The Metro Flood Study Work Group voted Wednesday to stick with a North Dakota diversion as its flood control pick.
The decision came after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that the National Economic Development plan - the best deal for the federal dollar - had been increased from a Minnesota 35,0000 cubic feet per second diversion to a 40,000 cubic feet per second diversion.
The news bolsters the case for a diversion to protect the Fargo-Moorhead metro area, but corps Project Co-Manager Aaron Snyder said it would be unlikely that a similarly sized North Dakota project could be studied and still make the timeline for approval by Congress in December.
A $1.46 billion North Dakota 35,000 cfs diversion has been considered the locally preferred option to fight flooding.
Snyder said later that it may be possible to have a larger diversion project considered for North Dakota after Congress authorizes the 35,000 cfs diversion. That would allow time to get needed studies done, he said. It would then require reauthorization of the project by Congress, he said.
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After Moorhead and Fargo city engineers said they were comfortable that their cities could fend off the 40-foot Red River levels during 500-year floods with a 35,000 cfs diversion, the group unanimously approved keeping the North Dakota channel as the local choice.
