Final Environmental Impact Statement

Abstract

The Flood Diversion Board of Authority (Diversion Authority) is proposing to construct the FargoMoorhead Flood Risk Management Project (Project) with an estimated cost of $1.8 billion (October 2011 dollars). The Project is an approximately 30-mile long diversion channel on the North Dakota side of the Fargo-Moorhead (F-M) urban area (cities of Fargo, Moorhead, and surrounding high-population density cities), including a 6-mile long connecting channel, an overflow embankment, and tieback embankment with control structures on the Wild Rice River and Red River. The Project also consists of environmental mitigation projects, which would be located inside and outside the project area (ES Figure 1). When operated, the Project would divert a portion of the Red River flow upstream of the F-M urban area, intercept flow at the Wild Rice, Sheyenne, Maple, Lower Rush and Rush Rivers, and return it to the Red River downstream of the F-M urban area. Project operation would result in an approximately 32,000-acre upstream staging area. Because the Project includes the construction of a Class I dam (i.e., embankment system and control structures), an environmental impact statement (EIS) is required under Minnesota Rules, part 4410.4400, subpart 18.