KX News has three stories in their feed this morning on issues related to flood protection and water issues. Here’s the quick recap on each along with some read-between-the-lines commentary following.
Water Project to Get Record Amount of State Funding
The 2015 Legislative session and state budget resulted in record spending for water related projects around the state. Many project both large and small will benefit from almost $1.1 billion in state dollars.
Minot’s Existing Flood Protection Dikes Need Costly Work
The levies and dikes that are currently in place in Minot do not meet Corps of Engineer standards, and we’re probably going to have to spend money improving them. We’re in the process of putting together a plan and figuring out how to pay for it.
Minot’s Flood Protection Plan Sees Funding Cuts at the State Level
The Governor’s budget included $110 million for Minot’s flood protection work in the next biennium, but the final appropriations approved by the legislature included only $40 million for Minot. Work is continuing, but the change in funding level is requiring some changes.
Minot Voice Commentary:
Did you notice the story about the record spending, the need for more work, and the funding reduction for the Souris river flood protection plan? Perhaps our local legislators didn’t have as good as a session as they believe.
