Another wintry storm Friday

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The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Wednesday signed off on an environmental review of the proposed massive Fargo-Moorhead flood diversion project, opening the door to the next step, a lengthy dam permitting process.

Even as they deemed the environmental impact statement adequate, officials cautioned it did not mean they were endorsing the project and that concerns about its effects on the region must still be addressed to secure construction permits.

The $2 billion project calls for 36 miles of diversion channels as well as floodwalls and other civil engineering designed to protect Fargo, N.D., and Moorhead, Minn., from Red River flooding. Flood waters would be stored temporarily on about 33,000 acres with flows controlled via two proposed dams, one on the Red River and one on the Wild Rice River.

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The dam construction permits, if issued, "would establish the required measures needed to avoid, minimize or mitigate environmental impacts," the 


Fargo-Moorhead officials in May said they hoped to start construction late this year. The DNR, though, said it would not put a timeline to any permit decisions and said remains concerned about how the project would affect the area upstream of the proposed Red River dam. The Wild Rice River dam would be located in North Dakota and not subject to Minnesota permit requirements.


"This permit application is quite complex and will require careful consideration of both policy and technical questions," DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr said.


In May, Landwehr said minimizing harm to landowners was a key issue for the DNR, adding that a primary concern was that a dam designed to hold back flood water and divert it into a channel will flood land that doesn't flood now.


Local officials began pushing for a Red River diversion project after a record flood nearly overwhelmed levees here in 2009. It would reduce a 100-year flood event from 42.4 feet to 35 feet in Fargo. The record 2009 flood hit 40.8 feet. The project isn't technically designed to protect against a 500-year flood event, but officials say it would make such a flood manageable.

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The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Wednesday signed off on an environmental review of the proposed massive flood project, opening the door to a lengthy dam permitting process.

Minnesota OKs next step in Fargo-Moorhead flood diversion plan

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