Ridgewood Flood Control Project
The Ridgewood area has been a neighborhood of much concern during our recuring flood events. We have seen that protection for many riverfront homes in this area has come at a high price and almost always results in the properties sustaining flood damage. Following the 1997 flood, 18 of the homes that had faced a constant flood risk were acquired and removed to help with flood protection.
The Ridgewood Project will consist of a series of earth levees and floodwalls that will begin at the south end of the Veterans Administration Hospital floodwall (which is also being raised under a separate project by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) and continue south to 15th Avenue North. In addition to the 18 homes that have already been acquired and removed, seven remaining homes will need to be acquired to complete the project.
This project not only protects the properties along the river but it also provides security for the storm and sanitary sewer systems. Preventing flood water from infiltrating the sewer systems is critical during a flood event. Having temporary earthen levees and floodwalls combined with natural high ground between interior properties and the river will generally protect sewer utilities from infiltration. As seen in the 1997 flood in Grand Forks, floodwater that infiltrates the sanitary and storm sewer system will backflow, causing storm inlets to expel water into low-lying interior areas until an equalization to the river level is established. The Ridgewood project will not only secure the local sewer utilities, but it will also protect other neighborhood sewer systems in the Ridgewood area.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the City of Fargo will be working in conjunction on this project, with the Corps acting as the lead agency for the design and construction of the levees.