susceptible to flooding, assess the risks, analyze the potential for mitigation and recommend mitigation strategies where appropriate. With that in mind, the plan goals are:
Goal 1: To reduce, in a cost effective manner using a cost- benefit analysis, the loss of lives and property due to these events. Another part of this goal is to promote safety and health in areas that have been or are prone to be flooded. Goal 2: To preserve and enhance the quality of life throughout Washburn County by identifying potential property damage risks and recommending appropriate mitigation strategies to minimize potential property damage during/due to flooding. Goal 3: To promote countywide planning that avoids transferring the risk from one community to an adjacent community. Goal 4: To encourage all communities in Washburn County to participate in the NFIP so that all county residents have access to affordable flood insurance coverage. Goal 5: To identify potential funding sources for mitigation projects and form the basis for project grant applications
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through FEMA's Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) and/or Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) programs.
The City of Shell Lake has been making a concerted effort since its original plan was approved to ensure that their development standards incorporate mitigation strategies. Many of these mitigation strategies were included in the Stormwater Plan (v. 2004).
Mitigation Strategy Progress
Develop measures for wetland This item is completed and is now protection and restoration within the covered as part of the applicable corporate limits. ordinance.
Update the zoning ordinances to This item was completed 10/04 and is ensure buildings built in the flood now covered as part of the applicable plain are constructed above the ordinance. regional flood elevation or are flood proofed. Review existing flood plain ordinance This item was completed 10/04 and is and determine if necessary to make now covered as part of the applicable any future changes. ordinance.
Work with landowners to develop and This was completed in 2006. implement flood mitigation strategies.
Retain water when possible utilizing This goal was completed with the water control structures, detention completion of the stormwater plan in ponds and infiltration ponds, etc 2004.
Control construction site erosion with This goal was completed with the better enforcement of the existing completion of the stormwater plan in ordinance. 2004. Incorporate recommendations from This goal was completed with the the storm water plan into existing city completion of the stormwater plan in ordinances. 2004.
Washburn County is committed to remaining compliant with the requirements of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and all other state and federal laws. According to the NFIP, the following communities participate in the program.
Washburn County
City of Shell Lake
City of Spooner
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Village of Birchwood
Village of Minong
There are no areas in Washburn County which have had special flood areas identified by FEMA but are not in the NFIP program. One hazard mitigation strategy selected is to inform the public about the availability of flood insurance; this task will be carried out by the County Emergency Management Office.
Short term actions that can lessen the effects of flooding include:
Issuance of early warnings through flood advisory bulletins,
Dissemination of instructions to the public through the media,
Preparation of congregate care facilities,
Evacuation of people and property.
Temporary protective measures such as sandbagging, protection of buildings and other structures and cut-off of gas and electricity may also be implemented. Presently, Washburn County maintains a limited stock of sandbags to assist with flood containment.
Other potential projects include:
Tozier Lake Road (on the Yellow River in the Town of Evergreen) floods because the culverts are not large enough to handle sudden snow melts and strong rains. The county did many flooding improvement projects after the 2001 Presidential Disaster Declaration for flooding.
Dams - The county will continue to participate in the preparedness program and work with partners to monitor the dams and plans to ensure currency.
o The Minong and Trego utility dams are concerns. Washburn County owns the dams, which are operated by North American Hydro. There is a program for maintenance and emergency planning for failures, which includes an annual tabletop exercise. 20-30 properties would be impacted by the failure of either dam.
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o The Nelson Lake Dam in Sawyer County has a slight chance of problems but would impact approximately 20 homes if it failed. The dam is on the Totogatic River and would impact the Towns of Frog Creek and Minong. The dam generates electricity and is the responsibility of Xcel Energy. Most other dams have no improved property downstream.
o The Yellow River dam in the City of Spooner is an old utility dam that is currently used by the WI DNR for their fish hatchery. If it breaches, there are four properties downstream that would likely be impacted.
Seal manholes below MSL 1226.0 in the City of Shell Lake. WDOC and US EDA grant funding is a possibility for these projects.
Work with local, state and federal agencies in addressing the rising water of area lakes. This is part of an ongoing groundwater study.
Develop a comprehensive approach to reducing the possibility of damage and loss of function to structures, critical facilities and infrastructure.
Conduct a regional flood elevation on Round Lake, Chain Lake and Little Ripley Lake.
Follow through on all conditions of the Wisconsin DNR permit to assure continued operation of the diversion project.
Conduct a hydrogeology study in the Shell Lake area to predict the effects of the diversion project on future lake levels of Shell Lake/other area lakes. In 6/06 the City of Shell Lake signed an agreement with the USGS to complete this study.
Identify sites where environmental restoration work can benefit flood mitigation efforts.
Identify sites and sources of funding with WEM/FEMA on moving buildings and/or acquisition of green space in floodplain areas.
Seal Spooner‘s old manholes that are subjected to flooding because some are an older style that has holes.
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Replace the City of Spooner‘s storm sewer system because the existing system is undersized and salt applied by the county highway department is destroying many of the concrete structures.
Construct a regional storm pond in TID 4 Industrial Park in the City of Spooner.
Create rain gardens upstream of existing Spooner storm sewers to reduce overall flow and clean storm water before discharge to river.
Encourage the development of acquisition and management strategies to preserve open space for flood mitigation.
Develop a public information and education program on the impact of storm water to the community and critical facilities.
Provide information to citizens about the purchase of flood insurance. Link will be made available on the website.
The current emphasis in flood mitigation is on long-range actions. Such actions include the adoption of proper flood plain zoning ordinances and land use planning, primarily through the comprehensive plan. The county and the municipalities will work together to ensure that the various plans take into account the long- range mitigation planning as a consistent theme and to ensure data sharing and consistency between the communities. The Zoning Department will lead this effort. Also, it has been shown that floodplain management reduces the cost of damages attributed to flooding. The Washburn County Zoning Department enforces county zoning ordinances related to floodplains.
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Forest and Wildfires
The forest fire and wildfire (i.e., fires on open or agricultural land) season in Washburn County begins in March and continues through November although it should be noted that fires can occur at any time during any month of the year. Generally speaking however, fires are more likely to occur whenever vegetation is dry as a result of a winter with little snow or a summer with sparse rainfall.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is responsible for forest fire protection on approximately 18 million acres of forest and wild land in Wisconsin. The U.S. Forest Service maintains forest fire protection on two million acres of this land while local fire departments retain responsibility for the remaining wooded acreage.
Physical Characteristics
Washburn County is one of the most diverse county forests in the state. There are a multitude of forest types ranging from cedar swamps to northern hardwood forests to jack pine. A wide variety of forest products are offered through the management program, which supports many community loggers and supports timber industries both locally and statewide.
Washburn County manages the public forestland using the ecosystem management principle, which states that the forest is not managed exclusively for trees and fiber production. Management activities are undertaken with an eye to also balancing the needs of wildlife, water resources, endangered species and recreation. Therefore the Washburn County Forest is considered a "working" forest. The forest is managed jointly between the Washburn County Forest Department and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Management is based on an annual allowable harvest of 3,150 acres achieved by a combination of selective thinnings and clearcuts in aspen, pine, northern hardwood, red oak and other forest species.
The Washburn County Forestry Committee offers approximately 45 timber sales per year in three separate bid openings conducted in March, July and November. Sales are sold through a sealed bid process. Gross timber sale revenues range from $1.75 to $2 million
Page 80 Forest and Wildfires per year. Fifteen percent of this revenue is paid directly to local towns as a payment in lieu of taxes. The remaining monies are returned to the county's general fund, a portion of which funds the operating budget of the Forestry Department. Timber sale revenues also support the recreation program on the county forest.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, there are approximately 1,500 fires annually that burn over 5,000 acres of the land that they protect; over 90% of these fires are human-caused. It should be noted that these figures do not include areas of the state where a local fire department has primary responsibility for service.
Source: http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/forestry/fire/fire-ps.htm
The Washburn County Forestry Department and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources provide the primary fire management services within the county and pair with local fire departments to provide fire fighting protection when needed.
At the county level, five forestry staff members are fully trained for wildfire fighting. County wildfire equipment consists of a 550H Dozer with water tanks and PPE, Hester fire plow, semi and trailer with 800 gallon water tank mounted on trailer, two ATV's with water tank inserts, three slip on water tanks for 4 x 4 pickups, JD 6410 and PosiTrack 2810 available for other needs, two water pumps in addition to the pumps on the slip on units, pickups equipped with radios programmed with all necessary emergency frequencies, and portable radios. The Forestry Department operates under a cooperative MOU with DNR Fire Control that commits the county to
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assist with wildfire suppression on county forest lands and also on other private lands at the request of DNR.
Frequency of Occurrence
While the total number of open fires in Wisconsin has decreased over the years, the potential danger to lives and property remains due to the increased encroachment of development into previously open lands. Overall, the probability for a forest fire in Washburn County is high and the probability of a wildfire medium. The probability of damage from forest or wildfire is considered high. There have been two recorded forest fires over 500 acres in Washburn County between 1976 and 2001. On April 30, 1977, approximately 13,375 acres burned at Five Mile Tower. On April 22, 1980, approximately 11,418 acres burned at Oak Lake.
Vulnerability
Forest and wildfires can impact the ecology of the open lands. Washburn County, which has only two natural park areas, would not be greatly impacted by a wildfire although a disruption from fire could erase the usability of this habitat for wildlife and/or recreational purposes for many years. The vulnerability to forest fire is much higher since there is much more forested land in Washburn County and the ability to fight a forest fire (i.e., ready equipment, trained personnel, standing infrastructure) is much less robust due to the mostly rural nature of the county.
Hazard Mitigation Strategies
Government at all levels is developing mitigation programs in fire control and fire fighting tactics with the goal of protecting lives and property from loss due to forest and wildfire. Local fire departments attend regular trainings on fire-fighting tactics to keep their skills honed. The County Emergency Management Office assists local departments and their staff with available grant applications for training, exercising, equipment and planning as able and requested. The departments responsible for forest management and firefighting would like to continue to enhance local intergovernmental cooperation in emergency response by, for example, providing ample training for volunteer fire fighters for
Page 82 Forest and Wildfires larger fires. Local departments would like to have regular training a mock fire exercise every three years with the DNR.
The GIS Department and the Wisconsin DNR zone-mapped the entire county for emergency responders, including fire. The project was funded by a mix of DNR grant funding and county funding. The maps will need to be updated over time to reflect changes and development. The county would also like to have the ability to print the fire zone maps in-house on a three to four year update schedule. The county would also like to make a GIS data layer that identifies local special needs citizens so that first response agencies can provide appropriate services.
The Zoning Department, in cooperation with local fire departments would like to ensure emergency service access to all structures, critical facilities and other infrastructure by ensuring that driveways are wide enough for emergency vehicle access. This would be accomplished by:
Encouraging the towns to enforce the county ordinance regarding driveway widths on a regular basis and on zoning permits for new construction
Conducting public information campaign regarding the importance of adequate entries
Removing trees
All departments are committed to providing good public information on fire-safety and wildfire concerns on an ongoing basis with a
Page 83 Forest and Wildfires
special emphasis during Fire Safety Week in October of each year. Projects include:
Encouraging residents to have fire plans and practice evacuation routes.
The DNR leads wildfire safety and the municipalities would like to work with them, as they have in the past, to continue with a stronger focus on wildfires (FIREWISE).
The Fire Association purchased a training trailer/smokehouse for children to go through.
Other projects might include:
Ensure that local fire departments are aware of the changing fire-risk in their coverage areas each season. The DNR provides a wildfire book with areas of concern highlighted.
Inspect high-risk areas and provide mitigation recommendations to facility owners. The Spooner Fire Department contracts with the DNR to do FIREWISE inspections/education in high-risk areas. They also get GPS points of buildings, rate maintenance issues and give recommendations for improvement. Project covers approximately 150 homes/year.
Continue maintenance of a clear zone along the western edge of the City of Shell Lake to prevent forest fires.
Not all of the town fire departments have a solid water supply. Install dry hydrants in each of the 21 towns to ensure adequate emergency water supply.
The hazard mitigation strategies listed above are designed to reduce damages to existing or future buildings and infrastructure by providing information on general fire safety measures to the public for residential and commercial structures and providing ongoing training to the firefighters who fight these types of fires.
Page 84 Landslide
Landslide
The term landslide includes a wide range of ground movement such as rock falls, deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows. Although gravity acting on an over-steepened slope is the primary reason for a landslide, there may be other contributing factors. Factors likely to be seen in Washburn County include:
erosion by rivers creating over-steepened slopes rock and soil slopes being weakened through saturation by snowmelt or heavy rains excess weight from the accumulation of rain or snow, stockpiles of rock or ore, waste piles or from man-made structures stressing weak slopes to failure
http://landslides.usgs.gov/html_files/nlic/page5.html
Physical Characteristics
Landslides may include any combination of natural rock, soil or artificial fill and are classified by the type of movement and the type of material. The types of movement are slides, flows, lateral spreads and falls and topples; a combination of two or more landslide movements is a complex movement: Slides: straight or rotating downward displacements along one or more failure surfaces of soil or rock as a single intact mass or a number of pieces Flows: a rapid, downhill mass movement of a ―slurry‖ comprised of loose soil, rocks, organic matter, air and water Lateral spreads: large movements of rock, fine-grained soils or granular soils distributed laterally Falls and Topples: masses of rocks or material that rapidly detach from a steep slope or cliff that free-fall, roll or bounce
Almost any steep or rugged terrain is susceptible to landslides under the right conditions. The most hazardous areas are steep slopes on ridges, hills and mountains; incised stream channels and slopes excavated for buildings and roads. Slide potentials are enhanced where slopes are destabilized by construction, heavy
Page 85 Landslide
rainfall, floods or river erosion. Debris flows generally occur during intense rainfall on water saturated soil. Surface runoff channels along roadways and below culverts are common sites of debris flows.
Landslides often occur together with other major natural disasters thereby exacerbating relief and reconstruction efforts: Floods and landslides are closely related and both involve precipitation, runoff and ground saturation that may be the result of severe thunderstorms Landslides into a reservoir may indirectly compromise dam safety or a landslide may even affect the dam itself. Wildfires may remove vegetation from hillsides, significantly increasing runoff and landslide potential.
Landslide from fire damage in CO (http://landslides.usgs.gov/html_files/landslides/slides/slide15.htm)
Sinkholes can form naturally in areas with karst geology (i.e., areas with limestone or other bedrock that can be dissolved by water.) As the limestone rock under the soil dissolves over time from rainfall or flowing groundwater, a hollow area may form underground into which surface soil can sink. Sinkholes also can be caused by human activity such as collapsed, abandoned underground mines. Even though sinkholes have not been a factor in any natural disaster, identifying areas with karst conditions is important for not
Page 86 Landslide
only public safety and protection of structures but because karst features provide direct conduits to groundwater. Areas with karst conditions are vulnerable to groundwater contaminants from pollutants entering a sinkhole, fissure or other karst feature.
Enlarged fracture in Brown County, WI (http://www.uwex.edu/wgnhs/enlargedjoint.htm)
Frequency of Occurrence
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, landslides are a widespread geologic hazard, occurring in all 50 states where they cause on average $1 to $2 billion in damages and more than 25 fatalities annually. Landslides pose serious threats to highways; railroads and structures that support fisheries, tourism, timber harvesting, mining and energy production. Expanding urban development and other land uses have increased the incidence of landslide disasters in the United States.
The karst potential map in Appendix A shows that Washburn County has no shallow or deep karst features throughout the entire county. Therefore, Washburn County has a low susceptibility for landslide or sinkholes.
Page 87 Landslide
Sinkhole in Monroe County, WI (http://www.uwex.edu/wgnhs/cavesink.htm)
Vulnerability
The most likely consequences of landslides in Washburn County are blocked road and railways due to rocks, soil and debris. Structures built on eroding bluffs may also be damaged or destroyed by the loss of their foundations during a landslide.
Cincinnati, Ohio (http://landslides.usgs.gov/html_files/landslides/slides/slide8.htm)
Hazard Mitigation Strategies
Washburn County is not susceptible to this hazard and will not actively plan mitigation measures to address it.
Page 88 Severe Temperatures
Severe Temperatures
Characteristics
Temperature extremes can cause disruption of normal activities for the population, property loss and even the loss of life, especially among the more vulnerable members of our population such as children and the elderly.
Physical Characteristics: Heat
Heat emergencies are a result of the combination of very high temperatures and very humid conditions. The Heat Index estimates the relationship between these two conditions and reports them as a danger category, as can be seen in the following table.
Heat Index and Disorders Table Apparent Danger Category Heat Disorders Temperatures [°F] IV Extreme Danger Heatstroke or sunstroke imminent. >130 III Danger Sunstroke, heat cramps, or heat exhaustion 105-130 likely; heat stroke possible with prolonged exposure and physical activity. II Extreme Caution Sunstroke, heat cramps, and heat exhaustion 90-105 possible with prolonged exposure and physical activity. I Caution Fatigue possible with prolonged exposure and 89-90 physical activity. FEMA, 1997; NWS, 1997 The major risks to people due to extreme heat are:
Heatstroke – a potentially lethal medical emergency where the ability of a person to thermo-regulate is compromised resulting in the rise of the body‘s core temperature to above 105 degrees Fahrenheit.
Heat Exhaustion – a less threatening medical condition where the victim complains of dizziness, weakness and/or fatigue. The victim may have a normal or slightly elevated temperature and usually can be successfully treated with fluids.
Page 89 Severe Temperatures
Heat Syncope – a sudden ―faint‖ or loss of consciousness usually brought on by exercising in warmer weather than one is accustomed to, usually no lasting effect.
Heat Cramps – muscular cramping brought on by exercising in warmer weather than one is accustomed to, no lasting effect.
Extreme heat conditions may also affect pets and livestock, decreasing agricultural output by the latter. Crops may suffer reduced yield due to extremely hot conditions.
Physical Characteristics: Cold
Wind chill is a relationship between wind and cold that is based on the rate of heat loss from exposed skin. As the wind speed increases, heat is drawn from the body, driving down skin temperature and eventually core body temperature. The following table illustrates this relationship.
National Weather Service: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/windchill/index.shtml
Page 90 Severe Temperatures
The major risks to people due to extreme cold are:
Hypothermia – occurs when, due to exposure to cold, the body is unable to maintain its proper core temperature. It may occur in temperatures above freezing and may lead to death.
Frostbite – describes local cooling, usually to an extremity, which occurs when exposure to cold air or liquid causes constriction of the blood vessels. There are three degrees of frostbite:
o Frostnip – brought on by direct contact with a cold object or exposure to cold air or water. Tissue damage is minor and response to treatment is usually very good.
o Superficial Frostbite – involves the skin and subcutaneous layers
o Freezing – is deep frostbite in which the skin, subcutaneous layers and deeper structures (e.g., muscles, bone, deep blood vessels, organ membranes) of the body are affected and can become frozen.
Chilblains - lesions that occur from repeated/chronic exposure of bare skin to temperatures of 60 degrees Fahrenheit or lower.
Trench foot – a condition that occurs when the lower extremities remain in cool water for a prolonged period of time.
Frequency of Occurrence
Excessive heat events recorded by the National Weather Service between 1 January 1950 and 31 October 2009 are outlined below:
Year Date Location Human Losses Damage Losses Miscellaneous 1994 6/14 Statewide Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heat Wave 1995 10/12 Statewide Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Record Warmth
Page 91 Severe Temperatures
Following is a chart that outlines severe cold events that have been recorded by the National Weather Service in Washburn County between 1 January 1950 and 31 October 2009:
Year Date Location Human Losses Damage Losses Miscellaneous 1994 1/13 Statewide Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Cold 1995 02/10 Northern Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Cold 1996 02/02 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Extreme Cold 1997 01/15 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Extreme Windchill 2005 01/14 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Extreme Cold/Wind Chill 2006 02/17 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
Temperature extremes, both cold and hot, have a medium to low likelihood of occurrence in any given year. The loss of property due to temperature extremes is very low and loss of life or injury to people has a low likelihood of occurrence.
Vulnerability
Vulnerability to temperature extremes is generally assessed on an individual basis with the most vulnerable sections of our community‘s population having the greatest risk. These people may include the elderly, the very young and the chronically ill. People from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, especially those listed in the categories above, are even more vulnerable since they are least able to afford the cost of adequate heating or air conditioning systems.
The Washburn County social services agencies are aware of many of these people who reside in our communities and they, along with the Public Health Department, have plans and access to economic assistance programs to help these people in times of concern.
Hazard Mitigation Strategies
Temperature extremes are difficult for a community to mitigate and the risks are to the health and safety of citizens, animals and crops. There are no strategies that need to be employed to reduce damages to buildings and infrastructure.
The Washburn County Emergency Management Office participates in the statewide public information campaigns for Winter and Heat Awareness Weeks each year and provides links to personal
Page 92 Severe Temperatures preparedness information on its website. The county and its cooperating municipalities will also encourage the continued use of local facilities open to the elderly or those with disabilities needing a place to escape the extreme temperatures.
Page 93 Storms: Hail
Storms: Hail
Studies of thunderstorms indicate that two conditions are required for hail to develop: sufficiently strong and persistent up-draft velocities and liquid water accumulated in a super-cooled state in the upper parts of the storm. Hailstones are formed as water vapor in the warm surface layer rises quickly into the cold upper atmosphere. The water vapor is frozen and begins to fall; as the water falls, it accumulates more water vapor. This cycle continues until there is too much weight for the updraft to support and the frozen water falls too quickly to the ground to melt along the way. The graphic below depicts hail formation:
Source: NWS, January 10, 2003
Injury and loss of life are rarely associated with hailstorms, however extensive property damage is possible, especially to crops.
Physical Characteristics
Hail may be spherical, conical or irregular in shape and ranges in size from barely visible particles to grapefruit-sized dimensions. Hailstones equal to or larger than a penny are considered severe.
Page 94 Storms: Hail
Hail Size Estimates Size Inches in Diameter Pea 1/4 inch Marble/mothball 1/2 inch Dime/Penny 3/4 inch Nickel 7/8 inch Quarter 1 inch Ping-Pong Ball 1 1/2 inch Golf Ball 1 3/4 inches Tennis Ball 2 1/2 inches Baseball 2 3/4 inches Tea cup 3 inches Grapefruit 4 inches Softball 4 1/2 inches NWS, January 10, 2003
Hail falls in swaths that can be from twenty to one hundred miles long and from five to thirty miles wide. A hail swath is not a large continuous path of hail but generally consists of a series of hail cells that are produced by individual thunderstorm clouds traveling in the same area.
Frequency of Occurrence
Hailstorms usually occur from May through August and Wisconsin averages two or three hail days per year. According to the Wisconsin State Hazard Mitigation Plan, from 1982 – 2007, Washburn County reported 43 hail events but fortunately none have led to loss of life or injury. Washburn County, as can be seen in the map in Appendix A, has some of the lowest probability of hail occurrence in Wisconsin. As a result, the likelihood of damage due to hail is considered low.
Most hail damage occurs in rural areas because maturing crops are susceptible to bruising and other damage caused by hailstones. The four months of hailstorm activity correspond to the growing and harvesting seasons for most crops. Following is a table that shows the 53 hail events recorded by the National Weather Service between 1 January 1950 and 31 October 2009.
Page 95 Storms: Hail
Year Date Location Human Losses Damage Losses Miscellaneous
1972 06/12 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 1.75 in. 1974 06/29 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 1.75 in. 1974 06/29 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 1.75 in. 1977 08/27 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 2.00 in. 1982 07/17 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 1.75 in. 1985 06/08 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 1.75 in. 1987 05/10 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 .75 in. 1987 06/01 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 2.75 in. 1990 09/11 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 1.00 in. 1990 09/11 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 2.75 in. 1991 03/26 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 .75 in. 1991 05/28 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 1.00 in. 1991 07/05 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 .75 in. 1992 08/29 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 1.00 in. 1992 08/29 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 1.00 in. 1995 07/14 Sarona Death/Injury: 0 Property: $3K 2.75 in. Crop: $0 1995 07/14 Spooner Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 1.75 in. 1995 07/14 Stone Lake Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 .75 in. 1996 05/19 Shell Lake Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 .75 in. 1996 09/10 Sarona Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 1.00 in. 1998 05/12 Sarona Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 .75 in. 1998 06/15 Trego Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 .75 in. 1998 06/15 Spooner Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 2.00 in. 1998 06/15 Spooner Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 .88 in. 1999 06/05 Birchwood Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 .75 in. 2000 07/25 Spooner Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 .75 in. 2000 08/08 Birchwood Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 .75 in. 2000 08/14 Twin Oaks Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 1.00 in. 2000 08/14 Spooner Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 .75 in. 2000 08/14 Spooner Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 1.00 in. 2001 05/14 Trego Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 1.00 in. 2001 05/14 Spring Brook Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 .75 in. 2001 06/16 Trego Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 .75 in. 2001 06/18 Trego Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 .75 in. 2001 06/18 Spooner Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 2.00 in. 2001 06/18 Spooner Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 1.50 in. 2001 06/18 Trego Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 1.00 in. 2002 06/25 Shell Lake Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 .75 in. 2002 08/11 Shell Lake Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 1.00 in. 2004 04/18 Spooner Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 .75 in. 2004 04/18 Shell Lake Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 2.00 in. 2004 04/18 Spooner Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 1.00 in. 2005 06/07 Spooner Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 1.00 in.
Page 96 Storms: Hail
Year Date Location Human Losses Damage Losses Miscellaneous
2007 6/20 Stanberry Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 0.88 in. 2007 6/20 Spring Brook Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 0.75 in. 2007 6/26 Spooner Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 1.00 in. 2007 8/28 Shell Lake Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 0.75 in. 2007 9/21 Trego Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 0.75 in. 2007 9/21 Trego Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 1.50 in. 2007 9/21 Trego Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 1.75 in. 2008 5/25 Spooner Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 0.88 in. 2008 6/15 Earl Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 0.75 in. 2008 8/3 Minong Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 1.00 in. 2009 6/19 Spooner Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 1.00 in.
Vulnerability
Hail, typically occurring in conjunction with thunderstorms and lightning, can damage many types of infrastructure. Public and private vehicles (e.g., campers, boats, cars, trucks) are liable to have their windshields cracked, bodies dented and paint damaged as a result of hail. This damage can occur, depending on the size of the hail, whether the vehicle is moving through the storm or is stationary. Hail on the roadway can also cause vehicles to slide off the road. Vehicle damage and iced roadways are of particular concern when you consider the need for emergency vehicles such as police cars, fire trucks and ambulances to quickly move to assist victims in a disaster.
Hail can also damage critical infrastructure such as street signs, electric lines/poles/transformers, telephone lines and radio communication equipment. These pieces of infrastructure are needed by both first response agencies and the general community to ensure safe transport; warm, safe homes and good internal and external communications abilities.
Residential and business properties are liable to receive damage to signs, siding, billboards, trees and windows. Manufactured housing is particularly vulnerable to damage due to its lower construction standards.
Hail can be particularly damaging to agricultural concerns, including farm buildings, standing crops and livestock.
Page 97 Storms: Hail
Hazard Mitigation Strategies
The goal of mitigating for hail is to reduce the amount of financial loss due to these events. Insurance is the most widely used adjustment for crop and property damages due to hail. Hail crop insurance is available from two sources: commercial stock and mutual companies and the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC). Farmers rarely purchase insurance coverage up to the full value of the losses that would result from a severe hailstorm.
The County Extension Agent distributes information on various hail insurance options. In the event of major damage, a team composed of county and federal agricultural agency representatives and the County Emergency Management Director have primary responsibility for assessing and documenting hail damage.
Washburn County Emergency Management provides hail information to the public as part of the spring severe weather awareness week. The office also provides information about hail in displays in the courthouse and on the website. Federal emergency assistance is available in the form of low-interest loans when a Presidential Disaster is declared or when the FmHA declares that a county is eligible for aid. Damage from hailstorms alone is generally not extensive enough to invoke a disaster declaration.
The hazard mitigation strategies listed above primarily involve providing information on safety measures and insurance to the public for agricultural concerns and residential and commercial structures. These measures provide basic safety information but, since there is little one can do to prevent hail damage, these measures will do little to reduce damages to existing or future buildings and infrastructure, although the recommended insurance may make recovery easier.
Page 98 Storms: Lightning
Storms: Lightning
Lightning is a phenomenon associated with thunderstorms where the action of rising and descending air separates and builds-up positive and negative charge areas. When the built-up energy is discharged between the two areas, lightning is the result.
Formation of Lightning
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research [UCAR]
Lightning may travel from cloud to cloud, cloud to ground, or if there are high structures involved, from ground to cloud.
Physical Characteristics
The temperatures in a lightning stroke rise to 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The sudden and violent discharge which occurs in the form of a lightning stroke is over in one millionth of a second.
Lightning damage occurs if humans and animals are electrocuted, fires are caused by a lightning stroke, materials are vaporized along the lightning path or sudden power surges cause damage to electrical or electronic equipment. Lightning, an underestimated hazard, kills more people in an average year than hurricanes or tornadoes.
Page 99 Storms: Lightning
Frequency of Occurrence
Nationwide, forty-five percent of the people killed by lightning have been outdoors, about sixteen percent were under trees, six percent were on heavy road equipment and thirty-three percent were at various unknown locations. Less than ten percent of the deaths involved individuals inside buildings; these deaths were primarily due to lightning-caused fires.
Wisconsin has a high frequency of property losses due to lightning. Insurance records show that annually one out of every fifty farms has been struck by lightning or had a fire, which may have been caused by lightning. Generally, rural fires are more destructive than urban fires because of limited lightning protection devices, isolation, longer response times and inadequate water supplies. Washburn County has a high probability of lightning occurrence; the likelihood of damage due to lightning is considered medium for the more rural areas of the county and low for the more urban areas of the county.
Following is a table that shows the lightning events recorded by the National Weather Service between 1 January 1950 and 31 October 2009.
Year Date Location Human Losses Damage Losses Miscellaneous 2002 07/21 Minong Death: 1 Property/Crop: $0 Lightning
Vulnerability
Lightning, which often occurs in conjunction with thunderstorms and hail, can damage many types of infrastructure such as electric lines/poles/transformers, telephone lines and radio communication equipment. These pieces of infrastructure are needed by both first response agencies and the general community to ensure safe transport; warm, safe homes and good internal and external communications abilities.
Residential and business properties are liable to receive damage either as a result of a lightning strike causing a fire or other type of direct damage or by overloading electronic equipment (e.g., computers, televisions) that have not been properly connected to a surge protector. This latter concern is especially important to business and government, which in modern America rely on
Page 100 Storms: Lightning
computers and other electronic equipment to manage the large amounts of data manipulated in our information-based economy.
Lightning can damage agricultural concerns including farm buildings, standing crops and livestock. It is also one of the major sources of ignition for forest and wildfires.
Hazard Mitigation Strategies
The two primary ways to effectively reduce lightning losses are modifying human behavior and protecting structures including the use of fire resistant materials when constructing buildings. The use of fire resistant materials, lightning rods, surge protectors and other grounding equipment will make existing buildings and their contents and future construction less prone to damage or will minimize fire damage and spread due to lightning strike. The City of Shell Lake would also like to inventory all of its critical facilities to determine if they are properly grounded and to plan for and/or install upgrades as the budget allows.
The Washburn County Emergency Management Office has awareness and educational materials that inform the public of safety procedures to follow during a lightning storm. Severe summer weather safety information is also emphasized during Tornado Awareness Week held each spring.
Page 101 Storms: Thunderstorms
Storms: Thunderstorms
There are three distinct stages of development for thunderstorms (birth, growth, maturity) each of which can be seen in the following schematic.
In the first stage of development, an updraft drives warm air up beyond condensation levels where clouds form.
The second stage of development occurs as levels of water vapor in the expanding cloud rise past saturation and the air cools sufficiently to form solid and liquid particles of water. At this point rain or snow begins to fall within the cloud.
A thunderstorm's mature stage is marked by a transition of wind direction within the storm cells. The prevailing updraft which initiated the cloud‘s growth is joined by a downdraft generated by precipitation. Lightning may occur soon after precipitation begins. Hail and tornadoes may also develop during this stage.
National Weather Service - Flagstaff
Physical Characteristics
A thunderstorm often is born, grows, reaches maturity and dies in a thirty-minute period. The individual thunderstorm cell often travels between thirty and fifty miles per hour. Strong frontal systems may create one squall line after another, each composed of many
Page 102 Storms: Thunderstorms
individual thunderstorm cells. These fronts can often be tracked across the state from west to east with a constant cycle of birth, growth, maturity and death of individual thunderstorm cells.
Frequency of Occurrence
Thunderstorm frequency is measured as the number of days per year with one or more incidents. Most Wisconsin counties, including Washburn County, average between 30 and 40 thunderstorm days per year although a portion of southwestern and south-central Wisconsin average 40 to 50 thunderstorm days per year. In Washburn County there are typically several severe thunderstorms per year. Thunderstorms can occur throughout the year with the highest frequency during the months of May through September. The majority of storms occur between the hours of noon and midnight.
The probability of thunderstorms occurring in Washburn County is high. Damage from thunderstorms usually is a result of the hail, lightning, winds and/or flash flooding that can occur as part of the storm. The likelihood of damage from these causes is in discussed in the appropriate chapters.
The following chart lists the 62 thunderstorms that have been recorded in Washburn County by the National Weather Service between 1 January 1950 and 31 October 2009.
Date Location Human Losses Damage Losses Miscellaneous 08/17/1967 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 08/08/1973 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 06/29/1974 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 06/29/1974 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 08/15/1974 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 07/04/1977 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 08/15/1978 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 08/06/1980 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 09/08/1980 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 06/14/1981 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 60 kts. 07/17/1982 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 07/17/1982 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 07/03/1983 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 07/19/1983 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 08/02/1983 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 08/19/1983 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 06/26/1984 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 07/09/1984 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind
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07/19/1986 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 05/12/1988 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 05/28/1991 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 05/28/1991 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 05/28/1991 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 07/05/1991 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 03/01/1993 Southwest Death/Injury: 0 Property: $50K High Winds Crop: $0 03/31/1993 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property: $50K High Winds Crop: $0 07/12/1995 Spooner Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 08/19/1995 Minong Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 08/19/1995 Minong Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 08/19/1995 Shell Lake Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 08/19/1995 Shell Lake Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 05/18/1996 Shell Lake Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 50 kts. 05/19/1996 Shell Lake Airport Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 60 kts. 09/02/1996 Minong Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 52 kts. 01/15/1997 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Extreme Windchill 05/15/1998 Shell Lake Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 50 kts. 05/15/1998 Trego Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 50 kts. 06/05/1999 Spooner Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 50 kts. 06/22/1999 Shell Lake Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 50 kts. 07/25/1999 Minong Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 50 kts. 07/30/1999 Minong Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 50 kts. 07/30/1999 Spooner Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 55 kts. 07/08/2000 Sarona Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 52 kts. 07/08/2000 Spring Brook Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 55 kts. 07/25/2000 Shell Lake Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 50 kts. 07/25/2000 Shell Lake Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 50 kts. 06/11/2001 Spooner Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 52 kts. 06/11/2001 Spooner Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 52 kts. 06/18/2001 Spooner Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 60 kts. 06/25/2002 Sarona Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 50 kts. 04/18/2004 Shell Lake Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 60 kts. 09/15/2004 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property: $8K Strong Wind Crop: $0 01/14/2005 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Extreme Cold/Wind Chill 06/11/2005 Sarona Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 60 kts. 06/27/2005 Spooner Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 52 kts. 06/29/2005 Spooner Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 60 kts. 09/12/2005 Minong Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 52 kts. 02/17/2006 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Extreme Cold/Wind Chill 07/28/2006 Minong Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 55 kts. 07/28/2006 Minong Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 55 kts. 07/30/2006 Spooner Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 50 kts. 07/11/2008 Minong Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Tstm Wind 52 kts.
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Vulnerability
Thunderstorms, which often produce hail and lightning and may occasionally spawn tornadoes, high wind storms or flash flooding, can damage many types of infrastructure. Washburn County‘s thunderstorm vulnerabilities due to associated hail, lightning, winds and flood waters are discussed in the other hazard chapters of this plan.
Hazard Mitigation Strategies
The Washburn County Emergency Management Office has developed severe weather safety information that it disseminates to the public with the goal of protecting the lives and property of citizens. During Tornado Awareness Week each spring there is extensive media coverage of safety tips with the goal of increasing public understanding of weather advisories. Additionally, the department assists the National Weather Service (NWS) in conducting tornado spotter training programs and in organizing local tornado spotter networks upon request.
The County Fairgrounds have no emergency shelters and no emergency plans although it houses the Rodeo and the County Fair, which are both very large regional community events. There is no guidance on fairground safety plans. If this were received, it would be passed to the fair board for consideration. If funding were available for shelters, the board would also be informed to help increase preparedness and safety.
The damage to buildings and infrastructure in a thunderstorm is from components of the storm such as hail, flooding, lightning or wind. A discussion of strategies to reduce effects on existing and future buildings and infrastructure is discussed in the chapters that discuss each of these components in detail.
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Storms: Tornadoes and High Winds
A tornado is a violently rotating funnel-shaped column of air. The lower end of the column may or may not touch the ground. Average winds in the tornado are between 173 and 250 miles per hour but winds can exceed 300 miles per hour. It should also be noted that straight-line winds may reach the same speeds and achieve the same destructive force as a tornado.
A derecho is a widespread, long-lived, violent, convectively-induced straight-line windstorm that is associated with a fast-moving band of severe thunderstorms usually taking the form of a bow echo. Derechos blow in the direction of movement of their associated storms; this is similar to a gust front except that the wind is sustained and generally increases in strength behind the "gust" front. A warm weather phenomenon, derechos occur mostly in summer, especially July, in the northern hemisphere. They can occur at any time of the year and occur as frequently at night as in the daylight hours.
The traditional criteria that distinguish a derecho from a severe thunderstorm are sustained winds of 58 mph during the storm as opposed to gusts, high and/or rapidly increasing forward speed and geographic extent (typically 250 nautical miles in length). In addition, they have a distinctive appearance on radar (bow echo); several unique features, such as the rear inflow notch and bookend
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vortex and usually manifest two or more downbursts. There are three types of derechos: Serial: Multiple bow echoes embedded in a massive squall line typically around 250 miles long. This type of derecho is usually associated with a very deep low. Also because of embedded supercells, tornadoes can easily spin out of these types of derechos.
Progressive: A small line of thunderstorms take the bow- shape and can travel for hundreds of miles.
Hybrid: Has characteristics of a serial and progressive derechos. Hybrid derechos are associated with a deep low like serial derechos but are relatively small in size like progressive derechos.
Serial Derecho Progressive Derecho
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derecho
Physical Characteristics
Tornadoes are visible because low atmospheric pressure in the vortex leads to cooling of the air by expansion and to condensation and formation of water droplets. They are also visible as a result of the airborne debris and dust in its high winds. Wind and pressure differential probably account for ninety percent of tornado damage in most cases. Because tornadoes are associated with storm systems, they usually are accompanied by hail, torrential rain and intense lightning.
Tornadoes typically produce damage in an area that does not exceed one-fourth mile in width or sixteen miles in length.
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Tornadoes with track lengths greater than 150 miles have been reported although such tornadoes are rare.
Tornado damage severity is measured by the Fujita Tornado Scale, which assigns an ―F‖ (―Fujita‖) value from 0 – 5 to denote the wind speed.
The Fujita Tornado Scale Category Wind Speed Description of Damage F0 40-72 mph Light damage. Some damage to chimneys; break branches off trees; push over shallow- rooted trees; damage to sign boards. F1 73-112 mph Moderate damage. The lower limit is the beginning of hurricane speed. Roof surfaces peeled off; mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned; moving autos pushed off roads. F2 113-157 mph Considerable damage. Roofs torn off frame houses; mobile homes demolished; boxcars pushed over; large trees snapped or uprooted; light-object missiles generated. F3 158-206 mph Severe damage. Roofs and some walls torn off well-constructed houses; trains overturned; most trees in forest uprooted; cars lifted off ground and thrown. F4 207-260 mph Devastating damage. Well-constructed houses leveled; structures with weak foundations blown off; cars thrown and large missiles generated. F5 261-318 mph Incredible damage. Strong frame houses lifted off foundations and carried considerable distance to disintegrate; automobile-sized missiles fly through the air in excess of 100- yards; trees debarked. FEMA, 1997
On 1 February 2007, the National Weather Service began rating tornadoes using the EF-scale. It is considerably more complicated than the F-scale and it will allow surveyors to create more precise assessments of tornado severity. Below is a comparison between the Fujita Scale and the EF Scale:
Fujita Scale Derived EF Scale Operational EF Scale F Fastest ¼ 3 Second EF 3 Second EF Number 3 Second Number mile (mph) Gust (mph) Number Gust (mph) Gust (mph) 0 40-72 45-78 0 65-85 0 65-85 1 73-112 79-117 1 86-109 1 86-110 2 113-157 118-161 2 110-137 2 111-135 3 158-207 162-209 3 138-167 3 136-165 4 208-260 210-261 4 168-199 4 166-200 5 261-318 262-317 5 200-234 5 Over 200
Downburst Characteristics
Downburst damage is often highly localized but resembles damage caused by a tornado. In some cases, even an experienced investigator cannot always identify the nature of a storm without mapping the direction of the damaging winds over a large area.
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There are significant interactions between tornadoes and nearby downbursts.
A classic downburst example occurred on July 4, 1977 when a severe thunderstorm moved across Northern Wisconsin. It was reported that there were extensive areas of tree and property damage, somewhat like a tornado. After an aerial survey was completed, mapping both direction and F-scale intensity of the damaging winds, it was determined that no evidence of a tornado was found anywhere within the path of the damage swath, which was 166 miles long and 17 miles wide. The survey revealed that there were scattered local centers from which straight-line winds diverged outward. These local wind systems were identified as downbursts with at least 25 specific locations recognized by the low-flying aircraft.
Frequency of Occurrence
Wisconsin lies along the northern edge of the nation's tornado belt, which extends north-eastward from Oklahoma into Iowa and across to Michigan and Ohio. Winter, spring and fall tornadoes are more likely to occur in southern Wisconsin than in northern counties.
Wisconsin's tornado season runs from the beginning of April through September with the most severe tornadoes typically occurring in April, May and June. Tornadoes have, however, occurred in Wisconsin during every month except February. Many tornadoes strike in late afternoon or early evening but they do occur at other times. Deaths, injuries and personal property damage have occurred and will continue to occur in Wisconsin.
According to the National Weather Service, Washburn County had one funnel cloud and 8 tornadoes between 1 January 1950 and 31 October 2009. Between these dates, the county had no deaths, six injuries and approximately $3,808,000 in damages due to these storms. The probability of Washburn County being struck by a tornado in the future is high and the likelihood of damage from future tornadoes is also high. All parts of Washburn County are equally susceptible to tornadoes.
Year Date Location Human Losses Damage Losses Miscellaneous 1953 05/10 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property: $2.5M F2 Crop: $0 1965 05/07 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property: $250K F2
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Year Date Location Human Losses Damage Losses Miscellaneous Crop: $0 1969 06/05 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property: $25K F1 Crop: $0 1971 06/23 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property: $3K F1 Crop: $0 1971 07/21 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property: $3K F1 Crop: $0 1985 06/16 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 F1 1999 06/05 Sarona Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 F0 2001 06/18 Spooner Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 F2
Vulnerability
Injury to people is a primary concern in tornado and high wind events. Two of the highest risk places are mobile home parks and campgrounds; Washburn County has several of each type of property. Both have high concentrations of people in a small area, generally have structures that provide less protection than standard construction homes and none of the listed facilities below provides storm shelters. Other places of concern during these types of events include critical emergency facilities such as hospitals and public works/highway garages, police stations and fire departments, which contain equipment and services needed by the public after a tornado.
Mobile Home Parks
Park Name Location
Hansen Mobile Home Park City of Shell Lake
Knapp Mobile Homes, Inc. City of Spooner
Park West City of Spooner
Top O Wisconsin Properties City of Spooner
Village East Mobile Home Park City of Spooner
Birchwood Mobile Home Park Village of Birchwood
Uptown RV Park Village of Birchwood
Bulik‘s Amusement Center and Mobile Town of Spooner Home Park
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Campgrounds
Campground Name Location
Shell Lake Municipal Campground Shell Lake
Red Barn Campground Shell Lake
Log Cabin Resort & Campground Trego
Trego Park Campground Trego
Jack‘s Canoe Rental Trego
Broken Spoke Saloon & Campground Trego
Country House Motel & RV Park Spooner
Highland Park Campgrounds Spooner
West Point Campgrounds Spooner
Scenic View Campground Spooner
Benoit Lake Campgrounds Spooner
Totogatic Campground Minong
Sawmill Lake Campground Birchwood
Leisure Lake Youth Camp Trego
Davis Flowage Primitive Boat-In Campsites Stanberry
Camping in the County Forest is allowed with the prior permission of the Forest Administrator and with a tent or lesser facility. Camping during the nine-day gun deer season is allowed with larger facilities within 200 feet of a town road or County Forest Road.
Schools, in addition to holding children, are the major type of structure used as community disaster shelters and their loss might therefore affect the community on several levels (e.g., the death or injury of children, the loss of a community housing shelter.) School gymnasiums are often the specific location of the community
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shelter but they are especially vulnerable in tornadoes because the large-span roof structure is often not adequately supported.
Community infrastructure such as power lines, telephone lines, radio towers and street signs are often vulnerable to damage from tornadoes and high winds and can be expensive to replace. The loss of radio towers that hold public safety communications repeaters can adversely impact the ability of first responders to mount an effective response and damage to towers that hold public media equipment may adversely impact the ability to distribute adequate public information.
Residential property is likely to have siding and roofing materials removed, windows broken from flying debris and garages blown down due to light construction techniques. Perhaps one of the largest types of loss on private property is due to tree damage, which is generally not covered by federal disaster assistance.
Business properties are at risk for having damage to infrastructure including signs, windows, siding and billboards. Agricultural buildings, such as barns and silos, are also generally not constructed in a manner that makes them wind resistant, which can lead to the loss of livestock and harvest. Standing crops are also at risk from high winds and tornadoes.
The Wisconsin Hazard Mitigation Plan estimated tornado losses for Washburn County. The table below shows the reported costs due to tornado damages plus the state‘s estimates of future risk. When sorted for total future risk, Washburn County ranks 60th (of 72 counties in Wisconsin.) When sorted for either structural and contents damages or injury and mortality damages, Washburn County ranks 58th.
Manufactured Non-Engineered Total Annual Housing Wood Frame Combined Damage Injury and Mortality Damages $407,679 $2,576,679 $2,984,359 $3,046,349 Structural and Contents Damage $3,639 $58,352 $61,991 $3,046,349 Total Annual Damage $411,317 $2,635,032 $3,046,349 $3,046,349
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Manufactured Non-Engineered Total Annual Housing Wood Frame Combined Damage Total Future Risk $5,104,443 $32,700,744 $37,805,187 $37,805,187
The Wisconsin Hazard Mitigation Plan also estimated losses for Washburn County from straight-line winds. The table below shows the reported costs due to straight-line wind damage plus the state‘s estimates of future risk. When sorted for total future risk, Washburn County ranks 49th. When sorted for either structural and contents damages or injury and mortality damages, Washburn County ranks 59th.
Manufactured Non-Engineered Total Annual Housing Wood Frame Combined Damage Injury and Mortality Damages $95,156 $320,274 $415,431 $6,154,694 Structural and Contents Damage $274,989 $5,464,274 $5,739,263 $6,154,694 Total Annual Damage $370,146 $5,784,548 $6,154,694 $6,154,694 Total Future Risk $4,593,507 $71,786,245 $76,379,752 $76,379,752
Hazard Mitigation Strategies
Washburn County has a history of damage to buildings and infrastructure due to tornadoes and high winds. Some strategies below will deal with public information and alert & notification while others will enable the community to make current and future buildings and infrastructure more disaster-resistant by enacting more ―bricks and mortar‖ solutions.
An effective warning system is the single most important resource for alerting the public to a tornado hazard, which is critical to the main goal of saving lives and reducing property losses. Forecasting of tornadoes is difficult, however, because of the suddenness of their onset, their relatively short duration, the extreme variability of a tornado striking area, limited knowledge of tornado dynamics and the limitations of the weather observation system. As discussed in the All Hazards Chapter, the Emergency Management Office promotes the use of NOAA weather radios for public alert and notification. The office also continues to evaluate
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various technologies to determine if they can be effectively integrated into the county‘s alert and notification systems.
During the past several years, there has been a statewide Tornado Awareness Week in spring. Media information packets are distributed to reemphasize and alert the public to tornado warning procedures and to help citizens understand weather alert terms. Washburn County actively promotes tornado safety public information as well as other summer severe weather public awareness and educational efforts, including applicable links on the county website. Washburn County also assists the National Weather Service with sponsoring tornado spotter training and in organizing local tornado spotter networks, upon request.
As part of the tornado preparedness program, the county plans to work with the Cities of Shell Lake and Spooner and other interested municipalities to identify governmental and private buildings that can be used as tornado shelters and develop an implementation plan for activating the sites when a tornado is imminent.
The county recognizes mobile home parks and campgrounds are particularly vulnerable locations for people and property during a tornado. To help mitigate the danger, the county plans projects that include:
Providing information to builders and owners of manufactured and mobile homes regarding the use of tie-downs with ground anchors. These relatively inexpensive strategies reduce the damage to these homes in lower F-scale tornadoes. Identifying and constructing tornado shelters in mobile home parks and campgrounds as grant funding is available, especially in the county-owned Totogatic Campground and other campgrounds as deemed appropriate.. The U.S. Department of Commerce Community Development Block Grants may be an avenue to achieve the necessary funding. o The City of Spooner has two mobile home parks (i.e., Village East and Park West) in which they would also like to explore having tornado shelters installed. Previously residents could shelter in the National Guard armory but that is no longer an option because the military does not allow the armories to be used for this type of purpose any longer.
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Storms: Winter
Due to its position along the northern edge of the United States, Wisconsin, including Washburn County, is highly susceptible to a variety of winter weather storm phenomena.
Physical Characteristics
The National Weather Service descriptions of winter storm elements are:
Heavy snowfall - Accumulation of six or more inches of snow in a 12-hour period or eight or more inches in a 24-hour period. Blizzard - An occurrence of sustained wind speeds in excess of 35 miles per hour (mph) accompanied by heavy snowfall or large amounts of blowing or drifting snow. Ice storm - An occurrence when rain falls from warmer upper layers of the atmosphere to the colder ground, freezing upon contact with the ground and exposed objects near the ground. Freezing drizzle/freezing rain - Effect of drizzle or rain freezing upon impact on objects with a temperature of 32 degrees Fahrenheit or below. Sleet - Solid grains or pellets of ice formed by the freezing of raindrops or the refreezing of largely melted snowflakes. This ice does not cling to surfaces. Wind chill - An apparent temperature that describes the combined effect of wind and low air temperatures on exposed skin.
In Wisconsin, the winter storm season generally runs from November through March and Wisconsin residents are most familiar with heavy snowstorms, blizzards, sleet and ice storms. The majority of Wisconsin snowfalls are between one and three inches per occurrence and heavy snowfalls that produce at least ten inches may occur four or five times per season. Northwestern
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Wisconsin encounters more blizzards than the southeastern portions of the state.
Damage from ice storms can occur when more than half of an inch of rain freezes on trees and utility wires, especially if the rain is accompanied by high winds. Another danger comes from an accumulation of frozen rain pellets on the ground during a sleet storm, which can make driving hazardous.
Frequency of Occurrence
Annual snowfall in Wisconsin varies between thirty inches in southern counties to one hundred inches in the north. In Wisconsin, the bulk of snow falls between December and March and the largest winter storms tend to form over the southern Rockies or the central or southern Plains, then move northeast towards the western Great Lakes producing usually six to twelve inches. Low pressure systems originating in the northwest (Alberta) tend to produce only light snowfalls of two to four inches. Snowfalls associated with Alberta lows occur more frequently with colder weather. Washburn County averages between 36 and 48 inches of annual mean snow depth in most of the county but a small section in the central portion of the county averages between 48 and 72 inches.
Although massive blizzards are rare in Wisconsin, blizzard-like conditions often exist during heavy snowstorms when gusty winds cause blowing and drifting of snow. Near blizzard conditions existed in Wisconsin in January 1979 when record snowfalls were recorded in many areas and wind speeds gusted to over thirty miles per hour.
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Both ice and sleet storms can occur at any time throughout the winter season from November to April. Ice storms of disastrous proportions occurred in central Wisconsin in February 1922 and in southern Wisconsin in March 1976. A Presidential Disaster Declaration occurred as a result of the 1976 storm. Utility crews from surrounding states were called in to restore power, which was off for up to ten days in some areas. Other storms of lesser magnitude caused power outages and treacherous highway conditions.
The probability that there will be severe winter storms in Washburn County is medium and the likelihood that those storms will cause significant damage is also medium. The following table details Washburn County‘s 45 winter storm statistics (i.e., snow and ice events) as reported by the National Weather Service including human loss and injury and property damage estimates from 1 January 1950 through 31 October 2009.
Year Date Location Human Losses Damage Losses Miscellaneous
1993 02/20 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow 1993 03/09 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow 1993 03/21 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow 1993 04/11 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow 1993 04/15 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow 1993 11/04 Northern Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow 1993 11/25 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow 1994 01/05 Central and Southern Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow 1994 01/26 All But Far Northwest Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow/Ice Storm 1994 04/29 Far Northwest Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow Wisconsin 1994 11/27 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow 1995 03/04 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow 1995 03/27 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow 1995 10/21 NW Wisconsin Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow 1996 01/17 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow 1996 01/28 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow 1996 03/23 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow 1996 12/14 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow 1997 01/04 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow 1997 03/13 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow 1998 01/13 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow 1999 02/01 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Ice Storm 2000 02/15 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow 2001 01/29 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Ice Storm 2001 02/24 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow 2001 03/11 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow
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Year Date Location Human Losses Damage Losses Miscellaneous
2002 02/20 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow 2003 02/02 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow 2003 04/16 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Ice Storm 2003 11/22 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow 2004 02/01 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow 2004 03/05 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow 2005 01/01 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Winter Storm 2005 01/21 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow 2006 03/12 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow 2007 2/24 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Winter Storm 2007 4/3 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Winter Storm 2007 12/1 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Winter Storm 2007 12/23 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Winter Storm 2008 3/31 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow 2008 12/14 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Winter Storm 2008 12/20 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow 2008 12/30 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow 2009 2/26 Washburn Death/Injury: 0 Property/Crop: $0 Heavy Snow
Vulnerability
Winter storms present a serious threat to the health and safety of affected citizens and can result in significant damage to property. Heavy snow or accumulated ice can cause the structural collapse of homes, commercial buildings and agricultural structures; down power lines or isolate people from assistance or services by impeding transportation by the general public, emergency responders and public transportation resources.
The loss of electrical service and/or the blocking of transportation routes can adversely affect the ability of commercial enterprises to conduct business. This economic injury can affect both the business owner and employees unable to work during this period.
Hazard Mitigation Strategies
Communities prepare for severe winter weather by ensuring that plowing and sanding equipment is operational and available to handle potential emergencies. In a snow emergency, it is critical to open roadways as quickly and efficiently as possible for emergency purposes. Funding is budgeted for the overtime hours of extra personnel but in a large emergency this may not be adequate. Redundant communication modes (e.g., radio, telephone) exist
Page 118 Storms: Winter between government, police, fire, EMS, hospitals and highway departments. The Washburn County Emergency Operations Plan provides for coordination of public safety support agencies such as the American Red Cross and for resource acquisitions during winter emergencies.
Winter safety information is prepared and distributed to the media and the public by the Washburn County Emergency Management Office during Winter Awareness Week in November. Preparedness information is also available from display racks and the website. During a storm, the public is advised to monitor local radio, television and NOAA weather alert radios for up-to-date forecasts.
The hazard mitigation strategies listed above primarily involve providing information on general safety measures to the public. These measures provide basic safety information but, since the response to winter storms is primarily a government and/or corporate function comprised of tasks such as clearing roads of snow and ice and repairing downed utility lines, there are few measures that can be employed to reduce damages to existing or future buildings and infrastructure.
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Utility Failure
A utility emergency usually means an electrical power or natural gas outage or a fuel shortage caused by an oil embargo, power failure or natural disaster.
Physical Characteristics
Modern society is very dependent on electrical power for normal living and is therefore quite disrupted by loss of power. Most power outages last about fifteen minutes to one hour. If longer, the utilities will inform the local news media of the anticipated duration of the outage. Thunderstorms with lightning can also cause power failure.
Fuel shortages can be caused by localized imbalances in supply. Labor strikes, severe cold weather or snowstorms also can cause a local shortage.
Three electric companies and one municipal provider serve Washburn County. Barron Electric Cooperative, Xcel Energy and Spooner Municipal Utilities are the primary providers of electric services to the county.
Spooner Municipal Utilities- serves the City of Spooner and portions of the Town of Spooner and the Town of Evergreen. Xcel Energy- serves residents in the City of Shell Lake, Village of Birchwood, and parts of the Towns of Trego, Springbrook, Sarona, Stone Lake, Bashaw, Barronett, Beaver Brook, Long Lake and Birchwood. Barron Electric Cooperative- serves rural portions of Washburn County including the Towns of Gull Lake, Stinnett, Spooner, Bass Lake, Madge, Crystal, and parts of the Towns of Casey, Trego, Stone Lake, Bashaw, Beaver Brook, Birchwood, Long Lake, Sarona, Barronett, and Evergreen. Dahlberg Light & Power- is an investor owned electric utility which serves approximately 11,000 retail customers in Douglas, Bayfield and Washburn Counties of Wisconsin. Communities served include Solon Springs, Gordon, Summit, Barnes, Frog Creek, Wascott, Minong, Brooklyn,
Page 120 Utility Failure
Chicog, Amnicon, Lake Nebagamon, Highland, Poplar, Brule, Cloverland, Parkland, South Range, Maple, Lakeside, Hughes, Oulu, Iron River, Delta, Hawthorne, Bennett, and Oakland. (Washburn communities are underlined.)
In Washburn County, natural gas services are provided by WE Energies via a steel high-pressure natural gas main with a carrying capacity of 450 pounds of pressure, which runs from Shell Lake to Spooner following Highway 63, and follows CTH K north to CTH E into Trego. From Trego, the line follows STH 63 into Sawyer County servicing the communities of Earl and Springbrook. Any future extension of this main line to Washburn County residents would depend on year-round home heating customers who would be willing to pay for extensions.
Frequency of Occurrence
Washburn County may have several short power outages (i.e., lasting less than six hours) per year but does not have a history of extended power outages. The possibility always exists that a man- made or natural disaster could affect the power system for an extended period of time. Due to the mostly rural nature of Washburn County, brown-outs (i.e., times when, because of high power demand, areas are purposefully turned off of the power grid) are not a strategy used by the power companies that provide service.
In general, Washburn County has a medium likelihood of utility failures with a low risk of damage, death or injury due to a loss. Obviously, power outages are more likely to occur and the severity is greater in areas of higher human population (i.e., urban areas) but the loss of power to rural customers, while affecting fewer people, generally lasts longer and can be as life-threatening, especially if a person with special needs (e.g., the elderly, the young, those on special medical equipment) is involved.
Vulnerability
The failure of a utility to function can have wide-ranging impact in Washburn County. People, especially special needs populations, in residential properties may not be able to safely live in their
Page 121 Utility Failure
homes because of inadequate heat, the inability to cook, etc. Businesses, including the utilities themselves, may lose money due to the inability to produce goods and services for which they can bill. Utilities may also be non-operational due to damaged infrastructure, which can be very expensive to replace and/or repair. Critical infrastructure such as hospitals, schools and governmental facilities may not be able to operate or may have to operate at a reduced capacity due to the loss of utility services.
Agricultural concerns may be impacted by the loss of utilities because extreme temperatures reduce the volume of livestock products and products such as milk may not be able to be properly stored. Finally, transportation on roadways may become unsafe due to the loss of directional and street lights. All of these concerns are exacerbated by the extreme cold that is not uncommon in northern areas of Wisconsin, including Washburn County. Beginning in 2009, Washburn County began participating, along with other counties in the Northwest Emergency Management Region, in a Long-Term Power Outage workshop and exercise series to identify risks and vulnerabilities for power outage situations. It is expected that the workshops will provide information that can be used to prepare for, respond to recover from and mitigate these incidents.
Hazard Mitigation Strategies
Washburn County has worked directly with the utility companies and first responders in formulating emergency management plans. During a fuel or power shortage, residents, schools, industry and businesses will be asked to take measures to conserve fuel. If the fuel shortage reaches a critical stage, all non-essential facilities will be closed down and contingency plans will be put into effect.
Evacuation and shelter arrangements have been prepared in case of a severe power outage. It should be noted that schools are often top choices as community disaster shelters but few of the county‘s schools have back-up generators. In the event of a prolonged power outage Washburn County has generators available in the County Highway Shop for EOC operation or a community shelter. Local hospitals have emergency generators for their own use but otherwise, there are few generators in the county. The county would like to add emergency power generators to emergency shelters in Birchwood, Minong, Spooner and Shell Lake for emergency heat, shelter and feeding. The City of Shell Lake would
Page 122 Utility Failure like to continue the partnership with local utility companies with inventorying critical assets and identifying potential concerns due to severe weather.
The Barron Electric Cooperative would like to bury above-ground power lines in selected areas. These areas are highly dense with mature trees. Power disruption to customers is common, especially in storms.
Long Lake (sections of the Towns of Long Lake, Madge & Birchwood) affects 450-500 members Holy Island (Town of Long Lake, sections 23 & 26) affects approximately 50 members Spooner Lake (Town of Spooner, sections 22, 26, 27 & 35) affects approximately 130 members Cable Lake (Town of Evergreen/Sect. 13 and Town of Spooner/Sect. 18) affects about 70 members
Another strategy is to add emergency power generators to support the water and sewage systems. Spooner would like to purchase and install 6 more stationary generators. Spooner has 2 mobile and 3 stationary back-up generators for water and sewage. Shell Lake would like to inventory the system, purchase and install where deficiencies exist.
Page 123 Volcano, Coastal Erosion, Hurricane and Tsunami
Volcano, Coastal Erosion, Hurricane and Tsunami
Due to the geographic location of Wisconsin and/or Washburn County, these natural hazards are not considered to be a risk and will not have mitigation strategies associated with them.
Page 124 Appendix A: Maps
Appendix A: Maps
Map of County Municipal Divisions
Page 125 Appendix A: Maps
Wisconsin Total Severe Weather Events
Wisconsin Emergency Management, http://emergencymanagement.wi.gov/docview.asp?docid=13595&locid=18
Page 126 Appendix A: Maps
Soils Types
Source: Soils of Wisconsin compiled by F. D. Hole, 1973; Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey Map, scale (approx.) 1: 3,150,000.
Page 127 Appendix A: Maps
County Emergency Services Zones
Page 128 Appendix A: Maps
Earthquakes in Wisconsin
Peak Ground Acceleration Contours and Historical Earthquakes in Wisconsin
Wisconsin State Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2004, page 4-64
Page 129 Appendix A: Maps
Washburn County Forests
Page 130 Appendix A: Maps
Wisconsin Annual Precipitation
Source: http://www.uwex.edu/sco/state.html
Page 131 Appendix A: Maps
County Watersheds
Page 132 Appendix A: Maps
Wisconsin Total Flood Events
Wisconsin Emergency Management, http://emergencymanagement.wi.gov/docview.asp?docid=13591&locid=18
Page 133 Appendix A: Maps
Washburn County Dams
Page 134 Appendix A: Maps
St. Croix Basin Bedrock
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Page 135 Appendix A: Maps
Landslide Incidence and Susceptibility
Wisconsin State Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2004, page 4-83
Page 136 Appendix A: Maps
Karst Potential
Wisconsin State Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2004, page 4-84
Page 137 Appendix A: Maps
Wisconsin Hail
Wisconsin Emergency Management, http://emergencymanagement.wi.gov/docview.asp?docid=13592&locid=18
Page 138 Appendix A: Maps
Wisconsin Lightning
Wisconsin Emergency Management, http://emergencymanagement.wi.gov/docview.asp?docid=13593&locid=18
Page 139 Appendix A: Maps
Wisconsin Severe Thunderstorm Winds
Wisconsin Emergency Management, http://emergencymanagement.wi.gov/docview.asp?docid=13596&locid=18
Page 140 Appendix A: Maps
Wisconsin Tornadoes 1844-2008
Source: Wisconsin Emergency Management
Page 141 Appendix A: Maps
Wisconsin Tornadoes (1982-2007)
Wisconsin Emergency Management, http://emergencymanagement.wi.gov/docview.asp?docid=13594&locid=18
Page 142 Appendix A: Maps
Wisconsin Tornado Events Paths 1950 – 2006
Page 143 Appendix A: Maps
Wisconsin Tornado Density
Page 144 Appendix A: Maps
Wisconsin Seasonal Snowfall (2006-2007)
Wisconsin Emergency Management, http://emergencymanagement.wi.gov/docview.asp?docid=12366&locid=18
Page 145 Appendix A: Maps
Electric Transmission Lines
Wisconsin State Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2004, page 4-193
Page 146 Appendix A: Maps
Electrical Substations
Wisconsin State Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2004, page 4-194
Page 147 Appendix A: Maps
Natural Gas Pipelines
Wisconsin State Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2004, page 4-196
Page 148 Appendix A: Maps
Wastewater Facilities
Wisconsin State Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2004, page 4-189
Page 149 Appendix B: Plan Adoption
Appendix B: Plan Adoption
This plan has been adopted by Washburn County and its major municipalities. Scanned copies of those municipalities that adopted this plan follow.
Page 150 Appendix B: Plan Adoption
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Page 155 Appendix B: Plan Adoption
Page 156 Appendix B: Plan Adoption
Page 157 Appendix B: Plan Adoption
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Page 159 Appendix B: Plan Adoption
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Page 162 Appendix B: Plan Adoption
Page 163 Appendix B: Plan Adoption
Page 164 Appendix B: Plan Adoption
Page 165 Appendix B: Plan Adoption
Page 166 Appendix C: Summary of Mitigation Strategies
Appendix C: Summary of Mitigation Strategies
Summary of Mitigation Strategies Hazard Type Mitigation Measures Costs of Project Responsible Project Project Community(ies) Comments Management Timetable Priority Benefitting All Hazards Promote the use of National Oceanic Covered by EM Dept, City On-going, Medium Countywide If a grant becomes available, and Atmospheric Administration annual budget of Shell Lake as grants would like to purchase radios (NOAA) weather radios available for the rural people not covered by sirens. Municipally-owned sirens are in Spooner (3 and looking at getting 2 more), Shell Lake (2), Birchwood (1), Minong (1) and Stinnett is getting one and are activated by the county dispatch center. Otherwise, will encourage people to purchase their own radios. Continue to add/update Emergency Covered by EM Dept On-going Medium Countywide Management Department links on the annual budget existing county web site (e.g., ARC, Homeland Security/FEMA, WEM, Ready.gov) especially focusing on preparedness bulletins. Publicize the website. Publish a special section in the ~$3,000 EM Dept., As grant Medium Countywide FEMA PDM program grants paper(s) of record with emergency Cities of Shell funding may be a funding source. information on severe weather and a Lake and available list of emergency agencies to contact. Spooner A tower is being built to provide Unknown Information As grants Medium Countywide wireless internet service (i.e., a Technology available hotspot) for emergency personnel.
The Spooner Police & other city $16,000 Spooner Completed High City of Spooner The Spooner Police & Utility departments would like to go on the Police and Depts. are on the same
Page 167 Appendix C: Summary of Mitigation Strategies
tower too. Utility Depts. frequency and often interfere during transmissions. Added a new tower and went on different frequencies. Provide the capability for the 9-1-1 Sheriff‘s Dept. Completed High Countywide As of May 2007 Center to locate emergency calls coming in from cellular telephones The county would like to upgrade the ~$40,000 EM Dept. As grant Medium Countywide communications ability of the EOC to funding is include a base station for fire and law available enforcement frequencies and computers. Conduct a feasibility study and cost Covered by EM Dept/ On-going Low Countywide This project is an expensive benefit analysis for installing a annual budget Sheriff‘s Dept. one that the county can not Reverse 9-1-1 communications afford but is important for rural system in the county notification. There are technical problems with switching capacity at the Century Tel switches. Evaluate services, contracts and $4,000 EM Dept. As grant Low Countywide The Public Health Department prices for a fixed satellite telephone funding is has a mobile satellite phone for the EOC. available that might be used for field operations. Apply for Government Emergency $0 EM, Public Completed High Countywide GETS cards for priority land- Telecommunications Service (GETS) Health & line and cellular telephone cards for land-line and cellular Sheriff‘s usage were applied for and telephone services. Depts. received. Drought and Encourage municipalities to Covered by Municipalities On-going Low Cities of Shell Dust Storms prepare/publicize water usage annual budget Lake and regulations/restrictions for non-farm Spooner, areas during drought Villages of Birchwood and Minong and Washburn Co (with and for the Towns)
Page 168 Appendix C: Summary of Mitigation Strategies
Encourage residents and businesses Covered by City of On-going Low Cities of Shell to reduce water consumption through annual budget Spooner and Lake and implementing water flow reduction Municipalities Spooner, measures. Villages of Birchwood and Minong and Washburn Co (with and for the Towns) Conduct an assessment of water and $1,000/ Cities of Shell 2014 Low City of Shell sewage capacity for assessment Lake and Lake; Village of residential/human use and Spooner Birchwood manufacturing/industrial needs based on existing and projected future inhabitants and development. County should be prepared to provide Covered by UW-Ext./FSA As needed Low Countywide The county has sandy soils so information to farmers during times of annual budget water mainly drains away after drought (including information on the rains. purchase of crop insurance) Flooding and Tozier Lake Road (on the Yellow Unknown Municipalities As grant Low Town of The county did many flooding Dam Failure River in the Town of Evergreen) (Town of funding Evergreen improvement projects after the floods because the culverts are not Evergreen & available 2001 Presidential Disaster large enough to handle sudden snow Co Hwy) Declaration for flooding. melts and strong rains. The county will continue to participate Covered by EM Dept. Ongoing in the preparedness program and annual budget work with partners to monitor the dams and plans to ensure currency. The Minong and Trego utility Medium Towns of Minong Washburn Co. owns the dams, dams are concerns. and Trego which are operated by North American Hydro. There is a program for maintenance and emergency planning for failures, which includes an annual tabletop exercise. 20- 30 properties would be impacted by the failure of either dam. The Nelson Lake Dam in Sawyer Low Towns of Frog The dam is on the Totogatic County has a slight chance of Creek and River and would impact the Page 169 Appendix C: Summary of Mitigation Strategies
problems but would impact Minong Towns of Frog Creek and approximately 20 homes if it Minong. The dam generates failed. electricity and is the responsibility of Xcel Energy. Most other dams have no improved property downstream.
Yellow River dam Low City of Spooner This is an old utility dam that is currently used by the WI DNR for their fish hatchery. If it breaches, there are 4 properties downstream that would likely be impacted. Seal manholes below MSL 1226.0 $50,000 City of Shell As grant Medium City of Shell Lake WDOC and US EDA funding Lake funding possible available Work with local, state and federal Covered by City of Shell Ongoing Medium City of Shell Lake This is part of an ongoing agencies in addressing the rising annual budget Lake groundwater study. water of area lakes. *Develop a comprehensive approach ~$5,000 City of Shell As grant Medium City of Shell Lake FEMA PDM possible funding to reducing the possibility of damage Lake funding source and loss of function to structures, available critical facilities and infrastructure. *Conduct a regional flood elevation ~$10,000 City of Shell As grant Medium City of Shell Lake FEMA‘s Flood Mitigation on Round Lake, Chain Lake and Little Lake funding Program (FMA) and DNR Ripley Lake. available possible funding source. *Follow through on all conditions of Covered by City of Shell Ongoing Medium City of Shell Lake the Wisconsin DNR permit to assure annual budget Lake continued operation of the diversion project. *Conduct a hydrogeology study in the ~$100,000 City of Shell 2009-2014 High City of Shell Lake In 6/06 the City of Shell Lake Shell Lake area to predict the effects Lake signed an agreement with the of the diversion project on future lake USGS to complete this study. levels of Shell Lake/other area lakes. *Identify sites where environmental ~$3,000 City of Shell 2009 - High City of Shell restoration work can benefit flood Lake, Village 2014 Lake; Village of Work with LWCD and seek mitigation efforts. of Birchwood Birchwood possible DNR funds. and LWCD
Page 170 Appendix C: Summary of Mitigation Strategies
*Identify sites and sources of funding ~$300,000 2009 - High City of Shell Lake City of Shell with WEM/FEMA on moving buildings 2014 FEMA‘s FMA and DNR Lake, WEM, and/or acquisition of green space in possible funding sources. FEMA floodplain areas. Seal old manholes subjected to ~$40,000 – as City of 2015 Medium City of Spooner Some old manhole lids have flooding funding available Spooner holes in them Replace storm sewer system ~$ 500,000 – as City of 2015 High City of Spooner The existing system is funding available Spooner undersized and salt applied by the county highway dept is destroying many of the concrete structures Construct a regional storm pond in $340,000 – as City of 2014 Medium City of Spooner TID 4 Industrial Park funding available Spooner Create rain gardens up stream of $5,000 – as City of 2014 Medium City of Spooner This will reduce overall flow existing storm sewers funding available Spooner and clean storm water before discharge to river Create a Birch *Encourage the development of Covered by EM Dept. Ongoing Medium Countywide acquisition and management annual budget strategies to preserve open space for flood mitigation *Develop a public information and Covered by EM Dept. 2012 Low Countywide education program on the impact of annual budget storm water to the community and critical facilities. *Provide information to citizens about Covered by EM Dept. Ongoing Medium Countywide Link will be made available on the purchase of flood insurance annual budget the website Forest Fires The county would like to have the $9,000 County GIS As grant Medium Countywide The GIS Dept. and the DNR and Wildfires ability to print fire zone maps in- Dept. funding is zone-mapped the whole house on a 3-4 year update available county for emergency schedule. responders (fire and others). The project was funded by a mix of DNR grant funding and county funding. The maps will need to be updated over time to reflect changes/ development. The county would like to make a GIS Covered by County GIS 2014 Medium Countywide data layer that identifies local special annual budget Dept. Page 171 Appendix C: Summary of Mitigation Strategies
needs citizens so that first response agencies can provide appropriate services. Ensure emergency service access to Covered by Zoning and On-going High Countywide Accomplished by: all structures, critical facilities and annual budget Local Fire . Encourage the towns to other infrastructure by ensuring that Departments enforce the county driveways are wide enough for ordinance regarding emergency vehicle access. driveway widths on a regular basis and on zoning permits for new construction . Conduct public information campaign regarding the importance of adequate entries . Remove trees Provide good public information on Covered by Local Fire Ongoing Medium Countywide . Local departments provide fire-safety and wildfire concerns. annual budget Departments, public information Encourage residents to have fire DNR regarding fires every year plans and practice evacuation routes. during fire safety week in October. . The DNR leads wildfire safety. Have worked together in the past and would like to continue with a stronger focus on wildfires (FIREWISE). . The Fire Association purchased a training trailer/smokehouse for children to go through. Ensure that local fire departments are Covered by Local Fire Ongoing High Countywide The DNR provides a wildfire aware of the changing fire-risk in their annual budget Depts., DNR book with areas of concern coverage areas each season. highlighted. Inspect high-risk areas and provide Covered by Spooner Fire Ongoing High City of Spooner The Spooner Fire Department mitigation recommendations to facility annual budget Department contracts with the DNR to do owners. FIREWISE inspections/education in high- risk areas. They also get GPS points of buildings, rate Page 172 Appendix C: Summary of Mitigation Strategies
maintenance issues and give recommendations for improvement. Project covers approximately 150 homes/year. Continue maintenance of a clear Covered by City of Shell Ongoing Medium City of Shell Lake zone along the western edge of the annual budget Lake City of Shell Lake to prevent fires. Install dry hydrants in each of the 21 $1,000/town Local Fire On-going Medium Towns of Not all of the town fire towns to ensure adequate emergency $21,000 total Departments, Barronett, departments have a solid water supply. EM Dept. Bashaw, Bass water supply. Lake, Beaverbrook, Birchwood, Brooklyn, Casey, Chicog, Crystal, Evergreen, Frog Creek, Gull Lake, Long Lake, Madge, Minong, Sarona, Spooner, Springbrook, Stinnett, Stone Lake, Trego Continue to enhance local Costs vary Local Fire Ongoing High Countywide Local departments would like intergovernmental cooperation in Depts., DNR, to have regular training a mock emergency response by, for example, EM Dept. fire exercise every three years providing ample training for volunteer with the DNR. fire fighters for larger fires Severe Continue public informational Covered by EM Dept. and Ongoing Medium Countywide Done in an annual campaign in Temperatures campaigns about severe weather and annual budget Health Dept. spring (heat) and fall (cold) preparing emergency kits for home and will be added to the and auto. website. Encourage the continued use of local Covered by EM Dept., 2009 - Medium Countywide and facilities open to the elderly or those annual budget Health Dept. & 2014 City of Shell Lake with disabilities needing a place to City of Shell escape the extreme temperatures. Lake Storms: Hail Place hail storm safety materials on Covered by EM Dept. Ongoing Medium Countywide the website and publicize during annual budget Page 173 Appendix C: Summary of Mitigation Strategies
severe weather week. Make information available regarding Covered by UW Ext. Ongoing Low Countywide the purchase of crop insurance annual budget Storms: Place lightning safety materials on Covered by EM Dept. Ongoing Medium Countywide Lightning the website and publicize during annual budget severe weather week. Inventory all critical facilities to ~$5,000 City of Shell 2014 Low City of Shell Lake After the survey, the city will determine if they are properly Lake plan for and/or install upgrades grounded. as the budget allows. Provide information regarding the use Covered by EM Dept. and Ongoing Low Countywide of fire-resistant materials, lightning annual budget Local Fire rods, surge protectors and other Departments grounding equipment. Storms: Increase citizen understanding of Covered by EM Dept Ongoing Medium Countywide Place thunderstorm safety Thunderstorm thunderstorm warning and watch annual budget materials on the website and advisories. publicize during severe weather week. The County Fairgrounds have no Unknown Fair Board As Medium Countywide There is no guidance on place for emergency shelter and no assistance fairground safety plans. If this emergency plans although it houses available were received, it would be the Rodeo and the County Fair. passed to the fair board for consideration. If funding were available for shelters, the board would also be informed. Storms: Explore the feasibility of constructing Costs vary EM Dept As grant Low Washburn Co. Utilize Department of Tornadoes and a tornado shelter in the county-owned funding and Village of Commerce‘s CDBG for funding High Winds Totogatic Campground and other available Minong assistance campgrounds as deemed appropriate. Encourage builders and owners of Covered by EM Dept Ongoing Medium Countywide Will provide information via manufactured and mobile homes to annual budget website link use tie-downs with ground anchors Identify sites available to local Covered by City of Shell 2014 Medium City of Shell Lake citizens in a tornado and develop an annual budget Lake, EM and Village of implementation plan when a tornado Dept, Health Birchwood is imminent. Dept. & ARC Promote tornado awareness, Covered by EM Dept Ongoing Medium Countywide Done during tornado including safety measures such as annual budget awareness week in April and understanding the meaning of by sponsoring spotter classes Page 174 Appendix C: Summary of Mitigation Strategies
tornado warnings and watches as requested. Information will be included on the website for homes, schools and business safety measures. Storms: Winter Promote winter hazards awareness, Covered by EM Dept Ongoing Medium Countywide Done during winter weather including home and travel safety annual budget awareness week in November measures (including home and auto and will be added to the emergency kits.) website. Clear roadways as quickly and Covered by Washburn Co. Ongoing, High Countywide efficiently as possible for emergency annual budget Highway as needed purposes. Dept., Municipal DPWs Utility Failure Bury above-ground power lines in Unknown (but in Barron As grant High Towns of Long . Long Lake (sections of the selected areas. These areas are the millions of Electric funding Lake, Madge, Towns of Long Lake, highly dense with mature trees. dollars for all Cooperative available Birchwood, Madge & Birchwood) Power disruption to customers is projects) Spooner and affects 450-500 members common, especially in storms. Evergreen . Holy Island (Town of Long Lake, sections 23 & 26) affects approximately 50 members . Spooner Lake (Town of Spooner, sections 22, 26, 27 & 35) affects approximately 130 members . Cable Lake (Town of Evergreen/Sect. 13 and Town of Spooner/Sect. 18) affects about 70 members Continue the partnership of the City Covered by Utilities, City 2014 Medium City of Shell Lake of Shell Lake with local utility annual budget of Shell Lake, companies with inventorying critical Shell Lake assets and identifying potential Fire Dept., EM concerns due to severe weather. Dept. Add emergency power generators to $80,000/shelter EM Dept. As grant Medium Cities of Spooner There are very few emergency buildings in Birchwood, Minong, or $320,000 total funding and Shell Lake generators in the county so Spooner and Shell Lake for available and Villages of that when there is a power emergency heat, shelter and feeding. Birchwood and failure, there are no shelters. Page 175 Appendix C: Summary of Mitigation Strategies
Minong The Highway Shop has a generator and can serve as the EOC and/or a shelter. The hospitals have emergency generators for their use. Add emergency power generators to Approximately Utilities, Cities As grant Medium Cities of Shell Spooner has 2 mobile and 3 support the water and sewage $10,000/ of Shell Lake funding Lake and stationary back-up generators systems. generator and Spooner available Spooner for water and sewage. Spooner would like to purchase and install 6 more stationary generators. Shell Lake would like to inventory the system, purchase and install where deficiencies exist.
* - Denotes those mitigation strategies that support continued compliance with the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)
EM Dept = Washburn County Emergency Management Department DNR = Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources LWCD = Washburn County Land and Water Conservation Department UW Ext. = University of Wisconsin Extension Service DPW = Department of Public Works WEM = Wisconsin Emergency Management WDOC = Wisconsin Department of Commerce FEMA = Federal Emergency Management Agency FSA = Farm Services Agency USGS = United States Geological Survey EDA = US Economic Development Administration GIS = Geographic Information System CDBG = Community Development Block Grant FMA = Flood Mitigation Program PDM = Pre-Disaster Mitigation EOC = Emergency Operations Center ARC = American Red Cross
Page 176 Appendix D: City of Shell Lake Mitigation Strategies Progress Report
Appendix D: City of Shell Lake Mitigation Strategies Progress Report
ESTIMATED COST IN RESPONSIBLE Mitigation PROJECT Hazard Type TODAY’S MANAGEMENT COMMENTS PROGRESS Actions/Projects TIMETABLE DOLLARS AGENCY (THOUSANDS) Inventory existing seals Wisconsin Dept. of Inventory was completed by of sewer manhole Commerce the city. Grant funding was FLOODS covers that could (WDOC) & US not available to complete the overburden the sewage 50 City of Shell Lake 2004-2005 Economic rest of the project. The rest of treatment system by Development the goal is going to be carried allowing runoff into the Admin. (EDA) over into the Washburn system. possible funding County plan. Investigate the potential This goal was incorporated for new and remodeled into the City‘s Stormwater plan commercial, industrial, and will not be brought into the and high-density County plan. residential City of Shell Lake development, where 100 2004-2009 applicable, to contain Local Developers on-site retention ponds to prevent runoff during high rain events. Assess potential health Requests for this type of and safety concerns of assistance are part of the at risk individuals City of Shell Lake normal course of business for impacted by the responsible agencies. Any 20 2004-2009 floodwaters and assist Washburn County future requests of this nature in relocation measures Heath Department will be handled upon request. if necessary. This item will not be brought into the County plan.
Page 177 Appendix D: City of Shell Lake Mitigation Strategies Progress Report
Develop a Grant funding was not secured comprehensive to complete this project; this FEMA Pre-Disaster approach to reducing goal will be carried over into Mitigation Program the possibility of the Washburn County plan. 5 City of Shell Lake 2005-2006 Funds (PDM) damage and loss of possible funding function to structures, source critical facilities, and infrastructure. Seek funds to assist in FEMA‘s (HMGP) or This goal was completed. the rehabilitation, PDM and WDOC relocation or purchase Emergency 1,000 City of Shell Lake 2004-2009 of homes impacted by Assistance floodwaters. Program possible funding. Work with local, state, This is part of an ongoing Covered in and federal agencies in groundwater study and will be Annual addressing the rising City of Shell Lake 2004-2009 brought forward and kept as Operating water of area lakes. part of the County plan. Budget
Develop measures for This item is completed and is Covered in wetland protection and now covered as part of the Annual restoration within the City of Shell Lake 2004-2009 applicable ordinance. Operating corporate limits. Budget
Conduct a regional Grant funding was not secured FEMA‘s Flood flood elevation on to complete this project; this Mitigation Program Round Lake, Chain goal will be carried over into 10 City of Shell Lake 2004-2009 (FMA) and DNR Lake and Little Ripley the Washburn County plan. possible funding Lake. source.
Update the zoning This item was completed ordinances to ensure 10/04 and is now covered as buildings built in the Covered in part of the applicable flood plain are Annual ordinance. City of Shell Lake 2004-2009 constructed above the Operating regional flood elevation Budget or are flood proofed.
Page 178 Appendix D: City of Shell Lake Mitigation Strategies Progress Report
Review existing flood This item was completed plain ordinance and Covered in 10/04 and is now covered as determine if necessary Annual part of the applicable City of Shell Lake 2004-2005 to make any future Operating ordinance. changes. Budget
Monitor daily the level Covered in This is now standard of Shell Lake to Annual procedure in the City‘s annual City of Shell Lake 2004-2009 efficiently manage the Operating plans and will not be carried diversion project. Budget forward to the County plan. Develop an operational Completed 9/06. and maintenance Covered in manual to assure Annual City of Shell Lake 2004-2009 proper use of the Operating diversion project by all Budget parties involved. In the spring of each This is now standard year, evaluate snow procedure in the City‘s annual Covered in cover in the Shell Lake plans and will not be carried Annual Watershed for potential City of Shell Lake 2004-2009 forward to the County plan. Operating runoff to determine the Budget management elevation for Shell Lake. Annually meet with the This item will be dropped from Covered in Technical Oversight the County plan as an Annual Committee to deal with City of Shell Lake 2004-2009 individual item because it is Operating issues resulting from now part of the item listed Budget the diversion project. immediately below this one. Follow through on all This is an ongoing project that conditions of the Covered in will be carried forward into the Wisconsin DNR permit Annual County plan. City of Shell Lake 2004-2009 to assure continued Operating operation of the Budget diversion project.
Page 179 Appendix D: City of Shell Lake Mitigation Strategies Progress Report
Conduct a In 6/06 the City signed an hydrogeology study in agreement with the USGS to Potential funding the Shell Lake area to complete this study. from the Wisconsin predict the effects of 100 City of Shell Lake 2004-2009 DNR and United the diversion project on State Geological future lake levels of Survey (USGS). Shell Lake and other area lakes. Work with landowners City of Shell Lake This was completed in 2006. to develop and 5 2004-2009 implement flood Private Property mitigation strategies. Owners Identify sites where City of Shell Lake Work with county Grant funding was not environmental conservation received to complete this restoration work can 3 Washburn County 2004-2009 department and project; this goal will be carried benefit flood mitigation Land & Water seek possible DNR over into the Washburn efforts. Conservation Dept. funds. County plan. Work with FEMA on City of Shell Lake Grant funding was not FEMA‘s Flood financing of moving received to complete this Mitigation Program buildings and/or Wis. Emergency project; this goal will be carried 300 2004-2009 (FMA) and DNR acquisition of green Management over into the Washburn possible funding space in floodplain County plan. sources. areas. FEMA Retain water when This goal was completed with possible utilizing water City of Shell Lake the completion of the control structures, 150 2004-2009 stormwater plan in 2004. detention ponds and Private Developers infiltration ponds, etc. Control construction Covered in This goal was completed with site erosion with better Annual the completion of the City of Shell lake 2004-2009 enforcement of the Operating stormwater plan in 2004. existing ordinance. Budget Develop a public This will be an ongoing project FEMA Pre-Disaster information and that will be moved to the Mitigation Program education program on County plan for all of the 3 City of Shell Lake 2004-2006 Funds (PDM) and the impact of storm County‘s municipalities. DNR possible water to the community funding source and critical facilities.
Page 180 Appendix D: City of Shell Lake Mitigation Strategies Progress Report
Incorporate This goal was completed with Covered in recommendations from the completion of the Annual the storm water plan City of Shell lake 2004-2009 stormwater plan in 2004. Operating into existing city Budget ordinances. Continue the city‘s This item has been involvement in the Covered in implemented and will not be Annual National Flood City of Shell lake 2004-2009 carried forward to the County Insurance Program. Operating plan. Budget
Promote and FEMA Pre-Disaster This is an ongoing item that City of Shell Lake encourage private Mitigation Program will be carried forward into the
property owners to 3 2004-2009 Funds (PDM) and County plan. Private Property purchase flood DNR possible Owners insurance. funding source FOREST/ Ensure emergency City of Shell Lake, This is an ongoing activity that WILDFIRES service access to all Covered in Shell Lake Fire will be carried forward into the structures, critical Annual Dept., Washburn County plan. 2004 facilities and other Operating Co. Sheriff Dept. & infrastructure. Budget Emergency Mgmt., WDNR Continue to enhance This is an ongoing activity that Covered in City of Shell Lake the local will be carried forward into the Annual intergovernmental 2004-2009 County plan. Operating Washburn County cooperation regarding Budget Emergency Mang. emergency response. Investigate potential This item was completed and City of Shell Lake cost-share and grant will not be carried forward to
programs with the DNR funding and the County plan. Washburn County Wisconsin Department Congressional High
of Natural Resources 100 2004-2009 Priority Status WDNR and other state and possible funding
federal grants for sources. Shell Lake Area purchases of fire Fire Association fighting equipment.
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Continue maintenance This is an ongoing project that Covered in of a clear zone along will be brought into the County Annual the western edge of the City of Shell Lake 2004-2009 Plan. Operating community to prevent Budget forest fires. Develop, approve, City of Shell lake This item was completed and promote or enhance fire will not be carried forward to protection agreements WDNR the County plan. and partnerships, DNR and where applicable, to Shell Lake Fire Congressional High clarify roles and 50 Dept. 2004-2009 Priority Status a responsibilities of each possible funding group and to provide for Washburn County source. fire mitigation activities Emergency Mang. and suppression preparation. Adjoining Towns Conduct annual FEMA Pre-Disaster This is an ongoing project that City of Shell Lake education and outreach Mitigation Program will be brought into the County
activities for residents 3 2004-2009 Funds (PDM) Plan. Washburn County aimed at mitigating possible funding Emergency Mang. wildfire hazards. source Encourage single- FEMA Pre-Disaster This is an ongoing project that City of Shell lake family residences to Mitigation Program will be brought into the County
have fire plans and 1 2004-2009 Funds (PDM) Plan. Washburn County practice evacuation possible funding Emergency Mang. routes. source Encourage a risk This is a continuing project analysis of areas that will be brought into the outside the city having County Plan. the potential for threatening the city from wildfire. City of Shell Lake Encourage the DNR or 25 2004-2009 Washburn County WDNR Forestry to create hazard maps using GIS technology to identify ―risk sites‖ and further assist in prioritizing mitigation activities. Page 182 Appendix D: City of Shell Lake Mitigation Strategies Progress Report
TORNADO Increase citizen City of Shell Lake This is a continuing project FEMA PDM Funds understanding of that will be brought into the 3 2004 possible funding tornado warning and Washburn County County Plan. source. watch advisories. Emergency Mang. Continue to participate This is a continuing project in Tornado Awareness FEMA Pre-Disaster that will be brought into the City of Shell Lake Week each April to Mitigation Program County Plan.
educate people on 2 Ongoing Funds (PDM) Washburn County tornado safety and to possible funding Emergency Mang. increase awareness to source. the hazard. Continue the testing of Covered in This is a continuing project the public emergency Annual that will be brought into the City of Shell Lake 2004-2009 siren/system. Operating County Plan. Budget Encourage citizens to Grant funding was not purchase weather FEMA Pre-Disaster received to complete this City of Shell Lake radios in an effort to Mitigation Program project; this goal will be carried
continuously have 1 2004-2009 Funds (PDM) over into the Washburn Washburn County access to immediate possible funding County plan. Emergency mang. tornado warning or source. watches. Publish a special Grant funding was not section in the received to complete this FEMA Pre-Disaster Washburn County City of Shell Lake project; this goal will be carried Mitigation Program Register with over into the Washburn 3 20042009 Funds (PDM) emergency information Washburn County County plan. possible funding on tornados and a list Emergency Mang. source. of emergency agencies to contact. Encourage critical This item is covered in the community facilities be State construction code and is Covered in designed to withstand a not under local control so Annual Category III tornado, City of Shell Lake 2004-2009 therefore it will be dropped. Operating which has winds as Budget high as 206 miles per hour.
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Develop a list of ―safety This item was not completed shelters‖ available to and will be brought into the Covered in local citizens in the County plan. Annual event of a tornado and City of Shell Lake 2004-2009 Operating develop a plan of action Budget for use when a tornado is imminent. Coordinate with This item is coordinated by the NORWESCO Radio Covered in county by regular procedures Club to provide ham Annual and will not be carried forward City of Shell Lake 2005-2006 radio assistance in the Operating into the County plan. event of a major loss of Budget communications. THUNDERSTORMS, Increase citizen City of Shell Lake FEMA PDM This is an ongoing project that LIGHTNING, AND understanding of Program Funds will be brought into the County 3 2004-2009 HAIL thunderstorm warning Washburn County possible funding Plan. and watch advisories. Emergency Mang. source. Make citizens aware of This is an ongoing project that how they can protect will be brought into the County their homes from FEMA Pre-Disaster Plan. City of Shell lake lightning damage Mitigation Program
through education 3 2004-2009 Funds (PDM) Washburn County materials on lightning possible funding Emergency Mang. rods and all other source. proper grounding protection. Continue the testing of Covered in This is listed elsewhere and the public emergency Annual will be brought into the County City of Shell Lake 2004-2009 siren/system. Operating Plan. Budget Inventory all critical This item was not completed facilities to determine if and will be brought into the 5 City of Shell Lake 2005-2006 they are properly County plan. grounded.
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Publish a special This is listed elsewhere and section in the FEMA Pre-Disaster will be brought into the County City of Shell lake Washburn County Mitigation Program Plan.
Register with 3 2004-2009 Funds (PDM) Washburn County emergency information possible funding Emergency Mang. about thunderstorms, source. lightning, and hail. WINTER STORMS Continue the This item was not completed partnership of the city and will be brought into the with local utility Covered in City of Shell Lake County plan. companies in Annual 2004-2009 inventorying critical Operating Shell Lake Fire assets and identifying Budget Department potential concerns due to winter weather. Inventory and identify This item was completed and critical assets that could will be dropped. ―go down‖ in the event of a sudden or 2 City of Shell Lake 2004-2007 prolonged power outage due to winter weather.
Encourage local This is an ongoing item that residents to have an FEMA Pre-Disaster will be brought into the County emergency supply kit in Mitigation Program plan. their household and 1 City of Shell Lake 2004-2009 Funds (PDM) auto to protect them possible funding from winter storms. source.
Encourage households City of Shell Lake, This is an ongoing item that Covered in to prepare for extreme Washburn County will be brought into the County Annual cold by having Health Dept., 2004-2009 plan. Operating emergency supplies for Washburn County Budget their home and auto. Emergency Mang.
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Develop a winter This is an ongoing item that weather awareness will be brought into the County FEMA Pre-Disaster program with the City of Shell lake plan. Mitigation Program county to inform local 3 2004-2009 Funds (PDM) citizens of the potential Washburn County possible funding hazards associated Emergency Mang. source. with winter weather conditions. Clear roadways as City of Shell lake This is an ongoing priority that quickly and efficiently will be brought into the County 10 2004-2009 as possible for Washburn County plan. emergency purposes. Highway Dept. Publish a special This is listed elsewhere and section in the will be brought into the County Washburn County Plan. Register on driving and FEMA Pre-Disaster City of Shell Lake personal protection Mitigation Program
during the winter 3 2004-2009 Funds (PDM) Washburn County season and provide possible funding Emergency Mang. localized contact source. information for emergency services agencies EXCESSIVE HEAT Publish a special This is listed elsewhere and section in the will be brought into the County Washburn County Plan. FEMA Pre-Disaster Register with City of Shell Lake Mitigation Program emergency information 3 2005-2009 Funds (PDM) on extreme heat and Washburn County possible funding localized contact Emergency Mang. source information for emergency services agencies. Encourage the City of Shell Lake This is an ongoing project that continued use of local will be brought forward and Covered in facilities open to the Washburn County included in the County plan. Annual elderly or those with Health Dept. 2004-2009 Operating disabilities needing a Budget place to escape the Washburn County extreme temperatures. Emergency Mang. Page 186 Appendix D: City of Shell Lake Mitigation Strategies Progress Report
DROUGHT Institute water Covered in This is an ongoing project that restrictions during Annual will be brought forward and City of Shell Lake 2004-2009 prolonged dry periods. Operating included in the County plan. Budget Encourage residents & This is an ongoing project that businesses to reduce will be brought forward and water consumption included in the County plan. 3 City of Shell Lake 2004-2009 through implementing water flow reduction measures. Conduct an This item was not completed assessment of water and will be brought into the capacity for human County plan. consumption and manufacturing/industrial 1 City of Shell Lake 2005-2006 needs based on existing and projected future inhabitants and development. EARTHQUAKE Promote public Washburn County, including awareness of the the City of Shell Lake, is not potential threat of close to a fault line that would earthquakes to the FEMA Pre-Disaster generate damaging City of Shell Lake citizens, critical Mitigation Program earthquakes. This item will
facilities, and 1 2004-2009 Funds (PDM) therefore be deleted from the Washburn County infrastructure in the city. possible funding plan. The County plan does Emergency Mang. source examine the risk of earthquakes and provide information detailing the extremely low risk.
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Appendix E: Community Input
Washburn County believes in the importance of gathering public input from interested parties in the community. To achieve this goal, the Emergency Management Office took every opportunity available to utilize various methods to publicize the opportunity for people to participate in the planning process and to gather input from interested parties. The table that follows outlines the major opportunities that were created to discuss the plan. The table includes dates of workgroup meetings, meetings with public officials and media opportunities for the all-hazards pre-disaster mitigation plan.
DATE SUMMARY OF OPPORTUNITY
10/16/06 County Emergency Management Director sent media release to two newspapers One chose not to print it. (See copy following).
10/16/06 County Emergency Management Director sent survey and cover letter/workgroup invitation to all of the municipal elected officials. (See copy following).
11/9/06 Spooner Advocate printed press release. (See copy following).
7/27/07 Washburn County PDM plan workgroup meeting
7/31/08 Washburn County PDM plan workgroup meeting (0900–1030) and tour of potential hazard mitigation projects (1030 – 1430).
3/24/10 Washburn County Law Enforcement Committee reviewed and commented on the draft in a public meeting. (See minutes.)
5/6/10 Workgroup meeting with County EM Director, contractor and City of Spooner representative.
5/10/10 Mail draft plan to contiguous counties for review and comment.
May 2010 Legal Public Notice placed in newspaper requesting comment.
6/16/2010 Workgroup met to review and discuss the plan.
6/22/10 Washburn County Board reviewed, questioned and
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commented on the draft in a public meeting.
07/13/2010 Public Meeting – sign-in attached.
07/14/2010 Washburn County Fire Association Meeting – mitigation measures discussed with the leaders of all of the county‘s fire districts.
07/19/2010 Washburn County Board meeting. Resolution to adopt the plan was made and passed.
July – The cities, villages and towns in Washburn County all posted August the discussion notice about the plan for their business 2010 meetings and voted on its adoption in open, public meetings.
Page 189 Appendix E: Community Input
16 October 2006
For More Information, Contact Tim Wallace (715-468-4730) For Immediate Release
Washburn County, like the rest of the State of Wisconsin, is vulnerable to a variety of disasters. Wisconsin has incurred disaster-related damages totaling nearly $3 billion in the last three decades, with almost half of that occurring in the 1990's alone. These losses can be reduced through mitigation activities. It is estimated that for every dollar spent on mitigation, $2 to $3 in future damages can be avoided. Hazard mitigation breaks the cycle of damage and repair.
Mitigation actions reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to human life and property from hazards. These preventative actions can be simple such as elevating a furnace in a basement that sometimes has water on the floor. Mitigation can also have a comprehensive approach such as relocating buildings out of the floodplain or strengthening critical facilities to prevent wind damage and provide stronger shelter.
In an effort to better prepare Washburn County to manage its vulnerability to disaster, Tim Wallace, Washburn County Emergency Management Director, applied for and received a Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) planning grant. This goal of this grant is to complete an approvable plan, which will serve as a roadmap that outlines potential cost- effective hazard mitigation activities, some of which might be available for future grant funding.
The plan is designed to look at the risks and vulnerabilities that the county faces from natural disaster and to highlight mitigation strategies that might reduce future losses. Since Shell Lake previously completed a grant to complete its own plan, this plan will cover all of the rest of the county (i.e., except for Shell Lake.) As part of this planning process, Wallace has assembled a workgroup to review and guide the planning activities. The workgroup is reviewing initial background information about Washburn County and has begun identifying strategies that might help.
Wallace stated, ―I am very excited about this part of the planning process. The input from the workgroup can have long-lasting impacts, making Washburn County safer and more disaster resistant.‖
FEMA has recognized the importance of having members of the community involved in the process and Wallace would like to ensure that all interested members of the community have an opportunity to provide input into the plan. If you are interested in more information about the plan or would like to provide input into the plan, please contact Tim Wallace at 715-468-4730.
Page 190 Appendix E: Community Input
Page 191 Appendix E: Community Input
Page 192 Appendix E: Community Input
Date: 16 October 2006 To: Town, Village or City Leader From: Tim Wallace, EM Director Re: Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) Plan
Washburn County, like the rest of the State of Wisconsin, is vulnerable to a variety of disasters. Wisconsin has incurred disaster-related damages totaling nearly $3 billion in the last three decades, with almost half of that occurring in the 1990's alone. These losses can be reduced through mitigation activities. It is estimated that for every dollar spent on mitigation, $2 to $3 in future damages can be avoided. Hazard mitigation breaks the cycle of damage and repair.
Mitigation actions reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to human life and property from hazards. These preventative actions can be simple such as elevating a furnace in a basement that sometimes has water on the floor. Mitigation can also have a comprehensive approach such as relocating buildings out of the floodplain or strengthening critical facilities to prevent wind damage and provide stronger shelter.
In an effort to better prepare Washburn County to manage its vulnerability to disaster Washburn County Emergency Management applied for and received a PDM planning grant. This goal of this grant is to complete an approvable plan, which will serve as a roadmap that outlines potential cost-effective hazard mitigation activities, some of which might be available for future grant funding.
The plan is designed to look at the risks and vulnerabilities that the county faces from natural disaster and to highlight mitigation strategies that might reduce future losses to life and property. As part of this planning process, I need your help.
The first step is asking that you please place an item on your November municipal meeting agenda to complete the attached survey. This very short survey will help us to identify the concerns that you have in your municipality and to capture ideas that you have for making your community safer and more disaster resistant. Please return your completed surveys to me at the address listed above by January 1st.
After receiving your surveys, the information will be incorporated into the draft plan, which is being guided by a workgroup of interested agencies and public members. I would like to extend an offer for anyone from your leadership council, your municipal staff or your general community to contact me if they would like to join the workgroup.
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Finally, after the workgroup has a final draft, we will be sending copies of the plan to each of you for final review and adoption. It is important to note two things:
Adoption of this plan will not cost your community anything. You will not be committing to completing any of the projects listed; instead it is a list of triaged ideas that can be accomplished should the funding and will to complete them become available. If you do not adopt this plan, your community will not be eligible to apply for and receive mitigation project funding in the future.
Let me thank you in advance for the assistance that you are providing. This small investment of your time will help make our community a safer, healthier and more disaster-resistant community for years to come.
If you are interested in more information about the plan or would like to provide input into the plan, please feel free to contact me at 715-468-4730.
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WASHBURN COUNTY NATURAL HAZARDS PREPAREDNESS AND MITIGATION QUESTIONNAIRE
1. In the past five years, has your community experienced a natural disaster such as a severe windstorm, flood, wildfire, earthquake, etc.? o Yes o No (If NO, skip to Question 2) o T. of Bashaw o T. of Birchwood If YES, which of these natural disasters occurred? (Please check all that apply.) When event last occurred: More 5-15 Event Within 1-5 years than 15 years Never past year ago years ago ago Drought V. of Minong-2 T. of Casey V. of Minong-3 T. of Barronett T. of Sarona T. of Bass Lake T. of Evergreen T. of Gull Lake T. of Long Lake T. of Minong T. of Spooner T. of Stone Lake T. of Trego T. of Frog Creek Spooner St. Dept Spooner Admin Dust Storm V. of Minong-3 T. of Barronett T. of Bass Lake T. of Evergreen T. of Spooner T. of Stone Lake T. of Trego Earthquake V. of Minong-3 T. of Barronett T. of Bass Lake T. of Casey T. of Evergreen T. of Spooner T. of Stone Lake T. of Trego Flood T. of Evergreen T. of Barronett V. of Minong-3 T. of Stone T. of Bass T. of Spooner Lake Lake T. of Trego Spooner St. T. of Casey Dept T. of Long Spooner Admin Lake
Page 195 Appendix E: Community Input
Lakeshore T. of Bass T. of Evergreen T. of Casey V. of Minong-3 Lake T. of Sarona Erosion T. of Stone Lake Landslide/Debris V. of Minong-3 T. of Barronett Flow T. of Bass Lake T. of Casey T. of Evergreen T. of Spooner T. of Stone Lake Wildfire T. of Barronett V. of Minong-3 T. of Bass T. of Evergreen Lake T. of Stone Lake T. of Casey T. of Minong T. of Spooner T. of Trego T. of Frog Creek Windstorm V. of V. of V. of Minong-4 T. of Barronett V. of Minong-3 Birchwood Birchwood T. of Long T. of Casey T. of Bass T. of Evergreen Lake T. of Gull Lake Lake T. of T. of Stone T. of Minong Springbrook Lake T. of Trego T. of Stinnett T. of Frog Spooner St. Creek Dept Severe Winter V. of T. of Casey V. of V. of Minong- Buchwood Buchwood 3 Storm T. of Bass V. of Minong-2 T. of Minong Lake V. of Minong-4 T. of Frog T. of Beaver T. of Barronett Creek Brook T. of Evergreen T. of Spooner T. of Stone Lake Spooner St. Dept Other (Specify): T. of Sarona- T. of Beaver High water Brook- Severe Rain Runoff due to storm that came through siren
2. For which of the following natural disasters do you think your community is at risk? (Check the appropriate box for each hazard.)
Extremely Very Somewhat Not Event Concerned Concerned Concerned Concerned Concerned Drought T. of Madge T. of Bashaw T. of Beaver V. of Minong-2 V. of Minong-1 T. of Stone Lake T. of Barronett Brook T. of Bass Lake V. of Minong-3 Spooner Admin T. of Casey T. of Crystal T. of Brooklyn T. of Birchwood T. of Gull Lake T. of Evergreen T. of T. of Long Lake Springbrook T. of Minong T. of Stinnett T. of Sarona T. of Trego T. of Frog Creek Spooner St. Dept.
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Dust Storm Spooner Admin V. of Minong-1 V. of Minong-3 T. of Barronett T. of Bashaw T. of Bass Lake T. of Birchwood T. of Brooklyn T. of Casey T. of Crystal T. of Evergreen T. of Madge T. of Minong T. of Springbrook T. of Stinnett T. of Stone Lake T. of Trego T. Frog Creek Earthquake V. of Minong-1 V. of Minong-3 T. of Barronett T. of Bashaw T. of Bass Lake T. of Birchwood T. of Brooklyn T. of Casey T. of Crystal T. of Evergreen T. of Madge T. of Minong T. of Springbrook T. of Stone Lake T. of Trego T. of Frog Creek Spooner Admin Flood T. of Barronett T. of Bashaw T. of Bass Lake V. of Minong-1 Spooner St. T. of Birchwood T. of Brooklyn T. of Crystal Dept. T. of Casey T. of Gull Lake T. of Evergreen T. of Long Lake T. of Minong T. of Madge Spooner Admin T. of Frog Creek T. of Spooner Utilities Spooner Utilities Springbrook T. of Stinnett T. of Trego Lakeshore T. of Casey T. of Sarona V. of Birchwood T. of Brooklyn V. of Minong-1 T. of Barronett T. of Crystal V. of Minong-3 Erosion T. of Bashaw T. of Trego T. of Birchwood T. of Bass Lake Frog Creek T. of Madge T. of Evergreen T. of T. of Minong Springbrook T. of Stone Lake T. of Stinnett Landslide/ T. of Crystal V. of Minong-1 T. of Trego V. of Minong-3 Debris Flow V. of Minong T. of Barronett T. of Bashaw T. of Bass Lake T. of Birchwood T. of Brooklyn T. of Casey T. of Evergreen T. of Madge T. of Page 197 Appendix E: Community Input
Springbrook T. of Stone Lake T. of Stinnett T. of Frog Creek Wildfire T. of Barronett T. of Gull Lake T. of Bashaw V. of Minong V. of Minong-3 T. of Casey T. of Long Lake T. of Bass Lake T. of Birchwood T. of Stone T. of Minong T. of Stinnett T. of Beaver Lake T. of Spooner St. Brook Springbrook Dept T. of Brooklyn T. of Frog Creek T. of Chicog T. of Crystal T. of Evergreen T. of Madge T. of Trego Spooner P.D Community A* Windstorm Spooner Utilities T. of Birchwood V. of Minong-2 V. of Birchwood V. of Minong-3 T. of Gull Lake T. of Bashaw V. of Minong T. of Long Lake T. of Bass Lake T. of Barronett T. of T. of Brooklyn T. of Crystal Springbrook T. of Casey T. of Stinnett T. of Evergreen T. of Frog Creek T. of Madge Spooner St. T. of Minong Dept T. of Stone Lake Spooner Admin T. of Trego Spooner P.D Severe T. of Barronett T. of Bashaw V. of Minong-2 V. of Birchwood T. of Casey T. of Beaver T. of Bass Lake V. of Minong Winter Storm Spooner St. Brook T. of Brooklyn V. of Minong-3 Dept T. of Birchwood T. of Crystal T. of Spooner Utilities T. of Stone Lake T. of Evergreen Springbrook T. of Frog Creek T. of Madge T. of Minong T. of Stinnett T. of Trego Spooner P.D Spooner Admin
3. Has your community had damage to any facilities or infrastructure (e.g., roads, public buildings, utilities?) No- V. of Birchwood No- V. of Minong None- V. of Minong-3 Yes, From flooding road and shoulder damage- T. of Barronett Road Damage and Power Lines- T. of Bass Lake Roads = Rainfall after siren tornado washed out roads and culvers in town. Also one other time in last 15 years- T. of Beaver Brook Roads washing out from rains; Trees and Power lines down due to ice and heavy snow- T. of Birchwood Roads- T. of Bashaw Minor Culverts washing out- T. of Brooklyn Yes, Damage to Pair O Lakes Road due to Lincoln Lake flooding- T. of Casey Page 198 Appendix E: Community Input
Roads have been flooded- T. of Evergreen Flooded Roads-Damaged Power Lines- T. of Gull Lake Roads have been flooded-power lines down- T. of Long Lake No- T. of Madge Roads Building Trees, and Power lines- T. of Minong-1 No- T. of Springbrook Only damage due to windstorm-trees in roads, power lines down- T. of Stinnett No- T. of Spooner Yes, Culvert washouts and gravel loss around 96 and 97- T. of Stone Lake No- T. of Trego Roads due to high water- T. of Sarona Roads, Trees, Power lines, and homes- Frog Creek No- T. of Chicog
4. What facilities or infrastructure in your community do you think are especially vulnerable to damage during a natural disaster? I think they all are- V. of Birchwood Water Towers- V. of Minong-1 Things that are operated by electricity- V. of Minong-3 Gravel roads, culverts, and trees on roads- T. of Barronett Roads- T. of Birchwood Roads- T. of Bashaw Road Damage and Power Lines- T. of Bass Lake Roads and Utilities- T. of Beaver Brook Church/ Town Hall- T. of Brooklyn Roads- T. of Casey Road washouts, Flooding- T. of Crystal New Town Hall- T. of Evergreen Town Hall-Power Lines- T. of Gull Lake Power Lines- T. of Long Lake Any and All, Houses, Public Buildings, Roads, and Utilities- T. of Madge Power, Schools, Old Folks Homes- T. of Minong Open Structure Earl Park- T. of Springbrook Roads, Power Supply- T. of Stinnett Above ground power lines- T. of Spooner The roads and electric power and communications- T. of Stone Lake Wild Land and Fire- T. of Trego
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Power Substations- T. of Sarona Homes, Barn- Frog Creek Houses in Case of a Forest Fire- T. of Chicog
5. How important do you think each of the following projects are in mitigating (i.e., lessening the impacts of) a natural disaster in your community?
Not Very Somewhat Very Not Project Neutral Important Important Importa Important nt Protecting private property V .of Minong-1 T. of Crystal V. of Birchwood T. of Spooner V. of Minong-3 T. of Stinnett T. of Beaver V. of Minong-4 T. of Stone Lake Brook T. of Barronett T. of Birchwood T. of Bashaw T. of Brooklyn T. of Bass Lake T. of Trego T. of Casey T. of Gull Lake T. of Long Lake T. of Madge T. of Minong T. of Springbrook T. of Stinnett T. of Stone Lake T. of Frog Creek T. of Chicog Protecting critical facilities V. of Birchwood T. of Barronett T. of Bass Lake T. of Spooner V. of Minong-1 T. of Birchwood T. of Brooklyn (hospitals, fire stations, V. of Minong-3 T. of Gull Lake T. of Casey etc.) V. of Minong-4 T. of Stinnett T. of Bashaw T. of Trego T. of Beaver Brook T. of Evergreen T. of Madge T. of Minong T. of Stinnett T. of Stone Lake T. of Sarona T. of Frog Creek T. of Chicog Preventing development in T. of Birchwood V. of Birchwood T. of Beaver T. of Spooner T. of Casey V. of Minong-1 Brook hazard areas T. of Evergreen V. of Minong-3 T. of Stinnett T. of Gull Lake T. of Barronett T. of Trego T. of Long Lake T. of Bashaw T. of Madge T. of Bass Lake T. of T. of Brooklyn Springbrook T. of Minong T. of Stone Frog Creek Lake T. of Chicog T. of Sarona Enhancing the function of T. of Bass Lake V. of Minong-1 V. of Birchwood T. of T. of Spooner T. of Brooklyn V. of Minong-2 T. of Beaver Stinnett natural features (streams, T. of Casey V. of Minong-3 Brook Page 200 Appendix E: Community Input wetlands) T. of Crystal T. of Barronett T. of Bashaw T. of Evergreen T. of Evergreen T. of Birchwood T. of Long Lake T. of Minong T. of Trego T. of Madge T. of Sarona T. of Chicog T. of Springbrook T. of Stone Lake T. of Frog Creek Protecting historical and V. of Minong-2 V. of Minong-3 V. of Birchwood T. of T. of Spooner T. of Gull Lake T. of Barronett V. of Minong Beaver T. of Chicog cultural landmarks T. of Madge T. of Bass Lake T. of Bashaw Brook T. of Stone T. of Brooklyn T. of Trego T. of Lake T. of Casey T. of Long Lake Birchwood T. of Crystal T. of T. of T. of Evergreen Springbrook Stinnett T. of Minong T. of Sarona T. of Frog Creek Promoting cooperation V. of Minong-1 V. of Birchwood T. of Beaver V. of Minong-3 T. of Bashaw Brook among public agencies, T. of Barronett T. of Casey T. of Stinnett citizens, non-profit T. of Bass Lake T. of Spooner T. of Trego T. of Birchwood Community A* organizations and T. of Brooklyn businesses T. of Crystal T. of Evergreen T. of Gull Lake T. of Long Lake T. of Madge T. of Minong T. of Springbrook T. of Stone Lake T. of Sarona T. of Frog Creek T. of Chicog Protecting and reducing V. of Minong-1 V. of Birchwood T. of Beaver V. of Minong-2 T. of Casey Brook damage to utilities V. of Minong-3 T. of Evergreen T. of Trego V. of Minong-4 T. of Spooner T. of Barronett T. of Bashaw T. of Bass Lake T. of Birchwood T. of Brooklyn T. of Crystal T. of Gull Lake T. of Long Lake T. of Madge T. of Minong T. of Springbrook T. of Stinnett T. of Stone Lake T. of Sarona T. of Frog Creek T. of Chicog Strengthening emergency V. of Birchwood V. of Minong-1 T. of Casey V. of Minong-2 T. of Bashaw T. of Trego services V. of Minong-3 T. of Birchwood V. of Minong-4 T. of Crystal T. of Barronett Page 201 Appendix E: Community Input
T. of Bass Lake T. of Beaver Brook T. of Brooklyn T. of Evergreen T. of Gull Lake T. of Long Lake T. of Madge T. of Minong T. of Stinnett T. of Stone Lake T. of Sarona T. of Springbrook T. of Frog Creek T. of Chicog
6. What ideas do you have for your community to mitigate natural disasters?
Keep Power Rows clear to prevent power outages- V. of Minong-2 We need funding to implement any new programs- T. of Barronett Do not have any- T. of Brooklyn Comprehensive plan commission working on migrating solutions- T. of Casey Raising roads, replacing/enlarging key culverts, Develop Redundant communication systems- T. of Crystal Follow the disaster program that the town is in the process of putting together with Washburn Counties- T. of Madge Planning Education- T. of Minong We would like to see more information from Washburn Co. Emergency Management on what is available to us- T. of Springbrook Keep town roads clear of trees- T. of Spooner Keep updating our roads, power, and communications - T. of Stone Lake Agreements with adjourning Towns for assistance with disasters- T. of Sarona Planning and Education- T. of Frog Creek
* Municipality is blackened out.
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Date: 10 May 2010 To: Neighboring County Emergency Management Director From: Carol Buck, Washburn County Emergency Management Director Re: Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) Plan
In an effort to better prepare Washburn County to manage its vulnerability to disaster, Washburn County applied for and received a PDM planning grant. The final draft of the hazard mitigation plan is now complete and is in the review process. If possible, please review the enclosed plan and contact me via email at [email protected] with any comments or questions. If I do not hear from you by 24 May 2010, I will assume that you have no comments. Thank you for your assistance with this effort.
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Date: 10 May 2010 To: Town, Village or City Leader From: Carol Buck, Emergency Management Director Re: Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) Plan
As you are aware, Washburn County, like the rest of the State of Wisconsin, is vulnerable to a variety of disasters. Wisconsin has incurred disaster-related damages totaling $3 billion in the last three decades but future losses can be reduced through mitigation activities. It is estimated that for every dollar spent on mitigation, $2 to $3 in future damages can be avoided.
Hazard mitigation breaks the cycle of damage and repair by reducing or eliminating the long-term risk to human life and property from hazards. These preventative actions can be simple such as elevating a furnace in a basement that sometimes has water on the floor. Mitigation can also take a comprehensive approach such as relocating buildings out of the floodplain or strengthening critical facilities to prevent wind damage and provide stronger shelter.
In an effort to better prepare Washburn County to manage its vulnerability to disaster, Washburn County Emergency Management, applied for, received and has now completed a Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) planning grant. This plan will serve as a roadmap that outlines potential cost-effective hazard mitigation activities, some of which might be available for future grant funding. The plan outlines the risks and vulnerabilities that the county faces from natural disaster and highlights mitigation strategies that might reduce future losses.
We are sending copies of the workgroup‘s final draft plan to each of you for final review and a draft resolution for your municipality to use for adoption of the plan. Please include adoption of this resolution on your next meeting agenda and send a copy of the final passed resolution to Washburn County Emergency Management, PO Box 429, Shell Lake, WI 54871. If you have any questions or comments regarding the plan or would like to provide input into the plan, please feel free to contact me at (715) 468-4730 before 24 May 2010.
It is important to note two things:
Adoption of this plan will not cost your community anything. You will not be committing to completing any of the projects listed; instead it is a list of triaged ideas that can be accomplished should the funding and will to complete them become available. If you do not adopt this plan, your community will not be eligible to apply for and receive mitigation project funding in the future.
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Let me thank you in advance for the assistance that you are providing. This small investment of your time will help make our community a safer, healthier and more disaster-resistant community for years to come.
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WASHBURN COUNTY OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT Carol Buck, Director P.O. Box 429 421 Highway 63 Shell Lake, WI 54871 7 (715)468-4730 Fax (715)468-4715 E-mail: [email protected]
MEMORANDUM
TO: Hazard Mitigation Committee:
Original Members: Dave Vold Bill Marx Darren Vik Tom Miller Nathan Nelson Paul Deneen Mike Keefe Chei Nickell Lenora Borchardt
Additional Plan Participants: Michael Bobbin, Minong Morris Gillette, Birchwood
FROM: Carol Buck, Emergency Management Director
DATE: May 13, 2010
SUBJECT: Hazard Mitigation Plan Update Meeting
A Hazard Mitigation Committee Update Meeting is planned for Wednesday, JUNE 16th at 9:00 a.m. in the LLEC.
Our Consultant, Lenora Borchardt (EPTEC) will be in attendance and will explain where we are in the process, future updates to the Plan, and answer any of your questions. Copies of the Plan will be distributed prior to the meeting.
Please let me know if you can not attend. Thank you for all your assistance on this project!
Carol
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Washburn County Fire Association Meeting Agenda
The next association meeting is Wednesday July 14 at 7:00 P M at the Spooner Fire Hall.
Spooner has constructed the lean-to on their building at the north end of Spooner and if you would like to look it over Darren will have someone there at 6:30 that evening prior to the meeting at 7:00 PM in the fire hall.
Some agenda items so far are listed below. If anyone has any other items they would like discussed please let me know.
1. Washburn County Hazard Mitigation Plan - Darren 2. Northwest Region SCIP Implementation Council - Carol and Darren 3. Radio Communications (Law 1) Darren and Terry 4. Smoke house lean to project and costs - Darren 5. Smokehouse reservations - Fire Prevention Week - Darren 6. W.H.A.L.E. Car Seat Program – Darren 7. Selection of new Secretary/Treasurer
Thank You,
Jerry Sikorski President, WCFA
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AGENDA - APPROVED
Washburn County COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS P.O. Box 639 Shell Lake WI 54871 Phone: (715) 468-4600 Fax: (715) 468-4725 TO: Steven Sather, County Board Chairman Michael (Don) Quinton, 1st Vice Chair Clay Halverson, 2nd Vice Chair Micheal Bobin L.H. "Skip" Fiedler Steven Waggoner Nell Lee Thomas Mackie Thomas Ricci Robert Lester Beth Esser William Allard Robert Washkuhn Timothy Brabec Gregory Krantz David Haessig Romaine Quinn James Dohm Larry Ford William Campbell Daniel Hubin Agenda and Minutes News Media FROM: Lynn Hoeppner, County Clerk MEETING DATE: 07/20/2010 TIME: 6:00 PM PLACE: County Board Room - Elliott Bldg. - Shell Lake, WI
Amended Agenda 07-19-2010 at 8:49 a.m. 1. Call Meeting to Order at 6:00 p.m. – Chair Sather Page 218 Appendix E: Community Input
2. Moment of Silent Meditation and Pledge of Allegiance – Supv. Washkuhn 3. Notice of Meeting - County Clerk Hoeppner 4. Roll Call – County Clerk Hoeppner 5. Approval of Agenda 6. Approval of June 22, 2010 County Board Proceedings 7. Concerned Citizens 8. Administrative Coordinator/Finance Director Report 9. Northern Bridges Update 10. Veterans Service Annual Report 11. Consent Agenda -Regular Resolutions: A. Opposition to Transferring funds from the Segregated Transportation Fund B. Rescind the Prevailing Wage Law Changes That Were Made Effective 01/01/2010 C. Opposition to Closure of Tree Nursery at Hayward D. Committee of Jurisdiction Name Change (Aging & Child Support to Aging & Disability Services Committee) 12. Consent Agenda – Financial Resolutions: None 13. Other Resolutions and Ordinances: A. Adopt Hazard Mitigation Plan B. Increase 2010 Emergency Management Dept. Hazard Mitigation Budget 14. Committee Reports 15. Corporation Counsel Issues/Updates 16. Chair Appointments: 17. Citizen Comments 18. Chair Comments 19. Possible Future Agenda Items 20. Audit Per Diems 21. Adjourn
Respectfully submitted, Lynn Hoeppner Washburn County Clerk
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MINUTES - DRAFT
Washburn County COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS P.O. Box 639 Shell Lake WI 54871 Phone: (715) 468-4600 Fax: (715) 468-4725 TO: Steven Sather, County Board Chairman Michael (Don) Quinton, 1st Vice Chair Clay Halverson, 2nd Vice Chair Micheal Bobin L.H. "Skip" Fiedler Steven Waggoner Nell Lee Thomas Mackie Thomas Ricci Robert Lester Beth Esser William Allard Robert Washkuhn Timothy Brabec Gregory Krantz David Haessig Romaine Quinn James Dohm Larry Ford William Campbell Daniel Hubin Agenda and Minutes News Media FROM: Lynn Hoeppner, County Clerk MEETING DATE: 07/20/2010 TIME: 6:00 PM PLACE: County Board Room - Elliott Bldg. - Shell Lake, WI 1. Meeting called to Order at 6:00 p.m. by Chair Sather 2. Moment of Silent Meditation and Pledge of Allegiance by Supv. Washkuhn 3. Notice of Meeting read by County Clerk Hoeppner Page 220 Appendix E: Community Input
4. Roll Call by County Clerk Hoeppner. Present (21): Bobin, Fiedler, Waggoner, Lee, Mackie, Ricci, Lester, Esser, Allard, Halverson, Washkuhn, Brabec, Krantz, Haessig, Quinn, Dohm, Ford, Quinton, Sather, Hubin. Excused (1): Campbell. Youth Present (3): McNurlin, Hagen, Soelle 5. Approval of Agenda on a motion by Mackie, 2nd by Quinton. M.C. 6. Approval of June 22, 2010 Proceedings on a motion by Fiedler, 2nd by Bobin. M.C. 7. Concerned Citizens: Rod Ripley - concerns on State robbing transportation fund, closure of Hayward Nursery, Hazard Mitigation Plan. Claudette Harrington – costs involved with mitigation funds. Linda Zillmer - concerns over mitigation plan input and minute publishing. 8. Administrative Coordinator/Finance Director Report given by Mike Keefe 9. Northern Bridges Update presentation by John McMahon and Dave Willingham. Answered questions. 10. Veterans Service Annual Report given by Carl Krantz and Kerry Adams. Concerns and questions about transportation funding and charges (Mpls. Trips). 11. Consent Agenda - Regular Resolutions : Motion to approve by Halverson, 2nd by Allard. M.C . A. Resolution 49-10 Opposition to Transferring funds from the Segregated Transportation Fund B. Resolution 50-10 Rescind the Prevailing Wage Law Changes That Were Made Effective 01/01/2010 C. Resolution 51-10 Opposition to Closure of Tree Nursery at Hayward D. Resolution 52-10 Committee of Jurisdiction Name Change (Aging & Child Support to Aging & Disability Services Committee) 12. Consent Agenda – Financial Resolutions: None. 13. Other Resolutions and Ordinances: A. Resolution 53-10 Adopt Hazard Mitigation Plan. Motion to approve by Krantz, 2nd by Bobin. Roll vote: Yes (16), No (4) : Halverson, Brabec, Quinton, Hubin, Excused (1). Youth – Yes (3) M.C. B. Resolution 54-10 Increase 2010 Emergency Management Dept. Hazard Mitigation Budget. Motion to approve by Mackie, 2nd by Esser. Roll vote: Yes (17), No (3): Bobin, Halverson, Hubin. Excused (1). Youth – Yes (3) M.C. 14. Committee Reports were given. 15. Corporation Counsel Issues/Updates - None 16. Chair Appointments - None 17. Citizen Comments. Rod Ripley – concerns of funding for care of Veterans graves in private cemeteries. 18. Chair Comments – Hubin appointed to WCFA Board of Directors, Chris Soelle on National Honor Society. Reminders: County Fair, WCA Convention, Recognized County Centurions – Frances Atkinson, Mary Frahm, Pat Rounce 19. Possible Future Agenda Items - none 20. Audit Per Diems on a motion by Mackie, 2nd by Fiedler. M.C. 21. Adjourn at 7:55 p.m. on a motion by Fiedler, 2nd by Mackie. M.C.
Respectfully submitted, Lynn Hoeppner Washburn County Clerk
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One of the main ways people were made aware of the plan was the publication of a brochure (following) that was widely distributed in the public buildings around the community including the County Courthouse and the library. The purpose of this brochure was to provide a general overview of the mitigation planning process, the impetus for planning and the scope of the final result.
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AGENDA - APPROVED
Washburn County COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS P.O. Box 639 Shell Lake WI 54871 Phone: (715) 468-4600 Fax: (715) 468-4725 TO: Steven Sather, County Board Chairman Michael (Don) Quinton, 1st Vice Chair Clay Halverson, 2nd Vice Chair Micheal Bobin L.H. "Skip" Fiedler Steven Waggoner Nell Lee Thomas Mackie Thomas Ricci Robert Lester Beth Esser William Allard Robert Washkuhn Timothy Brabec Gregory Krantz David Haessig Romaine Quinn James Dohm Larry Ford William Campbell Daniel Hubin Agenda and Minutes News Media FROM: Lynn Hoeppner, County Clerk MEETING DATE: 06/22/2010 TIME: 6:00 PM PLACE: County Board Room - Elliott Building - Shell Lake 1. Call Meeting to Order at 6:00 p.m. – Chair Sather 2. Moment of Silent Meditation and Pledge of Allegiance – Supv. Washkuhn 3. Notice of Meeting - County Clerk Hoeppner Page 224 Appendix E: Community Input
4. Roll Call – County Clerk Hoeppner 5. Approval of Agenda 6. Approval of April 20, 2010 County Board Proceedings 7. Concerned Citizens 8. Administrative Coordinator/Finance Director Report 9. Public Health Annual Report 10. Forestry Annual Report 11. Consent Agenda Resolutions: A. Rezoning Petition & Amendatory Ordinance B. Designating Shell Lake State Bank Depository for CD C. Amending Wild River Trail Master Plan to Allow for UTV D. ATV Route Ordinance – CTH BB (Ranch Rd to Sawyer Co line) E. ATV Route Ordinance – CTH F (Hendricks Rd to Hay Lake Rd) F. ATV Route Ordinance – CTH F (Intersection of Trail 39 to Tranus Lake Rd) G. Ordinance to Repeal and Recreate Sect. 70-1 (To Include Light Utility Vehicles) H. Issue Quit Claim Deed to Resolve Issues with Belvidere Park Assessor’s Plat I. Adoption of Hazard Mitigation Plan 12. Consent Agenda – Financial Resolutions: A. Transfer Money from 2010 General Fund to 2010 Capital Projects Fund – Extension Remodel B. Transfer Funds From 2010 forestry Totogatic Improvements Budget to 2010 Forestry Co Parks Budget - For Basketball Court a Totogatic Park 13. Other Resolutions and Ordinances: A. Apply Forestry and Designated Fund Bal. to 2010 Forestry Aid Dept Budget –Shop Boiler - Mackie B. Increase 2010 Emer. Mgt. Dept Budget – Hazard Mitigation Grant - Mackie 14. Committee Reports 15. Corporation Counsel Issues/Updates 16. Chair Appointments: 17. Citizen Comments 18. Chair Comments 19. Possible Future Agenda Items 20. Audit Per Diems 21. Adjourn Respectfully submitted, Lynn K. Hoeppner, County Clerk
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MINUTES - DRAFT
Washburn County COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS P.O. Box 639 Shell Lake WI 54871 Phone: (715) 468-4600 Fax: (715) 468-4725 TO: Steven Sather, County Board Chairman Michael (Don) Quinton, 1st Vice Chair Clay Halverson, 2nd Vice Chair Micheal Bobin L.H. "Skip" Fiedler Steven Waggoner Nell Lee Thomas Mackie Thomas Ricci Robert Lester Beth Esser William Allard Robert Washkuhn Timothy Brabec Gregory Krantz David Haessig Romaine Quinn James Dohm Larry Ford William Campbell Daniel Hubin Agenda and Minutes News Media FROM: Lynn Hoeppner, County Clerk MEETING DATE: 06/22/2010 TIME: 6:00 PM PLACE: County Board Room - Elliott Building - Shell Lake 1. Call Meeting to Order at 6:00 p.m. by Chair Sather 2. Moment of Silent Meditation and Pledge of Allegiance by Supv. Washkuhn 3. Notice of Meeting by County Clerk Hoeppner Page 226 Appendix E: Community Input
4. Roll Call by County Clerk Hoeppner. Present: (20) Bobin, Fiedler, Waggoner, Lee, Mackie, Ricci, Lester, Edder, Allard, Halverson, Washkuhn, Brabec, Krantz, Haessig, Quinn, Dohm, Ford, Quinton, Sather, Hubin. Excused: (1) Campbell. Youth present: (2) Fields, Soelle. 5. Approval of Agenda on a motion by Mackie, 2nd by Fiedler. M.C. 6. Approval of April 20, 2010 County Board Proceedings on a motion by Washkuhn, 2nd by Quinn. Bobin noted correction of “Brabec” spelling. M.C. 7. Concerned Citizens. C. Harrington – Concerns re: availability of Mitigation Plan to Supervisors and Public for review, requested postponement. D. Posh questioned necessity of WC Economic Development and funding duplication of services. 8. Administrative Coordinator/Finance Director Report given by Mike Keefe. 9. Public Health Annual Report distributed by Lori Bina. 10. Forestry Annual Report given by Mike Peterson. 11. Consent Agenda Resolutions: Hubin requested pulling Item I. Motion to approve Items A-H by Bobin, 2nd by Halverson. M.C. A. Rezoning Petition & Amendatory Ordinance B. Resolution 39-10 Designating Shell Lake State Bank Depository for CD C. Resolution 40-10 Amending Wild River Trail Master Plan to Allow for UTV D. Resolution 41-10 ATV Route Ordinance – CTH BB (Ranch Rd to Sawyer Co line) E. Resolution 42-10 ATV Route Ordinance – CTH F (Hendricks Rd to Hay Lake Rd) F. Resolution 43-10 ATV Route Ordinance – CTH F (Intersection of Trail 39 to Tranus Lake Rd) G. Resolution 44-10 Ordinance to Repeal and Recreate Sect. 70-1 (To Include Light Utility Vehicles) H. Resolution 45-10 Issue Quit Claim Deed to Resolve Issues with Belvidere Park Assessor’s Plat I. Adoption of Hazard Mitigation Plan. Motion by Krantz, 2nd by Ricci to approve. Concerns by Hubin re: availability and review by supervisors and public. Carol Buck, Emer. Mgt. Director, gave history and answered questions on mitigation strategy. Motion by Washkuhn, 2nd by Hubin, to postpone and hold a public hearing on the plan. M.C. 12. Consent Agenda – Financial Resolutions: Motion to approve by Mackie, 2nd by Allard. Roll vote: Yes (20), Excused (1), Youth: (2) yes. M.C. A. Resolution 46-10 Transfer Money from 2010 General Fund to 2010 Capital Projects Fund – Extension Remodel B. Resolution 47-10 Transfer Funds From 2010 forestry Totogatic Improvements Budget to 2010 Forestry Co Parks Budget - For Basketball Court a Totogatic Park 13. Other Resolutions and Ordinances: A. Resolution 48-10 Apply Forestry and Designated Fund Bal. to 2010 Forestry Aid Dept Budget (Shop Boiler). Motion to approve by Mackie, 2nd by Hubin. Roll vote: Yes: (20), Excused (1), Youth: (2) yes. M.C. B. Resolution 49-10 Increase 2010 Emer. Mgt. Dept Budget (Hazard Mitigation Grant) Motion to postpone by Mackie, 2nd by Bobin. M.C. 14. Committee Reports were given. 15. Corporation Counsel Issues/Updates. Report in packet – no questions. 16. Chair Appointments: None 17. Citizen Comments – Linda Zillmer concerns re: decision to publish minutes in official paper only. 18. Chair Comments. Thanked Payton Anderson for flowers and clean-up at Human Services Bldg. Chair gave her DQ gift card in appreciation. Final payment and appreciation plaque was received from Rodeo committee for bleacher loan payoff. 19. Possible Future Agenda Items were mentioned. 20. Audit Per Diems on a motion by Halverson, 2nd by Quinton. M.C. 21. Adjourn on a motion by Mackie, 2nd by Washkuhn. M.C. Respectfully submitted, Lynn K. Hoeppner, County Clerk
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Governmental & Public Input MITIGATION PLANNING PAYS OFF FEMA has long recognized the critical Successful community mitigation importance of hazard mitigation and considers reducing vulnerability to begins with a commitment from natural disasters through mitigation government officials throughout the planning a cornerstone of a national county. Community groups then emergency management plan. Creating Safe, provide vital information to insure that the plan is workable within the In the same way, mitigation framework of the community‘s should be the cornerstone of priorities. local community planning – a Sustainable necessary means of making our REQUIRED INFORMATION community a safer place in which to . Flood maps live, work and play and to leave a Communities . Identification of potential more viable and sustainable hazards environment for generations to . History of occurrences . Hazard impact projections come. . Location of critical facilities Keep in mind – experience shows . Identification of high-risk that for every dollar spent on facilities (schools, fire station, mitigation; two to three dollars is nursing homes, etc.) saved in potential future damages. . Location of repetitive loss structures NOTES:______Prepared by: . Development & prioritization of mitigation projects ______Washburn County Emergency . Other materials as identified Management ______PO Box 805 Ellsworth, WI 54011 ADOPTION OF THE PLAN ______
Local units of government participating in a multi-jurisdictional planning For further information please process must adopt the final plan for contact: the municipality to be eligible for future Washburn County mitigation funds including grants Emergency Management PLANNING MITIGATION available through FEMA. Local units PO Box 805 HISTORY (i.e., towns, villages, cities) that do Ellsworth, WI 54011 not participate would be ineligible to 1. Since 1993 more than 400 Phone (715) 273-6751 disasters have occurred in the receive such funds until such time Fax (715) 273-4047 that they meet these requirements and United States, affecting adopt a plan. communities in all 50 states,
costing the country over $500 To save valuable tax dollars 3. million dollars per WEEK and in your community and 2.Assess Risks- Next, communities killing over 24,000 people. beyond need to identify the characteristics and 2. Floods, ice storms, tornadoes and potential consequences of natural forest/wild fires – these are all hazards. It is important to understand functions of the natural environment THE DISASTER MITIGATION ACT OF 2000 ( DMA2K) how much of the community can be and only become hazardous when affected by specific hazards and what they threaten our ―built‖ the likely impacts would be for The impetus for states and local environment with destruction. important community assets. governments to undertake natural These hazards will occur one day. hazard mitigation planning occurred on When this happens, the results can 3.Develop a Mitigation Plan- Armed October 30, 2000 when the President be appreciably different from past with an understanding of the risks signed the Disaster Mitigation Act of outcomes if our community takes posed by natural hazards, communities 2000 (Public Law 106-390, DMA2K). action today. need to determine what their priorities The law encourages and rewards local should be and then look at possible and state pre-disaster planning, ways to avoid or minimize the WHAT IS HAZARD MITIGATION promotes sustainability as a strategy for undesired effects. The result is a disaster resistance and is intended to PLANNING? natural hazard mitigation plan and integrate state and local planning with strategy for implementation. Hazard mitigation planning is the the aim of strengthening statewide process of developing a set of actions mitigation planning. This new approach 4.Implement the Plan & Monitor designed to reduce or eliminate long- facilitates cooperation between state term risk to people and property from Progress- Communities can bring the and local authorities, prompting them to plan to life in a variety of ways ranging hazards and their effects. work together. The resulting enhanced from implementing specific mitigation planning network enables local and projects to changes in the day-to-day WHY DO IT? state governments to articulate operation of the local government. To accurate and specific needs for ensure the success of an on-going mitigation, resulting in faster allocation program, it is critical that the plan of funding and more effective risk- remains effective. Thus, it is important . To preserve the life, health reduction projects. and safety of residents in to conduct periodic evaluations and your community make revisions as needed. HAZARD MITIGATION PLANNING PROCESS . To protect your community‘s economic health 1.Organize Resources- From the . To preserve the unique start, communities should focus the character of your community resources needed for a successful . To reduce your community‘s mitigation planning process. Essential vulnerability to disaster steps include identifying and organizing To speed your community‘s interested members of the community, recovery after a disaster particularly those with the technical expertise required during the planning process.
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Appendix F: Inter-Revision Updates
Appendix F: Inter-Revision Updates
This plan will undergo major revisions every five years per the FEMA requirements. Washburn County has recognized that there may be information that should be added to the plan between the five year updates but that the costs of continuous updates, printing and distribution can be excessive. This section is designed to hold that information that is gathered between the five year updates. It is felt that only having to reproduce and distribute one section between updates will lessen the costs to the county.
Potential Areas of Concern Identified:
No additional concerns have been identified to date.