State funds have been a major source of funding for the project, and Armstrong said funding must continue. He said he has been visiting with local officials to find out what will be needed in the next biennium.

“Pre-COVID, this project was on time and under budget, and through no fault of anybody, the cost of steel, cost of concrete – those two things – have gone up,” he said.

Armstrong noted the Souris River Joint Board and City of Minot are looking for cost savings. Their goal is to deliver the flood protection as inexpensively as possible while still delivering results, he said.

“They’re always honest about where they’re at, what changes they’re making. I think one of the things that really sets this project apart from some of these large-scale infrastructure projects is how flexible they’re willing to be in a changing environment,” he said.

JILL SCHRAMM/MDN Gov. Kelly Armstrong listens to a question about state support for flood protection while on a bus tour stop at the Seventh Street Northeast Bridge in Minot on Friday, May 1. Armstrong and some of his staff toured the Mouse River Enhanced Flood Protection Project in Minot with city officials and Shane Goettle, the city’s assistant city attorney for legislative affairs.

The latest estimate of $1.8 billion to build enhanced flood protection in the Souris River Basin is expected to come from more than $61 million in federal funds for the Maple Diversion segment, state funds from the Water Resources Trust Fund fed by oil and gas revenues and a portion of Minot’s city sales tax. The state Legislature appropriated $81.1 million for the project for the 2025-27 biennium.

Armstrong said rising costs can’t stop the project from continuing.

“A partially funded flood project is a real problem because it’s not actually flood protection. So, regardless of where you live, we have to get this done,” he said.

The June 2011 Souris River flood event brought a record flow of 27,400 cubic feet per second in Minot, impacting an estimated 4,700 residential, commercial, and public structures throughout the entire Mouse River loop, according to the state.

The hope is the 2011 flood was a once in a lifetime event, but at the same time, the long-term viability of the community with federal flood insurance rates going up must be considered, Armstrong said.

“The cost of not getting it done is untenable,” he said. “You can’t have half of your community uninhabitable because people can’t afford flood insurance.”

Armstrong said the Legislature also needs to remain educated on the flood project as it’s progressing, which is why a group of legislators came to Minot last week. A firsthand look at the construction area gives a sense of the impact the project has on the community, he added.

“They’re talking about more earthen levees versus flood walls now because of the costs, and we need to put a visual to that and recognize that every time you do something, the footprint to the citizens is different,” he said.

Armstrong also was scheduled to meet with the Minot State University Board of Regents while in Minot Friday.