N.D., Minn. consider $962M flood plan

MOORHEAD, Minn., Nov. 28 (UPI) -- Leaders of Fargo, N.D., and Moorhead, Minn., are moving to support a $962 million flood control plan for the Red River, observers say.

Support is coalescing around an option to essentially build a new emergency river channel for the flood-prone, north-flowing river that would stretch 25 miles around Moorhead, the Star Tribune of Minneapolis reported Saturday.

Under the plans, the new channel -- which would be opened during times of extreme flood danger -- would be 30 feet deep and wide enough to carry more than twice as much water than the Mississippi River carries through downtown Minneapolis on a typical day, the newspaper said.

Residents of Fargo and Moorhead staged massive sandbagging efforts this spring to save their cities from extensive flooding, 11 years after catastrophically high river levels inundated the cities.

The Star Tribune said the plan is actually the smallest of several flood control options that North Dakota and Minnesota officials are considering presenting to the Army Corps of Engineers for possible funding, with a final decision expected in January.