FM Area Diversion Project ND Trails Conference (August 8, 2018) - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

FM Area Diversion Project

ND Trails Conference (August 8, 2018)

Flood History and Protection Needs

Interstate 29

Closed April 10. Reopened April 15, 2011. Detour added = 22.8 miles

Transportation Challenges

Volunteer Flood Fighters

Volunteers Fill the Fargo Dome (2009)

7 Million Sandbags – 150,000 Volunteer Hours

69 Miles of Emergency Measures

42 Miles of Temporary Levee 8 Miles of Hesco 0.3 Miles of Porta-Dam 19 Miles of Sandbag

7.3+ Million Sandbags Used

2009 Emergency Flood Fight

Peak – 40.82 ft

Historical Flooding and the Changing 100-Year Floodplain

By the numbers: Flood Insurance Risk

11,000

impacted by future FEMA floodplain

$3,000- $5,000

~$30

to $50

million

Average annual flood insurance premium per home In total, annual flood insurance premiums

per family homes

► 500-year protection

recommended for large metro areas

► Only Winnipeg meets

this recommendation

► Bigger floods have

happened

► Minot, Grand Forks

► FM Area Diversion

Project provides

► 100-year protection ► Ability to fight larger

floods

Protection for floods larger than 100-Year

Red River Basin Commission Long-term Flood Solution Confirm

Red River Floodway near Winnipeg

The Federal Project

Numerous Alternatives Considered

Southside Protection Plan MN Short Diversion 25K ND East Diversion 35K No Action Levee 1% chance Levee 2% chance MN Long Diversion 45K MN Long Diversion 25K MN Long Diversion 35K MN Short Diversion 35K MN Short Diversion 45K ND West Diversion 35K ND West Diversion 45K Distributed Storage

Federal Project

Federally Authorized Project

▪ $93M in Federal funding to date

Diversion Channel in ND

• 1,600 ft wide

Upstream Mitigation Area

• 150,000 acre-feet of staging area
• Eliminates downstream impacts

In-town Levees

• Critical Component of Project

Provides 100-year Flood Risk Reduction

Extreme Events are Flood-Fightable

Timeline of Federal Actions

Feasibility Study Began

Sep 2008

Flood of Record

Spring 2009

Chief’s Report Signed

Dec 2011

Record of Decision Signed

Apr 2012

Water Resource Reform Development Act June 2014 Federal Appropriations & New Start

Dec 2015

Federal Appropriation for Construction

Feb 2016

Project Partnership Agreement Executed

July 2016

Federal construction commenced

April 2017 Construction Currently on Hold

Governors’ Task Force

Governors’ Task Force

• Governors Dayton (MN) and Burgum

(ND) agreed to form and co-chair a 16-person Task Force

• Purpose: To develop design principles

and concept-level engineering solutions to achieve balanced flood risk management for the Fargo-Moorhead region

Why did the Project change?

• The Richland/Wilkin County JPA filed a lawsuit against the

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2013. The lawsuit was later joined by the Fargo-Moorhead Diversion Authority and by the State of Minnesota.

• While the majority of claims were dismissed, an injunction

stopping construction was ordered in Sept., 2017

“It is time for all parties to work together to find common ground.”

• Chief Judge John A. Tunheim

A Changing 100-Year Floodplain

A Changing 100-Year Floodplain

Governors’ Task Force Recommended Level 100-year = 33,000 cfs

Task Force Consensus

►Utilize full Period of Record hydrology

►100-yr flood = 33,000 CFS

►Allow control of flood water flows through town to

37-feet during a 100-yr flood event

►New Western Tie-back Levee alignment in

North Dakota

►Add an Eastern Tie-back Levee alignment in Minnesota ►Distributed storage is valuable for long-term risk

management; however, it is not a component of the near-term Project that needs to provide 100-year flood protection for the F-M Metro

Governors’ Task Force

New Permit Application (Plan B)

What is Plan B?

►100-year Flood Protection

Minimum

►Some features designed to PMF

(Probable Maximum Flood) as required by State and Federal Dam Safety Requirements

►Diversion Channel ►Southern Embankment and

Control structures

►Temporary Staging of Flood

Waters Upstream to Prevent Downstream Impacts

►In-town Levees through

Fargo-Moorhead

Existing Conditions

►100-year floodplain

shown in Blue

With Project

►100-year floodplain

with project shown in Blue

2 floods 15 floods 5 floods 8 floods 3 floods

Increased flow through Fargo-Moorhead (37-feet)

►Design will allow 37-feet through town (up from 35-feet) ►Project will only operate 1 in 20 years, on average ►Benefits Fargo-Moorhead every year

Plan B

Eastern Tie-Back Levee

►Limits the extent of

impacts in Minnesota

►Eliminates any impacts to the

City of Comstock, thus eliminating the need for a ring levee

►Eliminates the need to raise

Hwy 75 or the BNSF railroad

►Impact to organic farms has

been reduced nearly 90 percent from an estimated 2,900 acres to 300 acres

Revised Western Tie-Back Levee

►Shifts the western

tie-back levee south and west from Horace

►Helps balance the

impacts between North Dakota and Minnesota

►Reduces the

impacts to Richland and Wilkin counties

Moving the Southern Embankment North

►Move the southern

embankment north in balances the impacts between ND and MN

►Reduces the impacts to

Richland and Wilkin counties

►Removes 4 of 11

cemeteries from the impacted area

PRE-TASK FORCE

Balanced Impacts between MN and ND

PROTECTED ACRES

• ND = 47,100
• MN = 11,000

STAGING AREA ACRES

• ND = 20,700
• MN = 14,800

PLAN B

ND 81%

MN 19%

ND 58%

MN 42%

PROTECTED ACRES

• ND = 41,200

MN = 9,500 STAGING AREA ACRES

• ND = 22,600
• MN = 5,400

ND 81%

MN 19%

ND 81%

MN 19%

Recreation Opportunities

Recreation Opportunities

►The Federal Water Project Recreation Act of 1965

requires an agency to fully consider recreational features that may be associated with Federal flood risk management projects.

►The City of Fargo, in conjunction with the Fargo park

District, has also made a commitment to providing for recreational opportunities with flood protection efforts along the rivers and drains where practical

2nd Street North

City Hall Bike Paths

► Bike Paths along Levees &

Floodwalls

► Reduces sandbag needs

by approximately 800k

Floodwall Bike Path Bike Path

Timberline

Floodwall Levee & Retaining Wall Combo Levee

Rose Creek Area

Floodwall Levee Golf Course Bike Paths Floodwall

Diversion Project Plan B: Recreation

►Recreation features are being planned along the entire

length of the project and could include:

►Pedestrian/bicycle trails ►Cross Country Skiing ►Snowmobiling ►Trailheads ►Picnic Areas ►Rest rooms ►Interpretive signage ►Wildlife viewing structures ►Fishing ►Benches

Diversion Project Plan B: Recreation

►The Project includes 30-miles of excavated channel

North and West of the metro area along with 12+ miles of embankment to the South.

Diversion Project Plan B: Trail Networks

►A continuous trail network will be required along the

entire length of the Diversion channel.

►Frequent trailhead

locations with multiple picnic areas

►Grade separations

required at Interstates and RR crossings

►Native vegetation

landscapes

Aqueduct Structures

►Project includes two aqueduct structures located at the

intersection of the Diversion channel with the Maple and Sheyenne Rivers

►Aqueduct

structures will be incorporated in the trail network and could provide fishing and educational

• pportunities.

Conceptual Equestrian Trail along Diversion Channel

Diversion Outlet Recreation Area

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Questions?

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