SAINT PAUL, MINN. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, and its contractors began building emergency levees in Fargo, N.D., on Thursday, March 19, 2009.
The emergency levees will be built in the Osgood neighborhood, west of Interstate-29 and north of 52nd Avenue; along 2nd Street in downtown Fargo; and on Oak Street, west of Interstate-75. The levees will be built to withstand a crest elevation of 40 feet to include 2 feet of freeboard.
The Corps hired its first contractor, Industrial Builders, Inc., of Fargo, last night. They received a $265,000 contract to build emergency levees. More companies are anticipated to be hired today.
This weekend, the agency will also begin building emergency levees in Harwood, N.D.; Wahpeton, N.D.; and Breckenridge, Minn.
Under Public Law 84-99, the Corps of Engineers may provide assistance to communities to save human life, prevent immediate human suffering or mitigate public property damage. An imminent threat of unusual flooding must exist and a state must request Corps’ assistance. Both North Dakota and Minnesota have requested Corps’ assistance.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, serves the American public in the areas of environmental enhancement, navigation, flood damage reduction, water and wetlands regulation, recreation sites and disaster response. It contributes around $126 million to the five-state district economy. The more than 625 employees work at more than 40 sites in five upper-Midwest states. For more information, see www.mvp.usace.army.mil.