Richland-Wilkin Joint Powers Authority
Original Publication Date:
May 22nd, 2014
Wahpeton Daily News
Republished with permission from:
JPA Editorial Team
It is time to face the facts. We have our opinion of how to achieve flood protection for Fargo but we don’t have the option to choose the facts.
The fact is the current Fargo-Moorhead Diversion plan was chosen by North Dakota interests over the Minnesota side because they wanted more land for future development.
The result was it took more land out of the FEMA regulatory flood plain. This is a fact the documents prove.
The fact is the location of the diversion alignment with the dam, ditch and levee does not increase the protection of the currently developed area of Fargo vs. more conservative and less expansive flood control plans. The location only gives the city more area to grow without FEMA flood plain regulations.
The fact is the location of the dam, ditch and levee determines how much water impact is put on to someone else. Impacts are impacts, ring dike or not, compensation or not. The fact is Fargo can still grow even if the city’s development footprint is smaller, it just costs more.
The fact is the F-M Diversion was designed to make development cheaper, meaning more profitable for the special interests. These are facts, not opinions. If we cannot work with facts, thousands of dollars more will wind up in the hands of lawyers.
It is time to face the facts and deal with facts.
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