Honey Creek McCarty Park Project

Reducing Flood Risk from Trash Rack Debris

Project Update

An open house for the project will be held on Wednesday, May 27th, 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm at the McCarty Park Pavilion, 2567 S. 78th Street, West Allis.

At the open house, attendees will:

Learn about the improvements coming this year to the trash rack.

Hear what’s next to address broader flood risks.

Have an opportunity to speak with the project team about the trash rack improvements.

For those who cannot attend, an information video will be posted after the event in the resource section below.

Project Background

On August 9–10, 2025, our region was hit with record-breaking storms—classified as 1,000-year events—that caused widespread flooding. In McCarty Park, just south of W. Arthur Avenue between S. 81st and S. 82nd Streets, Honey Creek flows into twin box culverts that carry the creek underground for 2.5 miles before resurfacing north of I-94.

The grates at the entrance to the twin box culverts, known as trash racks, are essential for public safety because they prevent large objects and people from entering the long underground system. MMSD monitors and cleans these trash racks regularly, including before expected rainfall. MMSD designs its system to handle a 100-year storm, sometimes referred to as a 1% probability in any given year storm, although storms larger than this can and do occur. Unfortunately, with the extraordinary rain on August 9–10, it was impossible to keep trash racks clear.

Project Site

Project Map

During these August 9-10 storms, a large amount of debris accumulated on the trash racks, reducing the amount of water that could flow into the twin box culverts. In response, MMSD has issued an emergency declaration to develop and design improvements that will reduce flooding risks related to debris accumulation at the trash racks.

Besides the emergency project to reduce flooding risk from debris accumulation at the trash racks, MMSD will look for opportunities in the future to add more stormwater storage and build long-term resilience in McCarty Park and its surrounding neighborhoods.

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