Corps to Host Meeting on Sheyenne River Flood Risk Management Study (USA)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, along with Valley City, N.D., will hold a public meeting to provide a status update to the public to the Valley City Sheyenne River Flood Risk Management Feasibility study Jan. 10, 2013.

The study is a cost shared effort between the Corps and Valley City to evaluate alternatives for flood risk management in the area.

The purpose of this meeting is to present the results of the initial feasibility study tasks, as well as a study status update and to provide a forum for public feedback. The meeting will be held Jan. 10 at the Valley City High School, 493 Central Ave. ND. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. with an open house, followed by a formal presentation at 7 p.m. and a question and answer period at 7:30 p.m. Anyone interested in the study is welcome to attend.

The study was broken into three phases, and the first phase of the study has been completed. Tasks completed in this first phase include initial data collection, updating the hydrologic and hydraulic models, economic analysis of average flood damages and the development, evaluation and screening of the full array of flood risk management alternatives. The array of alternatives found included no action or continuing emergency flood fight measures, non structural measures such as raising buildings or relocation, structural measures such as levees and floodwalls, and modifications to the operations at Baldhill Dam and Lake Ashtabula.

Analysis of the alternatives determines the federal government’s role in implementing a flood risk management project in Valley City. Some of the alternatives considered were not found to be cost effective and would not be justified for implementation as a federal project. Cost effective alternatives will be carried forward and further developed in the next phase of the study.

The next two phases of the study are scheduled to be carried out in 2013 and 2014. Phase 2 will focus on identifying the tentatively selected plan and Phase 3 will include development of the tentatively selected plan.

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Press Release, December 27, 2012