by INFORUM
Devils Lake could overflow by 2015
June 24, 2011 at 7:00 pm in INFORUM
Study shows that even a 2nd planned outlet may not keep lake within its banks
GRAND FORKS Devils Lake has a 14 percent to 15 percent chance of overflowing naturally by 2015, even after a second manmade outlet is operating next year, according to a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey. Continue Reading
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If I remember correctly the ACOE considers any thing over 1% as a dire emergency. As far as reinforcing Tolna Coule’ your compassion is astounding. Saying that to the people of the area is simply saying we, by choice, are going to flood you out of your homes and your farms that you have worked for generations. Further more we will not compensate you for any of your damages or losses. I am overwhelmed by your compassion.
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What is happening in the Devils Lake basin is an act of God, not man made. I don’t see why we should keep pouring in my tax money when they built in a lake bed. $1.2 billion has already been spent to benefit only 10,000 people. That’s $120,000 per person.
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You are right it is an act of God. It will also be an act of God when Tolna Coule’ blows, as it has in the past. The natural outlet level in Tolna Coule’ is 12 feet lower than the silt which has filled it in over many years. This is not in question and has been established by the USGA. So if we are not going to intervene in an act of God then we also can not armor Tolna Coule’ and intervene in an act of God. I much prefer we control the release from Tolna Coule’ but you seem to want it only your way all at once. Be careful what you wish for…. you may get it.
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You almost have a point. Every significant city in ND has been built in a flood plain. Between that and the agriculture subsidies it’s ridiculous how much federal money pours into ND.
However, the danger posed by Devils Lake overflowing will not just affect those 10,000, it will devastate everything downstream. Of course, at some point, everything downstream will be devastated, because of all the stupid civil planning. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.
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Fargo built in a lakebed, Grand Forks built in a lakebed, the people being displaced now in many cases built 30 miles from any lake.
Their basic miscalculation is they didn’t believe that the state would spend decades doing nothing when a few million could easily keep the lake level manageable.
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The only way to keep the lake level manageable is to move the water coming into the lake back out. That seems to be what no one wants done.
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Just turn the Corps of Inept Engineers loose up there, they will fix it up real good just like they did up in Minot and all along the Missouri river from Bismarck all the way to north of Kansas City. No! wait that’s right they really screwed that up, My Bad……Never Mind.
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a gravity fed outlet in Tolna Coule would cost far less than the proposed outlet they want to build in East Bay. It will also cost far less to opperate then the proposed east bay outlet because pumps are required for that to work. I agree that we are spending crazy amounts of money on raising roads. What you fail to recognize is that with a proper outlet in Tolna Coule’ there would have been no need to keep raising the roads again and again.
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What’s the advantage of putting another million acre feet into Devils Lake, you seem to have an amazing amount of faith that some steel driven into muck will hold back Devils Lake.
If that was a good way to build dams, we’d have saved millions and done it that way, a few sheets of steel across the Missouri, a few boards for a spillway and there you go, instant reservoir.
While such a system is proven as a wave breakwater, it’s never been operated as a dam for the time that draining all that water without wiping Valley City off the face of the earth would require. Plus Valley City would get to go through at least one spring flood starting with 3000 cfs. Wouldn’t take much of a spring flood to be the end of Valley City.
I guess we will just wring our hands and say God did it, but it sure seems to me he has a lot of help trying to create disaster.
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And that will result in an uncontrolled release from Devils Lake. If we simply build a structure that holds the lake at 1458 that cant lower the level further, then there will be no way to store any water in the spring when the Sheyenne River is already flooding. The flow into Devils Lake is greater than the flow in the river in the spring. So your solution would, as soon as the lake reaches 1458, would more than double the flow in the river in the spring.
Why not build a structure that can lower the level below 1458 after the spring floods pass, say 1450 or 1453, then the next spring when it floods again the lake will be able to store the water until the spring flood passes and release the water later. But you will not consider an idea that makes logical sense…….. or will you accept the challenge and think about this real solution….
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Fred please try to understand this..if you just build a structure to let the water overflow at 1458 when the lake reaches 1458 you will not be able to store any more. Sure the silt in the coule’ will not blow but all releases after it fills will be uncontroled. You would not be able to control when it overflows. in the spring, or how much because the lake would be full to the 1458 level. So every spring in flood season on the river you would add all the flow from the Devils Lake basin because the lake would be FULL with the plan you want. It is pretty simple to understand with no storage capacity you cant hold back water and release it when you want. Since the city of Devils Lake owns Tolna Coule’ dont you thing it is better to work with them on a solution since you cant ram it down their throats since you need the cities approval before anything can be constructed.
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I’m amazed by some of the ignorant posts from uneducated people. That and the pure self centeredness of a few particular cull. When Devils Lake overflows naturally it will be far too late to act. If you can’t see the benefit of at least attempting to prevent this with a second outlet than go back to reading your Dr. Seuss literature. When your tax dollars are required to protect and repair all the people and properties of the Sheyenne river valley in 5 to 7 years we’ll call you.
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Why wait, you’re welcome to leave now. Might I suggest NY or LA.
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Canadians should have nothing to complain about on water coming from Devils Lake. What goes around, comes around!
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15% chance of overflowing in 4 years, yet the corps did not take any of that in determining the dam/diversion project in Fargo. If I remember correctly, the Army Corps stated that the chance of a failure or release of water from Devils Lake will not happen. Must be nice to be God.
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I don’t remember all the details on the west end outlet, but I know that the amount of water it removed was an absolute joke. Wasn’t it something like only an inch a year?? Hell, we lose more than that to evaporation on a 90 degree plus day! Sad thing is now, it seems that with the size of the lake, that it now just recirculates and forms it’s own weather and rains back down again. Even a secondary “controlled” outlet doesn’t seem like it would remove near enough water to help. I agree with many who have said to use the Tolna Coulee and manage it from there for far less money, and the sooner the better. And for all of those who have b**ched and complained against the water downstream…if it’s not done in a managed fashion, there will be alot more damage done and you’ll wish you’d not fought so hard against it for all the years you did.
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