North Dakota Ag Connection - Risk of Major Red River Flooding of UND Recedes

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Risk of Major Red River Flooding of UND Recedes
North Dakota Ag Connection - 04/08/2020

The Red River likely is near its crest, raising hopes at the University of North Dakota (UND) of an uneventful spring flooding season

For the first time, UND Today, the institution's official news source, was happy to have no news to report Tuesday.

Well, that's not exactly true. There is news -- but the news is that there is "no news," meaning no (or much reduced) worry this season about a major Red River flood impacting Grand Forks, East Grand Forks and UND.

That's a welcome development at a University and community that already, like the rest of America, has undergone so much.

The risk of such a flood is not zero, of course. It's always present when the Red and the region's other rivers are high, as they are now. But "the Red River at Grand Forks, after an initial crest of 45.4 feet Monday, has begun dropping," the UND Flood Information Blog reported Tuesday.

"It is expected to remain steady or falling for the next few days, then to rise again for a secondary crest on April 12 at about 46.5 feet as snowmelt continues." And thanks to Grand Forks' extensive flood-protection system, minimal local impact is expected, the blog notes.

In Monday's Grand Forks Herald, Andrew Kirking, emergency manager of Pembina County, put the issue into even sharper relief.

"We're doing very, very well," Kirking said about his corner of the state.

Dry weather since January and a slow spring melt has notably reduced the flood risk, which had been elevated because of the region's soaking wet fall.

"I think it went far better than anybody could have hoped," Kirking told the Herald.

Don't misunderstand. Roads throughout the region remain closed due to flooding. The Point and Sorlie bridges (connecting Grand Forks and East Grand Forks) are closed, and the Grand Forks/East Grand Forks Greenway is closed, too.

Some rural areas are experiencing flooding, and motorists are reminded to check road conditions and not to drive on flooded roads.

But at UND, the fact that mid-April is here and the flood risk is receding, not growing, has the University community breathing a sigh of relief. During his webinar with the media on Monday, David Flynn, professor and chair of economics and finance at UND, noted that the Grand Forks residents and other North Dakotans must mindful of three things that are impacting or could impact the state economy right now: the coronavirus developments, the recent drop in oil prices and the potential for Red River flooding.

"Amazingly," Flynn said, the third element -- the flood risk -- seems to have receded. And if that risk continues to fall, it will be unalloyed good news for the University, community and state.

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