2011 Flood

[HandoEX]

FYI to People of Fargo: if you ever want a diversion, you'll need to lose a flood fight.

Couldn't have been said any better!

[unbison]

Maybe you should stick to stuff you know about.

There is a lot of truth in what he has said here Tony .......I work for a municipal contractor and have seen all the fill hauled in to build houses in the south end of town! As far as farmers fields draining faster this is very true .....sorry farmers but you guys couldn't cut a ditch that drains without lasers or gps to save your life .......but I give you kudos for using the technology available...... The speed the water drains to the river obviously has a impact on flooding

[CAS4127]

Here you go.
http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/fargo_geology/whyflood.htm

[unbison]

FYI to People of Fargo: if you ever want a diversion, you'll need to lose a flood fight.

I'm sure I'll be out working around the clock for days at a time I gonna be mad if we lose I play to win

[tony]

A former slough and levelling land has caused record precipitation in the Red River valley, huh? Those two factors account for such a small portion of the laundry list of problems that it's not even worth mentioning when talking about the last few floods we've had.

Yeah, it's patently ridiculous to say that building in south Fargo causes record floods. <=== read this Lakesbison and think about it: Show me the connection to building in south Fargo or Oxbow or whereever to the river reaching 40' in Fargo.

Usually the ground can soak up water and usually the rivers are barely running at all in the fall. Nowadays, they are running at flood stage almost all year round... how can that be farmers draining their land? If they were actually moving water just right so it hit Fargo perfectly to flood, wouldn't that mean that the river would be lower the other 11 months plus two weeks of the year? Hell, Fargo has had SECONDARY crests that were worse than most of the floods in the '70s and '80s.

[lakesbison]

well, maybe its finally catching up tony? oh well, like you said, ill stick to what i know, (dogging the nutbeard of the north)

but thank you unbison for your professional opinion!

[unbison]

Don't believe he said it was the only reason

[lakesbison]

yes, Im not saying its the only reason, but its A BIG ONE!

[roadwarrior]

The water flowing right now in the Otter Tail river is not a good sign for this spring. Flooding in january?

[tony]

yes, Im not saying its the only reason, but its A BIG ONE!

As big as the diversion at Wapheton-Breckingridge?

Average precipitation in the Valley before the wet cycle started: 19" per year.
Average precipitation in the Valley since the wet cycle started: 24" per year.

The land never dries out like it used to. Imagine that the land in the RRV is like a sponge. This sponge used to get soaked in the spring and then wrung out by winter. Now the sponge is full of water and can't take any more water even in November.

Every other cause you come up with is NOTHING compared to the wet cycle.

Building in South Fargo might make the effects of a flood worse but it doesn't cause a flood... in fact, that slough you are talking about is much more likely to flood from overland water than by the Red.

I admit that better drainage of farm land gets water to the river more quickly but can anybody say how much it affects the crest?