KTTC Rochester, Austin, Mason City News, Weather and SportsRed River diversion worries some in small towns
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Associated Press - November 15, 2009 3:24 PM ET
FARGO, N.D. (AP) - Plans to divert the Red River to save the cities of Fargo and Moorhead, Minn., from flooding are being questioned by downstream residents who want more study.
People in western Minnesota who live near the river worry that the larger cities are rushing into a diversion project without considering the impact downstream.
The mayor of Perley, Minn., Ann Manley, believes the diversion would kill her community. She said it would just push the water around and Perley is in line to get it.
Engineer Jeff Volk said it's too early to panic. Volk said preliminary studies show the added flow to downstream communities from a diversion project would be measured in inches, not feet.
City and county leaders are under pressure to submit a flood control plan to the Army Corps of Engineers by the end of the year or risk delaying the project.
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