— Official News Release, Senator Hoeven —
Senator John Hoeven today announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded a $6,093,613 grant to the City of Minot to help build a floodwall and other infrastructure for Minot’s Water Treatment Plant to protect the plant and keep it functioning during a flood. The plant is the only source of potable water for the City of Minot, the Minot Air Force Base and rural residents in the Minot area. More than 100,000 individuals were placed on a boil order when water from the treatment plant was compromised by severe flooding in 2011.
“The Minot flood of 2011 displaced thousands of individuals and cost businesses millions of dollars,” Hoeven said. “Since that time, we have made great strides in restoring Minot and improving our infrastructure to protect against another flood, but we still have more to do. Today’s FEMA grant will help to protect Minot and the region’s water supply from future flooding. I will continue to work with FEMA to ensure that we have the infrastructure we need during a flood, and that our infrastructure will work when it is most needed.”
Today’s grant was made available through FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). The funds are for the second phase of a HMGP project to improve the flood protection for the Minot Water Treatment Plant.
In 2013, Hoeven announced a $2 million FEMA grant to the City of Minot for the first phase of the HMGP treatment plant flood protection project. As a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, Hoeven worked to make sure the grant funding was authorized and appropriated. The first phase was completed in September 2014 and focused on engineering, permitting and designing the project.
Today’s grant is the first installment of more than $19.8 million federal share for the project’s second phase, which will cost more than $26 million. The second phase will build two road closures – log structures which, in the event of a flood, close the gap in a levee which is created by a road running through the levee – and more than 1,700 feet of concrete floodwall with tie-back levees on each end – tying the project into high ground, thus protecting the water plant and high service pump station. Second phase construction will also modify storm sewer drains, and build a large storm sewer pump station and water transmission pipeline.
To date, Minot and Ward County have received more than $45 million in HMGP funding to assist with recovery efforts resulting from flooding in 2011.
