U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp joined key U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials in Fargo yesterday for the official signing of an agreement to initiate construction of the Fargo-Moorhead diversion.
The agreement sets in motion the permanent Red River Valley flood control efforts, including securing strong federal resources for the Corps to implement new construction starts in the year-end spending bill Congress passed, and successfully pressing the head of the Corps and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for flood protections and a new construction start for Fargo in the Corps’ 2016 work plan earlier this year.
As a result of the partnership, the federal support will be formally committed to constructing the Fargo-Moorhead diversion, clearing the path to break ground on the scheme.
The project includes building a 30-mile diversion channel that will direct floodwater around the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area.
This protection scheme will reduce flood risk for more than 225,000 people and 70 square miles of infrastructure.
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