Faces of the Diversion: Lyndon Pease

Lyndon Pease: [00:00:13] My name is Lyndon Pease. I’m a senior project manager with Moore Engineering. Moore Engineering got involved with the FM Area Diversion project in 2009 following the historic 2009 flood event to provide engineering support for the Metro Flood Diversion Authority. At the time in 2009, with the amount of alternatives that were being evaluated and studied and some of the challenges that we were seeing, I wondered if this project would see it through. Fortunately, it has.

[00:00:46] Some of the biggest challenges working on the FM Area Diversion project is just working with all the different parties, stakeholders, and people that are affected by the project. When you look back at over 15 years of studies and design, you looked at how people are impacted, and primarily it’s the farming community. As an engineer, you look to help and try to develop solutions that work both on a technical perspective but also try to balance impacts for those that may not want the project to begin with. Those are some of the biggest challenges that I’ve encountered on this project.

[00:01:26] I first came to Fargo-Moorhead in 2006 as a graduate student at North Dakota State University. I soon started working as an intern with Moore Engineering while I was in graduate school, and I started working on flood control projects right away. At that time, like so many in our community, I have also done sandbagging. I did sandbagging, both filled them and placed them during blizzards in 2009, 2010, and 2011.

[00:01:58] The biggest success on the FM Area Diversion project to date to me is driving the landscape and actually seeing active construction, whether that’s the diversion channel, the southern embankment, the levees, or utility relocation projects.

[00:02:17] Working on the FM Area Diversion project is rewarding. It’s rewarding because I know that I’m helping to provide thousands of homes, schools, and businesses permanent flood protection.