Moorhead Buys Homes To Make Way For Flood Levees
MOORHEAD, Minn. (AP) -- The recent heavy snows are renewing fears of spring flooding along the Red River in northwestern Minnesota, but the sister cities of Fargo, N.D., and Moorhead are already moving to get homes out of the way of the next flood.
Minnesota Public Radio News reports the cities are moving to buy homes along the river and build flood-protection levees in their place. Fargo has purchased 44 homes in the past two years. Moorhead bought 83.
Moorhead raised $8 million through special assessments and fees. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Flood Mitigation Grant Program provided another $26 million.
"That's unheard of at least around here, getting that much work done in that period of time," said Moorhead City Engineer Bob Zimmerman.
Zimmerman said all the improvements mean the city should need about half as many sandbags for the next big flood. And at a cost of $2 to $3 per bag, it means the city will save millions in sandbags alone.
Zimmerman still has a list of about $15 million in flood improvements he hopes to finish in 2011, if Moorhead can get state funding.
Moorhead City Manager Michael Redlinger said many residents were willing to sell after the record flood in 2009. Another big flood in 2010 persuaded even more people to move away from the river.
Redlinger said the DNR funds allowed the city to move quickly. "We don't believe in five years, 10 years down the road we may have the same source of funds that we have today to acquire these properties," he said.
The Landsems were one family that moved. A year ago, Steve and Cheryl Landsem were still living in their half-demolished home, which flooded in 2009, waiting for Congress to approve the money to buy them out.
They left in September. They said they will miss the wildlife along the river, but Cheryl Landsem said their new home is larger, closer to work and, most significantly, more than two miles from the river.
"I'm glad we're not out there this spring coming up because I don't think it's going to be pretty, again," she said.
Across the river in Fargo, N.D., Senior Engineer April Walker said home buyouts and new earthen levees should cut Fargo's sandbag needs in a major flood by about a third, or about a million bags.
Walker said Fargo has spent nearly $25 million on flood projects the past two years. The city is paying for its flood improvements through a local sales tax.
"We've done a lot to reduce the dependency on those emergency measures which is a real key for us," said Walker. The city is concerned the annual ordeal of filling sandbags was tiring out the population.
Despite all the buyouts, officials in both Fargo, N.D., and Moorhead said they will never eliminate sandbags as a tool to fight floods unless they remove hundreds of homes along the river.
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