Official: Melt rate factor in flooding

Talk about it

The city of Moorhead is double-checking its flood readiness, City Engineer Bob Zimmerman told city council members Monday night.

“We’re in pretty good shape,” said Zimmerman.

Whether things get bad, he said, depends on timing.

Forecasts indicate the water equivalent of snow in the Red River Valley is far less than it was before the flood of 1997, Zimmerman said.

A slow melt, he said, should result in few problems.

However, he said, a fast snow melt, or rain on top of a quick melt, could create a repeat of the huge flood of 12 years ago, when the Red River crested at 39½ feet in Fargo-Moorhead.

Zimmerman said flood stages up to 35 feet are easily handled, but above that the city begins to take steps such as round-the-clock dike monitoring.

An updated forecast of the spring flood potential should

be out by later this week,

said Zimmerman.

Councilwoman Lauri Winterfeldt asked about the location of the new Trollwood Performing Arts school in the area of 50th Avenue South.

Zimmerman said engineers have built up the area to be above the anticipated flood plain.

“There should not be an issue at the Trollwood site,” said Zimmerman, who added the city will hold a public flood meeting Monday of next week at Minnesota State University Moorhead.

The meeting will be held after normal work hours, but the exact time and location will be announced this week, said Zimmerman.

Unless the council directs otherwise, Zimmerman said the city plans to keep to its policy of not providing sand or sandbags to those looking to protect public property.

The city’s Web site, he added, will include information about where people can find those supplies.

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