About Klondike Clean Water Retention Project #11

Description/Location: The 7,600 acre multi-purpose resource project is located 10 miles east of the City of Lake Bronson, MN and 4 miles north, covering nearly 12 square miles on the Kittson and Roseau County line. It is planned to have gated storage of up to 35,250 acre feet from a 191.5 square mile upstream drainage area, include 8 miles of diked inlet channel, up to 6 miles of diversion channels, a 17 mile long dike, and an average dike height of 6 feet.

 

Problem: Large scale overland flooding is a common occurrence from the City of Badger and west to the Kittson & Roseau County line along 18 linear miles of Lateral 1 of State Ditch 95.  Undersized channel capacity and the slope of the landscape contributes to out of bank flows and overland flooding on a large scale.  In large flood events, water overflows out of the Roseau River and enters the Two Rivers Watershed District via State Ditch #72, exacerbating the problems.  Impacts occur to public roads and infrastructure, loss of agricultural crops, and farmsteads.  Roads can be closed for several weeks at a time.

 

Project Benefits:

A Project Work Team consisting of representatives of local (County, Watershed District, City, Township), state (DNR, BWSR, MPCA) and federal (NRCS, USFWS, USCOE) agencies as well as local landowners and non-government groups (Nature Conservancy, International Water Institute) was convened. This project team met monthly over the course of several years to discuss the project, set goals and investigate alternatives. These meetings followed the process recommended by the Red River Flood Damage Reduction Work Group, which hasendorsed the project. This ensures that the project will achieve both flood damage reduction and natural resources enhancement goals and follow proper environmental review procedures.

Estimate $32 Million

Final Plans and Specifications are 90% complete
Permitting in progress - potentially complete by June 2023 (EAW, USCOE, WCA, SHPO, 103E ditches, Others)
Phase 1 – 16,500 acre ft; fish habitat & water quality – 2023-2025
Phase 2 – raise to 27,500 acre ft; fen protection – target 2025-2027
Phase 2A  - raise to 35,250 acre ft; – target 2028-2029

 

Funding needs

Project Design/Permitting/Right of Way is $7.2M
Phase 1 Construction estimate is $13M
Phase 2 Construction estimate is $7M
Phase 3 Construction estimate is $5M 

 

KCWRP fact sheet :

For a copy of the latest fact sheet, click here.

Engineer's Report:

For a copy of our engineer's report, click here.

Environmental Assessment Worksheet: