The Red River Basin’s approach to flood control is rooted in decades of cooperation following early conflicts over large-scale projects. Two Rivers Watershed District Administrator Dan Money says the group was formed after disputes in the 1990s over major flood control efforts. “It got to be volatile, and it led to a lawsuit and then the judge said, you will go to mediation and work out all your differences.” That mediation led to the creation of the Flood Damage Reduction Work Group in 1998, bringing stakeholders together to evaluate projects collaboratively. “It’s like adversaries had to become friends, and it took a long time; we’re still organized today to look at all these different projects and work through what the alternatives are and what kind of natural resource benefits can we have.” Money says the goal is balancing flood protection with water quality and habitat improvements.
