Sediment Loads in the Red River of the North and Selected Tributaries Near Fargo, North Dakota, 2010?2011

The Red River of the North (Red River) has exceeded the National Weather Service flood stage of 18 feet (ft) in 47 of the past 108 years for the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area and every year from 1993 through 2011. To investigate measures to reduce flood risk and analyze the potential for Federal participation in implementing a flood-risk management project, a feasibility study was begun in the Fargo- Moorhead metropolitan area in 2008, under direction of the U.S Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), St. Paul District, and the sponsor cities of Fargo, N. Dak., and Moorhead, Minn. The study analyzed several possible types of measures and alternative plans that could reduce the flood risk in the Fargo- Moorhead metropolitan area. An array of potential alternatives was considered, including nonstructural flood proofing, diversion channels, levee/floodwall systems, and flood storage. Construction of a North Dakota Diversion Channel around the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area was chosen from these plans for further analysis (Blanchard and others, 2011).