The Richard P Nelson Floodway Makes A Difference In Warren, Minnesota

The late Richard Nelson, Warren’s former Mayor, worked tirelessly at the state and national level to advocate for the Snake River flood control project to protect his city.  His efforts resulted in the approval and funding of the $18 million project, in record time.  The project is designed to protect Warren from flood damages, and although not complete, just saved the City from another devastating flood..  

The residents of Warren have endured numerous floods throughout their history.  In 1996 and 1997 alone the city suffered three major floods that caused $12.7 million in damages.  The effect of not having the Snake River project in place during the spring of 2006  would have been a flood with a peak worse than the flood of 1997 which inundated much of the city and did extensive damage.   

The Snake River Watershed Project consists of two main components, an excavated floodway around the city of Warren, and a floodwater storage impoundment located 10 miles upstream of the city.  The floodwater storage impoundment was needed to ensure that flood levels would not be increased either downstream or upstream of the floodway diversion structure currently under construction in Warren. 

The impoundment and floodway channel are complete.  However the diversion structure above the city which directs water to the floodway is incomplete and allowed water to flow around it.  Emergency sandbagging prevented any serious damage; however the water would have been three to four feet deeper without the project.  That depth would have caused major damage in the city. 

The sponsors of the project are the Middle Snake Tamarack Rivers Watershed District and the City of Warren.  Engineering and funding for the flood control components of the project were provided by the USDA-NRCS under the Public Law 566 Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Program.  The local sponsors  were responsible for purchasing right-of-way, installing road crossings, contracting for the construction and future operation and maintenance.  

It is expected that all of the final work on the floodway diversion structure will be completed during the summer of 2006. The flood diversion channel, which routes floodwaters of the Snake River around the town, has been named the Richard P. Nelson Floodway in his honor. 

For more information about the Snake River Project, please contact, John Brach, State Engineer at (651)-602-7880 or via e-mail at:  john.brach@mn.usda.gov

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