×

Souris River Basin conditions show no imminent flood danger

Basin conditions show no imminent flood danger

Jill Schramm/MDN A construction crew continues the work on the Fourth Avenue floodwall in Minot, just east of the Third Street Northeast Bridge, Tuesday.

As Ward County faces soil saturation from an extremely wet fall, county commissioners are on alert regarding the potential for spring flooding. That’s despite receiving a forecast Tuesday indicating flood risk is manageable so far.

“We don’t have any capacity here this time,” said Commission Chairman John Fjeldahl, recalling how quickly potholes and wetlands filled up in 2011, a record flood year. “From a farmer’s perspective, I would say that we’re going to have to have an abnormally open and dry spring in order for us to halfway function right.”

“Certainly the soils are very saturated. That is a major concern for us,” Ryan Ackerman, administrator for the Souris River Joint Board, told commissioners in presenting the forecast. “However, snowpack is fairly minimal within the watershed. The reservoir levels are drawn down to or below the prescribed levels and ’89 (river management) agreement, and it looks like the long-term, recent forecast is fairly benign.”

However, he added, “This can all change. We’ve got lots of winter left. But, I guess, trust and know that there are several entities that have their eyes on this and as conditions change, you will be one of the first to know.”

“The monsoon that hit in 2011 wasn’t predicted by anybody,” Commissioner Alan Walter said in voicing his continued caution.

Ackerman presented two weather forecasts for the basin. The Canadian forecast predicts potential for precipitation slightly below average, while on the U.S. side of the border, the forecast is for slightly above average precipitation through March.

Minot had about 8 inches of rain in September, but in Saskatchewan, Estevan had about 6 inches and Weyburn 4 inches.

“As you progress north into Saskatchewan, the percent above normal does tend to taper off but it’s still very wet,” Ackerman said. “But there is still some depressional storage available within some of the potholes in Saskatchewan so that bodes well for us from a flood risk management perspective and from a run-off potential perspective.”

The snowpack throughout the basin also is low. There is less than one inch of moisture in the snow in the basin upstream of Minot, according to the latest data. That compares to 4.2 inches of moisture in the snowpack at the same time in 2011. Ackerman also noted monitoring improvements made since 2011 are providing better data about conditions going into spring.

In February, the International Souris River Joint Board’s flow-forecasting liaison committee will issue its first run-off forecast. Additional reservoir drawdowns would be likely if the forecast indicates the region is in a one-in-10-year risk of flood.

The Rafferty reservoir near Estevan is at about 1801.8 feet, or about a foot below normal drawdown level for spring. It leaves about 16 feet of flood storage.

The Grant Devine reservoir, formerly Alameda, is at 1840.5 feet, which is about normal drawdown level. It has just under 20 feet of flood storage.

In North Dakota, Lake Darling is around 1597.3 feet, leaving between five and six feet of storage.

Ackerman said the study on river management is entering the final phase of modeling for the many alternatives. The Saskatchewan position is to preserve water supply, while North Dakota’s interest is flood management, he said. The current management agreement was crafted in 1989.

Ackerman also updated the commission on the progress of the flood protection project. Highlights include:

– Work is continuing over winter on the flood wall from Broadway to Third Street Northeast.

– The Perkett pump station is substantially complete and will be operational in the spring. The Broadway pump station could be operational sometime in the summer.

– The rural StARR Program is winding down. Acquisitions are complete. Two ring dikes are to be built in the spring.

– Design is complete for flood protection within the city of Burlington and construction will begin this spring.

– Design is at about 95% for Tierrecita Vallejo, and construction could start in late summer or early fall. Pre-consolidation piles are in place, and a house is to be relocated to another lot due to concerns about the location adjacent to the flood project.

– Phase MI-5, from Third Street east in Minot, is going through redesign, which could take a year. Construction could start in late 2021 or in 2022.

Ackerman explained the $50 million MI-5 project is short of funding with only $18 million potentially available from the U.S. Department of Transportation and a $2 million commitment from Burlington Northern Santa Fe, which has infrastructure that would be protected within the area.

“Essentially we feel like it makes fiscally responsible sense to take a step back and start looking at some other alternatives that are going to be more cost effective,” Ackerman said. The Minot City Council began considering design options at a meeting Tuesday evening.

The Souris River Joint Board is waiting for congressional authorization of the Maple Diversion project. Ackerman said Congress is likely to take up authorization legislation next fall. He added there is a low-interest loan program through the federal government and the possibility of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers starting another low-interest loan program. Low-interest loans would be a solution to help cover the local share of flood protection costs, he said.

Insurance commissioner urges consumers not to wait to buy flood insurance

BISMARCK – Insurance Commissioner Jon Godfread is encouraging renters, homeowners, farmers and business owners to better understand their flood risk and insurance coverage following a wet autumn and heavy winter snowfall.

“Traditional homeowners insurance policies do not cover flooding. Because there is a 30-day waiting period before a flood insurance policy kicks in, this is a critical time of year for consumers to talk to their insurance agent about their policy’s limits and what other coverage options they have,” Godfread said in a news release.

Flood insurance is available as a special policy that is federally backed by the National Flood Insurance Program. The NFIP allows property owners in participating communities to buy insurance to protect against flood losses. A homeowner can purchase excess flood insurance, but they must be covered by NFIP flood insurance first.

To choose the right option, the department recommends consumers:

– Understand the risk. To find your community’s flood map, visit the FEMA Flood Map Service Center at msc.fema.gov/portal/search.

– Visit with an insurance agent about purchasing a flood policy or visit floodsmart.gov for more information about the flood insurance program.

– Stay well-informed. For more flood resources and preparedness information, consumers can contact an insurance agent, NFIP (floodsmart.gov) at 800-427-4661, FEMA (fema.gov), NDResponse (ndresponse.gov) or the North Dakota Insurance Department (nd.gov/ndins) at 328-2440.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today