Jill Schramm/MDN A deadloop at the edge of Roosevelt Park remainsfrozen Wednesday. There have been calls for eliminating dead loops for soime time, and work on the current flood project may offer an opportunity.

In an effort to mitigate issues associated with river dead loops, the City of Minot will ask the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to lend its expertise.

The Minot City Council on Monday approved sending a request to the Corps for technical assistance in investigating seasonal water quality issues with the dead loops.

The dead loops resulted from a federal flood control project constructed in MInot in the late 1970s and early 1990s. Due to channelization of the Souris River through Minot, some long meanders in the river were cut off, resulting in isolated sections of river channel that remain connected to the main river through control structures.

During spring runoff, the structures are opened to flush and refill the dead loops. Afterwards, river flow frequently drops and the dead loops become stagnant with duckweed and algae. They also become mosquito breeding grounds and can create odor concerns.

If the Corps agrees to participate, it would bring in resources to study ways to mitigate issues while ensuring any potential revisions would be compatible with construction of the Mouse River Enhanced Flood Protection Project.

Some of the dead loops will be reincorporated into the river system as part of the flood protection project. The study will focus on those dead loops that can’t be reincorporated. The Corps is expected to cover half the study cost.

In other action, the council approved advertising the sale of two property parcels in north Minot, west of Broadway and south of Fifth Avenue Northwest. The parcels are part of a group of properties owned by the city for many years in the area of a former river channel.

The city prefers to return the properties to the tax rolls since it has no future need for them, city engineer Lance Meyer said. The two parcels for sale are considered undevelopable.

An adjacent landowner has requested to purchase the two parcels. In compliance with city ordinance, the parcels will be advertised for sale through bids.