But since the federal government declared that portion of town within a 100-year floodplain, they are forced to deal with a headache — higher insurance rates — that comes annually, not every century. It's going to continue until a project is undertaken to ease a nearby drainage bottleneck that could eventually, at least according to the federal government, lead to the once-in-a-century highwater event that prompted the floodplain designation.
Unfortunately, they won't get much relief in the near future.
Lawmakers allocated more than $49.7 million to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' Flood Hazard Mitigation Program for projects around the state during the 2023 legislative session. Unfortunately, only $5 million of that was earmarked for projects in the Red River Basin — far short of the $73 million the Red River Watershed Management Board had requested.
There's still hope, however, that at least some of a $15 million pot of money that hasn't yet been allocated through the DNR program can be used for projects in Newfolden and elsewhere in the basin.
According to past reports by the Herald, Newfolden's flood concerns date back to 2016,
when the Federal Emergency Management Agency declared the east side of Newfolden as lying within the 100-year floodplain. The designation affects more than 40 homes, a church, apartments and businesses. Since structures within a floodplain must have flood insurance if they have government-backed mortgages, it means higher expenses.
The city, meanwhile, has tried to convince FEMA that the area is not at risk of a massive flood.
A solution exists. If dollars can be allocated toward a flood-control project in Newfolden — including the construction of a proposed 396-acre impoundment north of town, for instance — it might allow a new designation for those who live on the east side of town.
That could mean lower insurance rates. And in the case of a large-scale flood, it likely would mean less damage to the town, which is just north of Thief River Falls and has a population of approximately 350.
To feel secure and safe in times of flood is priceless. Just ask the residents of Grand Forks and East Grand Forks, who for 25 years have enjoyed the flood protection system built in the wake of the devastating Flood of 1997.
The residents of Newfolden, however, aren't asking for a similarly expensive flood protection system; instead, they simply seek an easy solution to fix a problem that they aren't even convinced will happen. And those who owned that property before the floodplain designation likely don't feel they should be forced to pay higher insurance rates due to FEMA's declaration.
The solution — in this case, funding — lies within the power of the Minnesota Legislature. It hasn't happened yet — at least to the extent it should — but we hope it's something that can be revisited and pushed through sooner than later.
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©2023 the Grand Forks Herald (Grand Forks, N.D.)
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