Public works outlines drainage repairs, low‑head dam mitigation and diversion easement acquisitions

Melissa, representing public works, briefed the commission on a series of drainage and flood‑risk projects across Cass County.

She said Drain 10 and Drain 27 work includes concrete channel liners and box culverts; Drain 21 has slide‑repair work under way near the highway office and a larger slide mitigation between 12th and 19th Avenues NW affecting lagoon areas and the West Fargo Airport. The county is coordinating with the City of West Fargo to protect a sewer force main threatened by slope instability near the drain.

On the Wild Rice River, staff are in design for a low‑head dam hazard mitigation project and have secured significant cost‑share help from the state Department of Water Resources. Melissa said the county recently sent letters to property owners along the Cheyenne and Wild Rice Rivers to notify them that annual snaking and clearing work has begun as ice conditions allow.

She updated commissioners on diversion project work: the county continues to acquire flow easements and property rights and awaits technical review from the NRCS National Watershed Management Center on levee plans before moving to acquisition and construction phases. Several smaller district projects and slide repairs were also described, and the Sheldon project was reported substantially complete pending final grassing.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about coordination with cities and cost‑sharing; public works said some projects are constrained by district funding capacity and by coordination with railroads and other utilities.