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Warm, rain lead to flooding potential
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Times photo: Brenda Steurer Rain and melting snow causes flooding at Honey Creek Park, Monroe. The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for the Pecatonica River at Martintown and a flood warning for the Sugar River at Brodhead. The watch and warning span Thursday night to Sunday evening.
MONROE - Early spring rains this week are bringing the first flood warnings of the year for Green County, but city and county workers don't appear to be worried.

Rain fall and snow melt are expected to push the Sugar River above flood stage, but Dick Marty, Patrol Superintendent of the Green County Highway Commission, doesn't foresee any problems on state or county roads.

"It takes a lot for there to be a problem for us," Marty said.

Marty believes the frost is "pretty much out of a lot of the ground," allowing rain and melting snow to seep in.

He also watches flood charts at the National Weather Service Web site.

"I'll know when it comes across County T," he said.

Marty said the Pecatonica River is naturally slower to produce flooding problems across County MM, while road construction, which raised County T, has prevented it from flooding as often as in the past.

"Typically, there are more problems east of Brodhead," he said.

In Monroe, Public Works Director Kelly Finkenbinder said the city doesn't have near the flooding concerns they had a decade ago.

"Better infrastructure (storm sewers) and detention pools have helped," he said.

In the past ten years, Monroe has been requesting private developments increase the size of their retention ponds, and paying a portion to offset the added cost. Those ponds then hold additional city runoff.

"Any areas of concern are only for short periods," Finkenbinder said.

One area that does occasionally flood is at the intersection of 21st Street and Wisconsin 69.

"If we get a hard rain, it'll back up for a short amount of time. If we do get a call about it, by the time we get the call and get a truck out there to block traffic, it's usually starting to drain," he said.

Steve Johnson, Green County Parks Manager, said the Department of Natural Resources is used to getting runoff from neighboring property onto the trails.

"But it's a maintenance problem, not a pollutant one," he said.

Johnson said flooding this weekend is going to be minor, only one foot above the 5.1-foot flood stage.

"It's coming up gradually and going down gradually," he said.

The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for the Pecatonica River at Martintown and a flood warning for the Sugar River at Brodhead. The watch and warning span Thursday night to Sunday evening.

Johnson noted the highest cresting mark on the Sugar River was 11.4 feet above flood stage, Sept. 13, 1915.