<< Read and Download Original Keith and Jann Monson Comment Letter >>
Headquarters
Attn: CECW-P{lp)
7701 Telegraph Road
Alexandria, VA 22315-3860
Regarding the proposed Fargo Diversion.
This letter is coming to you from Keith and Jann Monson who operate a family farm one mile west of Harwood, ND which is 8 miles north of Fargo on Interstate 29. Our farm and most of the land we farm lies on the inside of the proposed diversion. Despite that fact we are 100% against this diversion. We feel that this project is unnecessary because Fargo is able to protect themselves to a reasonable level of protection without doing the diversion [ ie with dikes and levies.] We feel that only because Fargo has decided to build and continue to build to the south in lower flood prone areas that they now feel are the only way out of their bad city planning is to inflict this diversion debacle onto out lying areas without being willing to sacrifice anything within their
city limits. The whole project is being politically motivated by the Fargo city commission and the Cass County commission all of whos members reside within the city of Fargo.
The next thing that we would like to address is the utter mass of this project. 6500 acres of prime farm land and hundreds of homes lost forever. How can you possibly put a fair buyout value on this farm land that did not want to be sold and will not be able to be replaced fairly to a farm operation. The value of that farmland to a farmer as an income source is gone forever. Unproven river intercept structures. Nowhere in the world is there an operating structure like this, yet we are just supposed to believe that they will work in our cold climate with the ice, the snow and the debris.
Rural traffic interrupted. The only way to cross the diversion will be county roads with 700-800 foot bridges that will have to be maintained forever. Do you realize how that will affect the rural ag traffic forever? The final design of the ditch has been altered 10 feet shallower than original design. How is outside water going to be allowed to enter? We now hear that the inside height could be 5 feet higher than the outside berm, just like the West Fargo diversion. We all know how well that one works for the people on the outside.
How far will the water spill back south from the discharge end of the diversion? Will my farm really be flood free, or will the water still back up on me?
The cost of maintance of this entire project forever!! Millions of dollars a year or more!!!
There are many other unanswered questions and for these and many other reasons we feel that the whole project should be scrapped and the city of Fargo should protect themselves from within to a flood level that is within reason.
Fargo was built in the bottom of a lake and like building on the top of an earthquake fault, or next to the ocean in a hurricane zone, there are certain things that man cannot fix completely.
Keith & Jann Monson
2995 170th Ave SE
Harwood, ND 58042
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