ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, posted a copy of its draft Feasibility Report and Environmental Assessment, or EA, on the web today for the proposed Souris Basin, North Dakota, Flood Risk Management project.
The purpose of the feasibility study is to assess the interconnected system of reservoirs, levees and channels within this basin and recommend modifications to existing infrastructure and potential new measures to reduce the risk of flooding. The Corps is working in partnership with the Souris River Joint Water Resources Board, or SRJB, to complete the study. The Corps’ feasibility study is the first step toward a federal flood risk reduction project, and its purpose is to provide Congress with the information it needs to authorize a project for implementation.
The proposed project consists of the construction of what is currently referred to as the ‘Maple Diversion’ or high-flow bypass along with a short tieback levee east of the U.S. 83 Bypass within the city of Minot. The Maple Diversion is a feature of the SRJB’s larger Mouse River Enhanced Flood Protection Project.
The public review period will end Nov. 30, 2017. Official comments concerning the project can be submitted to David Potter, Environmental Planning Section, via email at David.F.Potter@usace.army.mil or by mail at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Attention: Regional Planning and Environment Division North, 180 Fifth St. E., Suite 700, St. Paul, Minnesota 55101-1678. Questions can be directed to Potter by calling (651) 290-5713.
All comments received will be made available to the public to include the possibility of being posted on a publicly accessible website. Individuals are requested not to include personal privacy information, such as home addresses or home phone numbers, in their comments, unless they do not object to such information being made available to the public.
The report can be viewed at www.mvp.usace.army.mil/Home/Public-Notices/. Paper copies of the report are available at the Minot Public Library, 516 2nd Ave. SW, Minot and Ward County Public Library, 225 Third St. SE, Minot.
The nearly 600 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, employees working at more than 40 sites in five upper-Midwest states serve the American public in the areas of environmental enhancement, navigation, flood damage reduction, water and wetlands regulation, recreation sites and disaster response. Through the St. Paul District Fiscal Year 2016 $78 million budget, nearly 1,250 non-Corps jobs were added to the regional economy as well as $120 million to the national economy. For more information, see www.mvp.usace.army.mil.