Grafton Pursues Low-Scale Flood Protection

GRAFTON, N.D. (AP) — Officials in Grafton are pursuing a scaled-down project to provide flood protection for at least part of the northeastern North Dakota city.

The Army Corps of Engineers several years ago proposed a $42 million Park River flood control project to provide protection for the entire city, but Mayor Chris West tells the Grand Forks Herald federal money hasn't come through.

The City Council has decided to hire an engineering firm to design a smaller project, after three separate flood events last spring resulted in an estimated $2 million in damage to property in the community of 4,200 people.

Grafton has $10 million to put toward a scaled-down flood control project — $3.5 million in city funds and about $10 million the state allocated in 2010 for the corps project.