DORGAN TO CHAIR SENATE HEARING ON RISING LEVELS OF DEVILS LAKE
Senator says we need a plan given the expected rise in lake levels
Thursday, January 29, 2009
CONTACT: Justin Kitsch
or Brenden Timpe
PHONE: 202-224-2551
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) --- U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) will chair a U.S. Senate hearing to determine what action must be taken to protect residents of the Devils Lake region from rising waters. The hearing will be held at 9:30 a.m. EST on February 11 in Washington, D.C.
As Chairman of the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, Dorgan oversees the nation’s water development programs. A recent National Weather Service report predicted there is a 90 percent chance that Devils Lake will rise more than three feet over the coming year, and a significant chance it could go even higher.
Dorgan said he wants to make sure the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other stakeholders in the region have a plan in place to address a rise in the lake level. He said he also wants to review options for raising levees around the lake, as well as other ways to address the rising waters. Dorgan said witnesses will include representatives of the Corps of Engineers, the National Weather Service, the Spirit Lake Tribe, and state and local governments in North Dakota.
“If there is a 90 percent chance that Devils Lake will increase more than three feet this year, we need to be ready for it,” Dorgan said. “The residents of Devils Lake have been dealing with rising water levels for years, and another big rise this year could cause significant problems. I want to know what kind of plan is in place to address those issues, and that’s why I’m holding this hearing.”
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