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HATFIELD FLOOD HISTORY
Thursday, July 3rd, 2008 -- 12:12 pm
Posted by Riley Hebert-News Director
Could the floods we've seen this year in southern Wisconsin and Iowa ever happen here? Yes, in fact, they have.
While some parts of Wisconsin are blessed with numerous lakes, this area wouldn't have many if not for ingenuity and necessity.
Lake Arbutus is the result of both.
The dam that halts the Black River and created Lake Arbutus was built in 1907. The power created from the hydroelectric plant was used to power cable cars in La Crosse and Winona.
But it wasn't without risk.
According to a New York Times article from October 1911, the dam burst flooding Hatfield, Black River Falls and points downstream.
The story notes a 30-foot headwater crumbled buildings, swept away families and even quotes one Black River Falls businessman as saying the city was "doomed" and would be "wiped off the map" by the flooding.
Hatfield was also flooded again in 1994.
More recently, parts of the area were flooded when "ice dams" clogged the river.
As we reported, improvements to the Hatfield Dam are complete and North American Hydro is just waiting for a government inspection to begin refilling the lake.
"The existing arrangement restricted debris from passing," explains project manager Scott Klabunde, "When debris gets backed up, your flow gets restricted."
Improvements should reduce the risk of another major flood.
The new system has nine hydraulic gates that measure 60-feet wide.
"It will be relatively easy for debris to pass through. The older system, the openings were about six- to eight-feet. Larger trees and stumps would get hung up."
Klabunde told us the refilling of Lake Arubutus could begin on July 14th and should take around 4-weeks.
"Doomed!" Read N.Y. Times Article from 1911
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