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Record of Decision signed for Fargo-Moorhead flood diversion project

Published April 4, 2012
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The proposed Fargo, N.D./Moorhead, Minn., flood diversion project achieved another major milestone when Ms. Jo-Ellen Darcy, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works), signed the Record of Decision, or ROD, on the final feasibility report and environmental impact statement April 3.

The ROD and associated report will be sent to Congress for authorization and funding. The signing of the ROD follows clearance of the project by the Office of Management and Budget, and the signing of the Corps’ Chief’s Report, which recommended the diversion project be authorized. The signed ROD, OMB Clearance Letter, Chief's Report and study are posted on the International Water Institute website under the Fargo-Moorhead Feasibility Study page: http://www.internationalwaterinstitute.org/feasibility.

The proposed project would involve the construction of a 36-mile long diversion channel located in North Dakota that would direct floodwater around the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area. The project would temporarily store up to 200,000 acre-feet of flood water immediately upstream of the diversion channel inlet in order to minimize downstream impacts.

If authorization and funding are received, construction could begin as early as April 2013. Col. Michael Price, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Paul District commander, said, “This is a huge milestone for the Fargo-Moorhead Metro area and for the teams that have been working on this for more than three years.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, serves the American public in the areas of environmental enhancement, navigation, flood damage reduction, water and wetlands regulation, recreation sites and disaster response. It contributes around $175 million to the five-state district economy. The 700 employees work at more than 40 sites in five upper-Midwest states. For more information, see www.mvp.usace.army.mil.

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Release no. 12-036