Jill Schramm/MDN Ward County Commissioners Larry Louser and Alan Walter look over documents at a commission meeting Tuesday.

The Souris River Joint Board is preparing to request a portion of the money appropriated by the 2017 Legislature to start work on the Mouse River Enhanced Flood Protection Project.

Ryan Ackerman, administrator for the board, told the Ward County Commission Tuesday that the board will be requesting $63 million from the State Water Commission on Aug. 23 to fund the state’s 65 percent share of the initial construction.

The Legislature approved $136 million for flood control projects, of which the State Water Commission is expected to provide about $70 million for the Mouse River project. Any of that money spent in Minot would be part of up to $193 million provided by the Legislature for the Minot portion of the project during the next four bienniums.

Bid openings on the first phases of the project are scheduled for Sept. 22 and Oct. 2. The phases include earthen levee from the U.S. Highway 83 Bypass to the Canadian Pacific Railroad tracks, along with a pump station and other infrastructure. It also includes floodwall and earthen levee from just west of Broadway to just east of Third Street Northeast, along with a pump station and various infrastructure modifications.

The board expects to receive the necessary construction permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers once the agency issues its Record of Decision on an Environmental Impact Statement completed for the section of the project from Burlington to Minot last month. Ackerman said the board should have the permits and let bids on the construction by the end of this year.

The Corps is conducting a feasibility study to determine whether there is a federal interest in the flood control project that would justify federal participation. The Corps is finding an interest exists in certain aspects of the project, such as the Maple Diversion and restoring the aquatic ecosystem in the Oak Park dead loops, Ackerman said. A final determination of federal interest won’t be known until the study is completed in April 2019. Depending on the results of the study, Congress would need to authorize any federal involvement and could decide to appropriate funding.

Regarding future construction, Ackerman said design of the next phase of the Minot project, from near Third Street Northeast toward Lowe’s Garden Center, is 30 percent complete. Design of the Burlington project is 60 percent complete. Improvements at the south end of the J. Clark Salyer Wildlife Refuge also are being worked on.

The joint board continues to work with rural property owners through the StARR program, which provides structure acquisition, relocation or ring dikes. So far, 27 structures have been acquired, along with four properties. Another 40 structures and two properties are in the process of being acquired.

The first relocation of a house occurred north of Velva. The joint board presently is advertising for bids for demolition of acquired structures.

The county commission voted to set up a committee to consider policy and conduct reviews related to any future land acquisitions.