Wisconsin’s innovative new Pre-Disaster Flood Resilience Grant Program is accepting applications for its second grant cycle. This state-initiated and directed program was created to help flood prone local governments work proactively to improve flood resilience. Competitive grants are available to assess vulnerabilities and identify flood resilience priorities on a watershed, catchment, or stream reach scale; or to implement hydrologic restoration of wetlands, streams and floodplains to reduce flood risks.
To spread the good word about this innovative program that WWA helped establish, we are spotlighting projects funded in the first application period. Check out this implementation project from the City of Green Bay!
Project sponsors: The City of Green Bay
Project location: The Astor East River Neighborhood
Project description: The project will restore more than 12 acres of wetland at East River Emilie Park, abutting the East River within the City of Green Bay. Historical records indicate the wetlands in this area were filled between 1967-1978. The project will eventually involve removing the fill and restoring wetland functions. Other elements include providing access for water to flow in and out of the wetland from the East River, multi-use trails, and points of public access to the riverfront. Once complete, the restored wetland will result in approximately 40 acre-feet of improved flood storage (i.e., 40 acres to a depth of 1’), which equates to a volume of 13 million gallons.
The City of Green Bay received a $250,000 pre-disaster flood resilience implementation grant toward regulatory coordination, final design plans, and groundwater monitoring. Funding for other project elements were provided by the City of Green Bay and other funders, including the Fund for Lake Michigan, WDNR Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Grant, Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, and a pending grant proposal to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) in collaboration with the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative.
Project significance: Urban communities often struggle to find places for flood storage, which makes these areas highly susceptible to flood risks and damages. With the City Resiliency Coordinator and partners like the East River Collaborative and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Silver Jackets Program, Green Bay worked proactively to identify options on city-owned or managed properties for reducing flood hazards along the flood prone East River. A thorough assessment evaluated these options and the mitigation solutions at various properties. The Emilie Park location ranked highest for its flood storage potential, habitat restoration co-benefits, and harmony with existing use.
The East River Emilie Park Wetland Restoration project is likely to lead to even more flood mitigation and nature-based solutions as the city works to evaluate additional potential flood storage areas identified through the original assessment performed by consultant EOR, Inc.
Project timeline: Estimates are that this project will be ready for construction in 2027. A summary report documenting activities and results for the Emilie Park project, and all of the other PDFRG supported projects, will be posted on the Wisconsin Emergency Management Website within 90 days of the project completion.
Photo Credit: Rauglothgor – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,
Related content
Spotlight: Dane County Pre-Disaster Flood Resilience Grant Implementation Project
Learn more about another implementation project funded through the first round of the grant program.
Pre-Disaster Flood Resilience Grants announced
Agency Collaboration Profile: Wisconsin Emergency Management