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News

Grants help towns fight flooding, protect homes

Tuesday, August 26, 2025 2:43 PM

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County partnership helps communities invest in stormwater improvements.

When La Crosse County began receiving American Rescue Plan Act funding in 2021, staff in the Land Conservation Department quickly identified a critical need: upgrading stormwater infrastructure in rural areas where systems were aging, undersized or simply no longer keeping up with increasingly frequent flood events.

Many town governments lacked the funding to replace culverts, improve ditching, or install modern stormwater controls. The result was a rising number of flooded roads and private properties, as well as more polluted runoff flowing into rivers and streams.

To help address these problems, the La Crosse County Board approved the creation of a $2 million Stormwater Infrastructure Grant Program. Funded entirely by ARPA, the program offered competitive grants for stormwater projects in unincorporated parts of the county — targeting areas most in need and least able to fund improvements on their own.

The response was strong. Over two funding rounds, $2 million in grants were awarded to more than a dozen projects in the towns of Campbell, Shelby, Onalaska, Farmington, and Holland. With local matching dollars included, the program has driven over $3.2 million in infrastructure upgrades throughout the county.

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

Each project was reviewed and scored by county staff, with priority given to work that could reduce flood risk and improve water quality. Conceptual applications — projects in early stages of design — were eligible for up to $50,000 in funding. Fully designed, shovel-ready projects could receive up to $500,000.

The largest award went to the Town of Shelby’s Wedgewood Valley project, which received the full $500,000 grant along with $210,000 in local matching funds. That effort includes ditching, sediment control, and upgraded storm sewers to reduce flood risk for about 150 homes, following recent flash floods that caused an estimated $280,000 in damage.

“The ARPA program funds allowed the Town of Shelby to complete three important stormwater projects that were otherwise not possible due to our limited budget,” said Shelby Town Chair Tim Candahl.

In the town of Campbell, funding supported stormwater improvements on Pierce Avenue and several earlier-stage projects across the town. “Without the assistance of grants, it’s extremely difficult for the town to afford projects of this magnitude,” said Jason Hilton, Public Works Director for the town of Campbell.

Other projects included work in Apple Valley and Thunderbird Hills in the town of Onalaska, where grant-funded ditching, culvert replacements, and infiltration basins will help control runoff and reduce flooding. Those two designed projects received a combined $600,000 in county funding.

As of August, the final grant-funded project — in Shelby’s Wedgewood Valley — is nearing completion. Once finished, it will mark the close of a program that demonstrated how local partnerships can strengthen community resilience.

By combining federal funding with local expertise, La Crosse County’s stormwater grant program helped towns protect roads, homes, and waterways from the threat of severe storms and flash flooding — investing in infrastructure that will serve residents for years to come.

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