He points to a stain on the wall of his barn reminding him of the 2 feet of sand and dirt that washed onto his property.

He’s still trying to remove it, and a new stream behind his home continually floods his basement.

The 3.5-mile creek ripped other private properties to shreds and tore up a state highway in early June 2008, making the area southeast of Baraboo look like a war zone.

It wasn’t the first time Clark Creek has caused damage. The area has flooded five times since 1993, causing the state to spend an undetermined amount of money on cleanup and highway repairs.

And there’s nothing stopping it from happening again.

"It’s frustrating," Jensen said. "I’m very worried about what might happen next time."

Following the 2008 flood, a group of landowners pleaded with government officials to find a long-term solution to the problem, which has yet to come.

Officials say the complexity of the landscape makes a solution hard to find. Clark Creek criss-crosses State Highway 113 and follows the road north to the Baraboo River, bypassing 20 residential and 40 non-residential structures.

Miscommunications between government agencies have also complicated matters.

Shortly after the most recent flood, the Sauk County Land Conservation Department applied for a grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service to re-establish the stream channel and banks.

But Sauk County Land Conservationist Joe Van Berkel said his department didn’t follow through with the application because it was notified that the state Department of Transportation would handle the project.

The DOT repaired the highway, and made improvements to a portion of the creek upstream of highway crossings. But the downstream portion was left alone because it does not threaten the highway.

As a result, the banks along that lower portion are poorly defined, threatening homeowners like Jensen.

"If we get another severe storm event, that stream could basically run any which way," Van Berkel said.

Long-term fix needed

County conservation engineer John Vosberg has designed a potential fix for the lower reach of the creek, which would include deepening the channel and smoothing out some of the turns.

The project would cost about $70,000.

But during a tour of the area Friday with state Representative Fred Clark and stakeholders from other agencies, Vosberg said the project might not provide much benefit to property owners if a holistic solution isn’t pursued first.

In September 2008, a Federal Emergency Management Agency study recommended the completion of a watershed study of the entire Clark Creek area in order to develop an effective solution.

But securing the funds for such a study has been a challenge.

Federal NRCS money for watershed planning dried up three years ago, said John Ramsden, state NRCS engineer.

Van Berkel said state officials have told him a $30,000 grant for a watershed study might be available. But they have not produced any documentation, Van Berkel said, adding that he doesn’t know what funding source the money might come from.

Even if the money is available, it would not be enough for a full watershed study, which might cost as much as $100,000, Van Berkel said.

Clark said he learned that the watershed study funds were included in the most recent state budget. But his requests for more information about the budget item have not been satisfied, he said, adding that he will be following up with state employees to see if he can find out more.

Property owner Judd Maxwell said the lack of communication between government agencies has been frustrating.

"They can’t tell me if the money has been delivered, or if it hasn’t been delivered, who’s got it," Maxwell said. "This project has fallen way off the map in terms of priorities at this point in time."

Andy Morton, lower Wisconsin basin supervisor for the DNR, said watershed money is available through an Environmental Protection Agency stimulus grant.

He said if other government agencies partner in the study, it may help defray some of the cost.

Maxwell said a long-term fix is needed desperately.

"They just keep on moving rocks and gravel to rebuild the thing every few years," he said.

Buyouts not an option

The Town of Greenfield pursued a buyout program to help homeowners leave the flood-prone area. But the town would have had to shoulder 12.5 percent of the buyout costs — about $100,000.

Town Chairman Terry Turnquist said that kind of tax hike would have led to infighting among townspeople (there are approximately 475 property taxpayers in the town).

The town’s budget is under $350,000 and the state places caps on levy increases.

Also, homes must be 50 percent damaged to qualify for the program.

All this leaves homeowners like Jensen — who still have sediment on their property — stuck for the time being.

He said if he could sell the property and move, he would. But that doesn’t seem likely.

"I don’t think I could give it away right now, to be honest with you," Jensen said.

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