SHELDON AUTO Wrecking is a local institution in southwestern Wisconsin’s Vernon County. It’s tucked in a lush valley in Viroqua, Wisconsin, just downstream of a 50-foot earthen dam, locally known as “Maple Dale.”

The salvage yard, which buys used vehicles and farm machinery in this rural area to sell for parts, has been in business for nearly 70 years. For most of those years, the dam — less than a half-mile up the road — has protected its yard of hundreds of old cars and broken-down equipment from frequent and sometimes severe flooding in the area.

The dam “was put in place for a reason,” said owner Greg Sheldon.

But it might soon go away.

Maple Dale is one of thousands of dams constructed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, beginning in the mid-20th century, for the purposes of flood control.

In 2018, five […]