Mayor’s Column, January 13th, 2024
Rohn Bishop, Mayor of Waupun
Hello Waupun!
You may have seen in the news that a couple of kids fell through a storm water retention pond in Sun Prairie, and died.
As Waupun continues to grow, and as WI-DNR requirements continue to increase, we are seeing more storm water ponds appear across our city. We do not often explain why ponds are constructed, and I thought it would be helpful to talk a little about what our storm water requirements are as a community to provide some perspective.
For reference, storm water ponds improve water quality and storm water capacity control, as mandated by state laws. Our storm sewer system is served by a number of pipes laid underground below streets. Unlike sanitary sewers that collect wastewater from homes and businesses and convey it to a wastewater treatment plant, storm sewers are separate pipes that collect storm water runoff from inlets, catch basins, or drains located along street curbs and in parking areas. Our storm water is discharged into the Rock River; eventually making its way to the Horicon National Wildlife Refuge.
Storm water can pollute our natural waterways. Contaminated storm water is the most significant contributor of pollutants to Wisconsin’s urban waters. These types of pollutants can harm fish and wildlife populations, kill native vegetation, foul drinking water supplies, and make recreational areas unsafe and unpleasant.
The WI-DNR regulates runoff and annually the city reports work we do to mitigate the risk of runoff. The WI-DNR also sets standards that require additional infrastructure to reduce pollution of waterways. These standards require our DPW to provide routine street sweeping, yard waste pickup, educate residents about the importance of keeping grass clippings out of the streets and storm sewer, and the addition of storm water ponds around the city. Over time the city will need to construct in excess of 25 new ponds to address storm water quality issues and meet current DNR standards. The estimated cost of our storm water management plan is in excess of $9 million.
These ponds act as filtration basins to reduce pollutants in runoff and, as such, each has a murky bottom of sediment. The ponds bring a number of safety concerns for our community. While each pond is built with a safety shelf around its perimeter to deter people from entering the pond, there are increased concerns that arise during the winter. Because the ponds collect runoff and other roadway contaminants that contain things like deicing solution, ice on ponds is often unstable and dangerous.
Please talk to your kiddos and keep them off the ponds.
Thank you and God Bless,
Mayor Rohn
