| dc.contributor.author | Kotte, Alexandra | |
| dc.description.abstract | The Red River runs north through the hearts of two densely populated urban cores
in North Dakota, Fargo and Grand Forks. In 1997 and 2011, the Red River hit the
50-year floodplain and in 2009 reached the 100-year floodplain. The neighboring
cities of Fargo, ND and Moorhead, Minnesota, bordered by the Red River, have
currently implemented flood control and protection through dike, levee and wall
construction, but has led to a large displacement of residential and agricultural
properties within proximity to flood infrastructure. The controversial proposal of the
FM diversion has been the only analyzed solution to the inevitable flooding within
the FM Red River Valley to date. Under terms of the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA), study of future impacts must be thoroughly analyzed to mitigate
potential damage to the natural environment and human welfare. The FM Diversion
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) received an award for the fastest ever
written, submitting a three-year document in just under six months. Red flags had
been raised within the public and private sectors by lack of public input periods
and inadequate impact and displacement studies. As of October 2020 push back
submerged, lawsuits settled which solidified the project’s approval and future
construction. USACE’s disregard of other viable alternatives and potential negative
impacts of the diversion project brings opportunity to the profession of landscape
architecture. Due to the invasiveness of the proposed diversion, the environment’s
plant, animal and natural resources will inevitably suffer. The field of landscape
architecture can play a vital role in creating a viable alternative while addressing
concerns of flood mitigation, ecosystem services and human welfare. The goal of
this study will utilize GIS suitability and water retention analysis to reveal feasible site
locations within the FM Red River Valley for constructed wetlands to be implemented.
Examining preceding case studies and existing GIS datasets such as elevation,
peak flow, surface tension, rainfall response, and vegetation will provide set criteria
that will be utilized to pinpoint suitable locations for constructed wetlands to assist
in flooding mitigation for large seasonal flooding events. Improvement of water
quality, wildlife habitat, and reduction of erosion and storm damage, are important
topics that can be mimicked within the Red River Valley. Constructed wetlands
will provide a natural and more cost-effective ecosystem in contrast to the creation
of an eight billion dollar, half-mile wide, 30-foot deep diversion on privatized
farmland taken by eminent domain. Diverting water systems around the city
associates fear within the power of the Red River and negatively impacts wildlife that
rely on its resources and biome. Implementation of constructed wetlands will serve
as the driving flood mitigation mechanism by striving to keep existing Red River
biomes, providing new wetland ecosystems and embracing the river’s beauty and
its recreational opportunities. The overarching result will reveal suitable constructed
wetland locations to fabricate a viable alternative to the FM diversion plan as a
more environmentally resilient, natural and cost-effective method. | en_US |
| dc.publisher | North Dakota State University | en_US |
| dc.rights | NDSU policy 190.6.2 | en_US |
| dc.title | Redesign to Protect: Constructed Wetlands for Flood Mitigation, Education, and Wildlife Habitat along the Red River | en_US |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_US |
| dc.type | Image | en_US |
| dc.type | Presentation | en_US |
| dc.type | Video | en_US |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2021-05-21T18:56:45Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2021-05-21T18:56:45Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2021 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10365/31910 | |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Constructed wetlands. | |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Wetland ecology. | |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Red River of the North. | |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Ponte’s Park (Fargo, N.D.) | |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Fargo (N.D.) | |
| dc.subject.lcsh | North Dakota. | |
| dc.title.alternative | Constructed Wetland Flood Mitigation: Identifying Potential Constructed Wetland Locations in Fargo, North Dakota as an Alternative to the F.M. Diversion to Mitigate the Flooding and Wildlife Displacement of the Red River. Mitigate the Hazardous Erosion and Water Flooding of the Red River | en_US |
| dc.rights.uri | https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/policy/190.pdf | en_US |
| ndsu.degree | Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (BLA) | en_US |
| ndsu.college | Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences | en_US |
| ndsu.department | Architecture and Landscape Architecture | en_US |
| ndsu.program | Landscape Architecture | en_US |
