County Awards $702,000 in Stormwater Grants

La Crosse County has awarded $702,000 in stormwater grants to projects in the towns of Campbell, Farmington, Holland, and Onalaska.

The funding is the second round of the county’s Stormwater Infrastructure Program, which last year awarded just under $1.3 million in grant funding. With local matching funds included, the program has spurred a total of $3.2 million in spending to improve infrastructure across the county.

Grants awarded in the second round of funding were for stormwater projects at Pierce Avenue in Campbell, Herman Coulee Road in Farmington, Gaynor Rolling Hills in Holland, and Eric Avenue and Hidden Valley in the Town of Onalaska.

“This investment will have a long-lasting, positive impact,” said County Board Chair Monica Kruse. “It’s also a great example of collaboration to protect homes and public infrastructure from flood risks.”

Flood events, which have been increasing in regularity, can lead to substantial costs for taxpayers when infrastructure needs to be repaired. By improving stormwater infrastructure, the county program will help reduce that risk. Examples of work the program will support include increasing culvert sizes, construction of infiltration basins and ditching. 

The county board approved the use of $2 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding for the stormwater program, which was designed by county staff. Grants of up to $50,000 for conceptual applications or up to $500,000 for designed projects were available. Projects on public land or easements that improve water quality and increase the resiliency of stormwater infrastructure were eligible. The program was open to unincorporated parts of the county only.