CITY OF GRAND FORKS- GRAND FORKS REGIONAL WATER TREATMENT PROJECT
Surrounded by rich farmland , Grand Forks sits in the Red River Valley and is at the confluence of the Red and Red Lake Rivers . The Red River winds all the way up from Breckenridge , Minnesota to Winnipeg , Manitoba in Canada and the Red Lake River winds its way from Minnesota and combines with the Red River at Grand Forks . While these rivers are popular with locals for canoeing and other recreational activities , they can be also devastating . The most tremendous effects were felt during the flood of ‘ 97 , when most of the entire population of more than 50,000 people had to be evacuated .
There was a very significant snowfall that year and when the ice melted in April , this contributed to the rise in the water level which peaked at 54 feet . It would be over a month before the water receded and people could return to what was left of their homes .
This spurred the city ’ s governors to take action . Todd Feland , Grand Forks City Administrator , is currently overseeing the Grand Forks Water Treatment Project ; a significant , brand new infrastructure that will provide clean water to its citizens .
The once in a lifetime project Feland explains that this project had already been in the planning before the flood happened , but it did change the paradigm of where the facility needed
132 July 2017