City of Moorhead
500 Center Avenue, Box 779
Moorhead, MN 56561

The Red River of the North, which flows through the cities of Fargo, North Dakota, and Moorhead, Minnesota, has exceeded flood stage every year since 1993.  The floods of 2009, 2010, and 2011 have represented the first, seventh, and fourth highest floods on record for the region.  Every year, the region must erect miles and miles of temporary protective measures, which are costly and often have to be erected quickly under adverse conditions.  In 2009, the city of Fargo, which is North Dakota���s largest city, constructed 52 miles of emergency protective measures, including clay dikes, sandbags, and HESCO barriers to fight the flood.  Although the region has suffered some of its worst flooding in recent years, experts warn that it is only a matter of time until the area is hit with even more catastrophic flooding. 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) indicates that a 100-year event would cause nearly $6 billion in damages.  A 500-year event would flood nearly the entire city of Fargo and a large portion of Moorhead.  A catastrophic breach in temporary protection under these circumstances would likely result in hundreds of fatalities and would devastate the area economically.  Based on the experiences of other communities that have suffered severe flooding, it could take years to recover from a catastrophic event.  The region has been very proactive in removing flood-threatened structures and making other infrastructure improvements to strengthen the ability to wage a flood fight, but one vital piece is still missing.  This region needs a comprehensive, permanent flood protection project.  

After a lengthy study that analyzed a variety of flood protection measures, the local communities selected a diversion channel on the North Dakota side as the locally preferred plan (LPP), and the Assistant Secretary of the Army-Civil Works has granted an exception to allow the Corps to recommend it in lieu of the NED plan.  The Assistant Secretary has noted that ���the locally preferred plan would significantly reduce flood damage, the risk of loss of life and the need for emergency flood fighting measures.���  When compared to the NED plan, the LPP would protect more people and structures and provide a greater reduction in the average annual cost to the region from flood damage, with no increase in federal expenditures.  In addition, the non-federal share to be contributed by the state and local governments, which is more than $970 million, will cover more than half the total cost of project.  This includes revenues raised through local sales taxes already approved by voters for the dedicated purposes of flood mitigation and infrastructure improvement.

The Chief���s Report will be completed by the end of the year, and a construction authorization is requested for the project.  Until permanent protection is in place, these cities will continue to battle floods with temporary measures, costing the taxpayers millions of dollars annually.

Devils Lake is one of only two major lakes in North America contained within a closed basin, meaning that the lake has no natural outlet.   Since 1993 the lake has risen more than 30 feet and quadrupled in size due to a prolonged wet cycle in this part of the state, which is expected to continue.  The rising lake has wreaked havoc on the region - - inundating roads, homes, and productive farmland.  This year, the lake rose another two feet, putting it within four feet of the level at which it would flow out uncontrolled, causing significant damage downstream.  Each 1 foot increase in the lake inundates another 10,000 acres of land, adding further to the economic catastrophe that has hit the region the past 18 years.  A recent study noted that the economic impact of this flood in just the past few years has been more than $83 million.  The city���s drinking water system has had to be completely re-created, and residents are daily put through many major and minor inconveniences, from having to drive miles out of their way to avoid washed-out roads, to having to constantly fight encroaching ground water in their home foundations. 

The USACE is increasing the level of flood protection for the city of Devils Lake by raising and extending the existing embankment.  This disaster has severely strained local resources, and the city is unable to assume all of the operating costs associated with this large project.  Authorization is needed to assist with the extraordinary maintenance costs associated with the embankment, including replacement of pump station equipment and buildings, and major rehabilitation of the embankment, pump stations and drainage channels that may be necessary.

Missouri River Basin, South-Central North Dakota