MADISON, Wis. -- The threat of flooding remains a top concern for the state Department of Natural Resources, especially in the Yahara River Chain, and officials are making plans to mitigate the danger.

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DNR officials are bringing forward new measures they said will help avoid a repeat of the June 2008 flood that resulted in $78 million in damages for parts of Dane County.

Officials unveiled the plan on Monday as the water levels of the four Madison area lakes are above the summer maximums.

Area resident Jane Adams said she enjoys looking out at Lake Waubesa.

"The lake is so pretty this time of year. It's just clean and the birds have just been spectacular,” said Adams.

Her picturesque back yard was anything but last year.

"We had water basically all the way up to this tree here in our yard," she said, pointing to a tree about 50 yards inland.

Since then, Adams and her neighbors filled their back yard with 2 feet of dirt.

"We're hoping now that after this has been done, that we don't see high waters," she said.

To help avoid a repeat of the flooding that occurred in 2007 and 2008, DNR officials said fast action is needed.

"We're seeing these lake levels higher at this time of the year than anybody would like to see them," said Matt Frank, secretary of the DNR.

The DNR's proactive approach to stem the flooding is partly under way now. The goal: to remove water quicker through the Yahara River Chain while not flooding the lower lakes. As part of the plan, when one of the Madison-area lakes is above its summer maximum, the flood gate in Stoughton and Lake Kegonsa will open, discharge as much water as possible, and ultimately lower the levels of the upper lakes.

This is the first in a series of initiatives to remove constrictions that impede the flow of water through the watershed, but DNR officials said that community input is necessary.

"Just getting our communities in this region to sit down together, make sure that everybody's together on those actions is a really important first step," said Frank.

For Adams and those making a home on the Yahara chain, time is of the essence.

"We need to keep in between the locks or rivers flowing. We need to have our weeds cut and by having that done, flowage will work for everybody on the lake," he said.

The proposed plan also targets improving flow gauges, hydraulics and other infrastructure pieces like bridges.

DNR officials said it’s too soon to know how much or where the funding will come from for the changes and if economic stimulus money can be used.

Officials are asking communities and organizations from throughout the watershed to participate in a Yahara system flooding advisory group to help with other potential long-term solutions.

A forum will be schedules for sometime next week, they said.

Stay tuned to WISC-TV and Channel 3000 for continuing coverage.