The federal government has launched a new website devoted to the Devils Lake Basin and flooding issues.
The new website -- titled the Devils Lake Decision Support System -- is designed to assist people affected by the threatening flood waters of Devils Lake.
It includes up-to-the-minute conditions, forecasts, data, and assessments of the rising water level, according to a joint statement released today by North Dakota's congressional delegation -- Sen. Kent Conrad, Sen. Byron Dorgan and Rep. Earl Pomeroy.
"This website will offer the most up-to-date information available and provide those living in the Lake Region the information they need to make important decisions," the delegation said. "Additionally, leaders at the local, state, and federal level will use this new resource to more effectively communicate as they consider responses to the rising waters of Devils Lake."
Devils Lake was at an elevation of 1,451.84 feet on at 1 p.m. today, about 6 feet below the elevation at which it would spill uncontrollably to the Sheyenne River Basin through the Tolna Coulee.
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The lake has risen nearly 30 feet and quadrupled in size since 1993.
A federal interagency task force is under a mandate to report to Congress by September on potential solutions and costs of preventing a catastrophic flood.
The website, which will be managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), will provide North Dakotans support for response, preparedness and mitigation efforts resulting from the ongoing flooding of Devils Lake.
The site also will facilitate the interagency effort, which includes NOAA representatives, to develop options and recommendations to address the flooding issue.
The site, www.devilslake.noaa.gov , will be continually updated by NOAA.
