11.22.16

Hoeven Marks Dedication of Fargo Floodwall, Worked to Secure Funding

Floodwall Allows Greater River Flows through Fargo-Moorhead, Mitigates Upstream Impacts

FARGO, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven today joined local officials in Fargo to dedicate the city’s new floodwall, the first complete portion of the federal flood protection project for the region. The $40 million project includes the floodwall and road realignments and was paid for with federal, state and local funding. The floodwall was added as a modification to the Army Corps of Engineers’ original flood project and allows greater river flows through the city, up to 35 feet, removes the need for temporary clay levees along 2nd Street in Fargo and substantially reduces the need for upstream staging during major flood events.

“Fargo’s new floodwall is an important milestone in our fight against threat of flooding in the Red River Valley,” Hoeven said. “This infrastructure not only removes the need for costly and temporary levees in Fargo, which have been installed five times since 2009, it also helps address the concerns of the surrounding areas. We continue working with all groups, including upstream groups and the State of Minnesota, to find these kinds of solutions and advance permanent, comprehensive flood protection for the whole region.”

Hoeven continues his efforts to secure comprehensive flood protection for the Red River Valley. Last month, the senator arranged a meeting in D.C. between the mayors of Fargo and Moorhead, Tim Mahoney and Del Rae Williams, and federal officials, including Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Shaun Donovan and Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy, who oversees the Corps. Hoeven also hosted Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite, the new chief of the Corps, in Fargo this August to press for continued support for permanent flood protection.

At the same time, Hoeven is working as a member of the Energy and Water Appropriations Committee to ensure the Corps has the funding it needs to sustain the construction of the project. Hoeven wrote and secured language in the last December’s funding bill authorizing and funding new construction activity, which was needed to advance the project. The project was subsequently selected for a construction start in the Corps’ Fiscal Year 2016 work plan and the Project Partnership Agreement was signed in July.

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