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Fun Fact:
The Minot Water Treatment Plant contains 1,150 ft. of concrete floodwall and 600 ft. of earthen tie-back levee. Rendering of the proposed Minot Water Treatment Plant floodwall.
To prevent this from ever happening again, Houston Engineering, Inc. (HEI) joined together with the City to once again protect its residents from the devastation of floods through a fusion of local, regional, and national engineering expertise. This collaborative relationship began in the aftermath of the 2011 flood when the HEI team began assisting the City and laying the necessary groundwork for the major projects to come, including the Minot Water Treatment Plant (WTP) and the Mouse River Enhanced Flood Protection Project (MREFPP). FLOOD IMPACTS Flooding presents a two-fold danger to the City. First, there are the direct effects of the floodwaters, such as damage to infrastructure and homes; second, there is the potential contamination of potable drinking water, of which the City has only a single source: the WTP. The aftermath of the 2011 flood revealed devastating damage to the vast majority of the City’s water supply wells, resulting in a mandatory boil order for the City’s more than 40,000 residents (not to mention those in nearby municipalities and the Minot Air Force Base).
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Spring 2015
To ensure its residents will always have access to safe drinking water, HEI began work on the Minot WTP Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. This $29-million project will create permanent concrete floodwalls and earthen levees designed to protect the Minot WTP in flood events reaching even those rivaling the historic 2011 levels. PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE In order to protect the rest of the City's infrastructure against high water levels, the City has opted to drastically redesign and improve its protection along the Mouse River through the MREFPP, which is being completed in cooperation with the Souris River Joint Board. The HEI team is spearheading one of the most complex sections of this project in the area along 4th Avenue Northeast, which must be compatible with other protection if the City hopes to achieve comprehensive flood protection. This particular phase of the MREFPP will create flood protection near 4th Avenue Northeast that will hold back Mouse River floodwater, even those reaching the same levels as the 2011 flood. The HEI team plans to accomplish this through a combination of concrete floodwalls, earthen levees, tie-back levees, and closure structures.
Mouse River Flood Records 2011......Crest of 1,561.72 ft. in June and peak flow of 27,400 cfs., making it the highest recorded flood in Minot's history 1976......Crest of 1,556.08 ft. in April and peak flow of 14,800 cfs. 1969......Crest of 1,555.4 ft. above
sea level forcing 12,000 residents to evacuate source: www.minotrecoveryinfo.com/
A great deal of work still lies ahead before the City can sit back and breathe a sigh of relief, but its residents have shown they’re determined to never relive a disaster like the one in 2011; and, with the completion of these projects, they may never have to.