About the Project
The Need
North Dakota has the second highest inland flood risk in the United States, behind Louisiana, and the Red River in Fargo exceeded flood stage every year from 1993-2011 – not that those were the only years our community experienced flooding. Flood events have worsened over time, with seven of the 10 largest flood events having occurred in the past 25 years.
The 1997 flood, which set a record at that time when it crested at 39.72 feet, caused $3.5 billion in damages – more than the entire cost of constructing the FM Area Diversion. In 2009, Fargo-Moorhead set a new record, cresting at 40.82 feet with the community spending $8.4 million to fight it.
Today, 235,000 people – and their homes, businesses and property – are at risk of catastrophic flooding until the FM Area Diversion is completed.
Project History
Planning for the FM Diversion project started after 1997 flood, which was a record at that time. After numerous studies, permits, Congressional actions and more, the plans are now in place and moving forward. The region is on track to have permanent, reliable flood protection by 2027. Here’s a look at how we got here.
Project Components
Locations of 4 Main Project Components
Stormwater Diversion Channel and Associated Infrastructure (SWDCAI)
Delivered by the Red River Valley Alliance, the P3 developer for the project, the SWDCAI includes a 30-mile Diversion Channel, a Diversion Outlet, and aqueducts on the Maple and Sheyenne Rivers. There also will be 14 drainage inlets, three railroad crossings, two interstate crossings, and 12 county road crossings.
Southern Embankment and Associated Infrastructure (SEAI)
Delivered through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and contractors, the SEAI includes a 20-mile Southern Embankment and three gated control structures: the Diversion Inlet Structure, Wild Rice River Structure, and Red River Structure. Each structure will have large radial-arm gates that will raise and lower during project operations to control flooding. The SEAI also involves constructing several transportation features, including an I-29 bridge crossing, county and township road crossings, and a 4-mile grade raise on I-29.
Mitigation Features and Associated Infrastructure (MFAI)
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as well as city and county governments are responsible for numerous mitigation features for the comprehensive project. This includes the Upstream Mitigation Area where flowage easements will be acquired, property/structures will be removed, and cemeteries will undergo mitigation to protect the property and viewshed. Additionally, levees will be built for Oxbow-Hickson-Bakke and Christine. Wetland mitigation projects as well as the Lower Otter Tail River Restoration project also will occur.
Local Entity Flood Protection & Associated Infrastructure (LFPAI)
City and county governments are working on in-town protection measures, including levees, floodwalls and stormwater lift stations as well as some road work throughout Cass and Clay Counties and in the cities of Fargo and Moorhead.
How It Will Work
As water comes from the upper parts of the drainage basin, including the Red River and from tributary rivers, the Metro Flood Diversion Authority will begin making preparations to operate the FM Area Diversion. Project operation will only happen in times of extreme flooding.
Radial-arm flood gates are lowered to limit the amount of floodwaters that enter the metro area, allowing up to 37 feet of water during a 100-year flood through town in the Red River.
As floodwaters are allowed to pass through the Red River and Wild Rice River Control Structures, the amount of floodwaters in the metro area are controlled to a safe level. Additional floodwater will then back up behind the Southern Embankment.
The Diversion Channel Inlet Structure is south of Horace, North Dakota. Although some floodwater will drain naturally into the Red River and the Wild Rice River, under a 100-year flood event, the Diversion Channel allows 20,000 cubic feet of water per second to flow safely around the community.
As 37 feet of floodwaters move through the natural riverbed, various levees and floodwalls throughout the metro area provide protection to the citizens, businesses, and community.
Cleaning up after the floodwaters have passed is an important part of project operation. Details of planned cleanup activities are included in the Mitigation Plan.
100-Year Floodplain Maps
Try Our Floodplain Visualization Tool
Drag the slider left and right to see how flooding will affect the Fargo-Moorhead area with and without the FM Area Diversion.
SPLIT DELIVERY
The FM Area Diversion project is a Congressionally authorized federal project using a split-delivery method. This allows two simultaneous construction schedules to complete the Comprehensive Project faster and for less expense.
A Project Partnership Agreement (PPA) between the government (the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) and non-federal partners – the Metro Flood Diversion Authority (MFDA) and the City of Fargo and the City of Moorhead – serves as the official agreement for the FM Area Diversion construction.
A second agreement , the Joint Powers Agreement, created the Metro Flood Diversion Authority to serve as the primary non-federal sponsor for the Comprehensive Project and establishes the duties, responsibilities, and obligations of the MFDA and its member entities.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is constructing the Southern Embankment and associated infrastructure as well as some mitigation projects.
PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP (P3)
The MFDA serves as the entity responsible for delivering the Non-Federal Sponsor’s obligations under the PPA and is the local government entity that holds the Project Agreement (P3 Agreement) with the P3 Developer. With the P3 agreement, the MFDA retains ownership and control over requirements and operating standards of the FM Area Diversion and the Red River Valley Alliance (RRVA), the private-sector partner, delivers innovative solutions that align with the MFDA’s technical requirements.
The RRVA, which is a consortium of three acclaimed international companies – Acciona, Shikun & Binui, and North American Construction Group – will build the Stormwater Diversion Channel and its associated infrastructure, including aqueducts, the diversion outlet, and road and railroad crossings.
By using a P3, the MFDA moves forward with a fixed-price bid while the RRVA assumes the risks of delays and cost escalation. The partnership also allows for using multiple, long-term financing options as well as performance guarantees and long-term warranties. This sets up the project to be completed for less time and expense than with traditional financing methods.
