Peace Garden News

WASHINGTON – At a recent hearing of the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Committee, Senator John Hoeven worked with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chief LTG Scott Spellmon to advance flood protection efforts for the Minot region. The senator is working with the Corps to find creative solutions to complete flood protection for the entire Minot region including:

• Utilizing Department of Defense (DoD) programs to help offset costs, given the location of the Minot Air Force Base.
  • Hoeven helped to secure a $9.8 million Defense Community Infrastructure Program (DCIP) award to support phase 5, the 4th Avenue tieback levee system in northeastern Minot.
• Making improvements to the river channel, including utilizing unconnected channels with stagnant water, to accommodate excess water that also beautifies the city.

“We’re making good progress on flood protection and have secured funding and authorization to advance permanent flood protection for the majority of the Minot region,” said Hoeven. “We continue working with the Corps to find creative solutions to complete this project and extend protection to the entire Minot region.”

Hoeven has helped provide more than $750 million of federal funding to date in grants, loans and direct assistance to help the region recover from the 2011 flood and protect against the risk of future flooding. That includessecuring $61.45 million for the Maple Diversion, the project’s fourth phase that serves as the capstone for the other phases of Milestone 1 and ultimately provides flood protection to 60 percent of the region.

Original source can be found here.