Flooding has long been a fact of life for the Fargo, N.D., and Moorhead, Minn., metropolitan area, with spring thaws and storms sending the Red River spilling from its banks at least once a year. In recent decades, however, catastrophic floods—events that surpass the 100-year level of 37 ft at the Fargo river gage—have become more frequent and more expensive.
According to Kris Bakkegard, director of engineering for the Fargo-Moorhead Metro Diversion Authority, it was the 2009 flood cresting at just under 41 ft that changed the area’s approach toward finding more permanent solutions.