The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Roseau River Watershed District are proposing to purchase farmland and water easements south of the Roseau Lake Basin. Watershed District administrator Tracy Halstensgard says Roseau Lake was drained in the early 1900s for agricultural purposes. “It is very flood-prone land.” Halstensgard says the purpose of the project is to reduce flood damage and improve wildlife habitat. “What we’re proposing to do with this project is create gated retention storage on the north side of the basin and hold water there until the Roseau River has capacity to allow the outlet of that water. The land on the south of the side of the river, the footprint of the water will change slightly and ideally just change the timing of that flooding.”
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