Grand Forks City Council Approves a Task Order Amendment

(KNOX) – Grand Forks City Council approved a task order amendment for the South End Interior Flood Protection Master Plan.

Grand Forks City Engineer Al Grasser told council that they will submit an application to the State Water Commission for cost sharing on the project.

“We are looking at requesting state reimbursement for this project in the area of 50 percent, like we have received on the other ones,” Grasser says.

Grasser says that the project is almost finished.

“The first task orders that we did looked primarily at the South End Drain Way. That’s about 90 percent complete. At least that’s from the consultant’s side of the world,” Grasser explained to city council.

At the onset of the South End Master Planning Project, there was believed to be potential for final recommendations to include improvements in excess of $30M to $40M in the South End Drain Way watershed area.

It was expected that the analysis could show the need for new conveyance beyond what the South End Drain Way could provide including the potential for pumped discharges to Legal Drain 4 south of Merrifield Road and, or second parallel drain way south of 62nd Ave South.

According to the Grand Forks Engineering Department an analysis was ultimately able to show that through modest increases to current and future storage ponds and the implementation of revised storm water management standards that the city could ultimately achieve elevations to adequate levels and avoid major interior flooding potential.

The near-term cost of this increased storage in the system is estimated at $2,000,000 to $3,000,000, and avoids tens of millions in investment into pumping stations and, or other river outlets.