Flood Diversion Plan to Start Construction in Fall

The $2 billion dollar FM Diversion project will begin now that leaders have signed the partnership for flood prevention.

Talks of long–term flood prevention have been happening for quite some time.

Local officials hope this agreement is a long–term solution to prevent further damage to the community.

Sandbags, on sandbags, on sandbags: it’s something that people in the metro know all too well, especially after the big flood threat of 2009.

“We’ll essentially we’ve been battling floods not every year, but very often,” Sen. John Hoeven said.

But a deal that was signed by local leaders hopes to reduce the number of sandbags packed for the future.

“Just think about it – if we had another winter with a lot of snow, and then in the next spring, we’re putting up sandbags again! No way, right? We’ve had enough of that,” Hoeven said.

The Project Partnership Agreement, as it’s formally called, allows the flood diversion project to move forward with construction.

A thirty–mile channel will be built in the area, which is expected to reduce the flood risk for two hundred twenty five thousand people.

“It’s a tragedy that must be prevented for no other reason than that it secures public safety and the safety of the property in our region,” Sen. Heidi Heitkamp said.

Minnesota Senators Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar also helped plan the flood diversion project.

It’s expected to take six to eight years to complete.

Construction will start in the fall.