Work could begin as early as next summer on a newly approved, $2-billion plan to build a system that would divert floods on the Red River around Fargo, N.D., and Moorhead, Minn., if Congress authorizes funds for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' proposal.
The plan involves building a set of control structures and a 36-mile-long bypass channel to reroute floodwaters around the cities. The works should provide protection against a 100-year flood event and also bolster emergency measures that would be used to help the communities fight floods of even greater magnitude. The area has endured major flooding repeatedly, with notable flood fights in 1997, 2009, 2010 and 2011.