Published April 26, 2011, 12:00 AM  

By: Kristen Daum, INFORUM

WEST FARGO – Area water officials are ready to present a plan for Red River Valley retention projects to the people who would be affected by them.

The Red River Basin Commission will host public meetings across the valley during the next couple of weeks so residents can learn and offer input about potential projects to mitigate flood problems.

After nearly a year of study, the meetings mark another step in moving forward with a proposal Minnesota Democratic Rep. Collin Peterson pitched last June.

Peterson aims to use the 2012 farm bill to create a mandatory funding program that would guarantee $500 million over the next 10 years to pay for regional water projects.

The goal is to create 1 million acre-feet of water storage in the valley, which should mitigate the impacts of devastating spring flooding, Peterson said.

Water boards on both sides of the Red signed a joint powers agreement in July to form the Red River Retention Authority. The board will oversee how the federal funding would be spent on regional projects.

Peterson, North Dakota Republican Rep. Rick Berg and members of the retention authority met Monday in West Fargo with about 50 area farmers and agricultural stakeholders to discuss retention solutions.

A nearly completed retention project near Tintah, Minn. – about 65 miles southeast of Moorhead – might serve as an example for the potential of Peterson’s vision, said Jon Roeschlein, administrator for the Bois de Sioux Watershed District.

The North Ottawa Impoundment project transformed 3 square miles of farmland into retention ponds, which collect water from about 75 square miles of drainage area.

But during the summer, a portion of the ponds can still be used for farming, Roeschlein said.

Although the project was initially met with opposition from local residents, the situation changed dramatically after they realized the benefits of the project, Roeschlein said.

During this spring’s flood, residents in flood-prone Tintah noticed a drastic difference because of the retention project.

“This year, they had to fire up their pumps for four hours to pump the water that melted from snow, and after that, they were home free,” Roeschlein said. “It wasn’t stressful at all.”