We know locating the diversion on the North Dakota side of the Red River would protect more land for future growth than locating it on the MN side, as this is noted in the “Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Area Flood Risk Management (Plan), July 2011.” Amazingly this land is the same land to be developed in future in Fargo’s 2007 Growth Plan.
We also know the “protection” is to provide for the removal of the natural flood plain from the regulatory flood plain. The almost endless discussion of the alignment (where the diversion ditch is to be located) is over how much land to be “protected” from regulatory flood plain controls.
We know the cost to develop land with regulatory flood plain regulation is higher.
These are facts, not misinformation, that anyone can verify by reading the “Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Area Flood Risk Management, July 2011” report.
The special interests, with big money, want the diversion alignment to “protect” as much area as possible as then they can have a larger area to develop at a lower cost. The regulatory flood controls which they don’t want provide for flood protection and allow development in a sensible and responsible way. Fargo officials have admitted to a lack of sensible and responsible development .
To paraphrase the good mayor Mr. Dennis Walaker recently, “It is all about cost”. The cost he is concerned with is the higher costs to the special interests that he is apparently duty bound to service.
Who is paying the bills to save the special interest development dollars? It is the local, state and federal tax payer, namely us.
We will know the Fargo leaders who are bought and paid for by their votes.
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