Planning was re-initiated in late 2020 for a potential dam at the site located below. Potential purposes of the project could include flood damage reduction, aquifer recharge, irrigation, recreation, wildlife habitat improvement, and/or water quality improvement.  Initial resource assessment and analysis has been completed by NRCS and is documented in the feasibility report linked below.  A public scoping meeting was held March 8, 2022.   At the direction of the Sponsors, final hydrology/hydraulic modeling and economic analysis has been completed. 

Current Status

Results of the preliminary design and economics analysis were presented to the sponsors at a meeting on February 5, 2025 (see UTR Sponsor Meeting 2-5-25 slides below). On March 19, 2025 the Grand Forks County Water Resource District requested to terminate the planning effort (see Sponsor Request to Terminate letter).   To meet PL-566 program economic benefit criteria, the project could not stand alone as a flood protection project.  The sponsor decided to terminate the planning effort, rather than proceeding with a multi-purpose project.  A multi-purpose project would have increased operation and maintenance responsibilities in addition to land acquisition costs.