Boscobel Contends With Flooding, With More Rain On The Way

The City of Boscobel in southwest Wisconsin is trying to recover from more than a foot of rain that’s fallen in the last several days.

Wisconsin Emergency Management has been in the city since the heavy rains began last Friday. The community saw eight inches that day alone.

Several dozen people have stayed in shelters. Mayor Steve Wetter says most have returned home, except for the elderly. Wetter says most of the water in city buildings and streets have been pumped. Now residents are contending with flooded basements.

But Wetter says things could get complicated. More rain is forecasted for tonight. He says the soil is saturated; additional rainfall won’t sink in the dirt, and will instead pool on the surface.

Wetter says up to 500 homes in Boscobel have experienced some sort of damage – about half of the homes in the city. There have been several communities that have been dealing with flooded streets and businesses in southwest Wisconsin, especially in Crawford County and Grant County. In Grant County alone, officials estimate damage to public infrastructure at up to $2 million.

Wetter says this is the biggest flooding to hit Boscobel since the 1950s; even the old-timers say the flooding back then wasn’t this bad.

Note: The following roads in the southwestern part of the state are closed because of flooding and mudslides:

• State Highway 61 closed in both directions between WIS Highway 60 and the bridge to Boscobel.
• WIS Highway 60 is closed in both directions between Muscoda and Gotham.
• WIS Highway 35 is closed in both directions from Lynxville to Prairie du Chien.
• WIS Highway 171 is closed in both directions from Highway 27 to 131.