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u.s. Army Corps of Engineers, Headquarters
Attn: CECW-P(IP)
7701 Telegraphy Road
Alexandria, VA 22315-3860
RE: The Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Area Flood Risk Management.
Dear Corp of Engineers,
I am writing in opposition to the April 2011 Locally Preferred Plan (North Dakota Diversion with storage and staging) for flood control in the Red River Valley. Understanding the need to protect the Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Area from flood on the Red River, I oppose the above mentioned proposal for many reasons.
The effects on the Kindred School district including loss of students and tax base, the destruction of the communities of Hickson, Oxbow and the Bakke subdivision along with countless rural residents would greatly affect our school tax base. It’s not just about the cost of the new school but the effect on our school district for years to come. Obviously, upstream communities were not asked to participate in the decision making process.
Although the Corp acknowledges that there will be impacts outside the 33,390 acre staging area, these issues have not been assessed and these costs are not included in the project. The interaction with flooding from the Sheyenne and other overland flooding; proposed levee along the Horace Road (County 17) prevents the natural flow of water east. These costs to homes and agricultural lands are not in the current project.
The costs of the ongoing operation and maintenance are the responsibility of the local sponsors, now estimated at 3.6 million, which is more that the current annual cost of flood protection.
Potential damage to remaining roads and bridges during the flooding of land (these costs are not currently included in the project). Finding a route open for travel to the Fargo Moorhead area during the flooding is already extremely difficult. The current proposal would leave those of us South of Kindred with potentially no way to travel north. Possible breach of the levee is another concern. Corp report says that the breach would be catastrophic. Who will pay for the recovery?
I know alternatives do exist that address flooding basin wide. These have not been studied or addressed by the Corp nor have areas affected by the issue been included in the planning stages. Further research needs to be done to address all these issue and find an acceptable alternative. The Fargo Forum makes it sound like 1000 people/families are affected the actually number is far greater and we need to be considered and heard.
Sincerely,
Joyce Hendrickson
5555 County Road 3
Kindred, ND 58051
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