White House Launches Devils Lake Working Group

Press Release

Congressman Earl Pomeroy and Senators Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan today announced that the White House is forming an interagency working group to tackle both the short-term and long-term challenges posed by the rising waters of Devils Lake.

"The communities around Devils Lake face an urgent threat. We need immediate action to begin moving water off Devils Lake now. We need everybody on board and working together. We now have engagement at the highest levels of the White House working to get relief for Devils Lake," the delegation said in a joint statement.

Responding to a request from the Congressional delegation, Vice President Joseph Biden directed Peter Orszag, the director of the White House's Office of Management and Budget, to convene an interagency working group, modeled on the Devils Lake task force created by the Clinton administration, to take immediate steps to tackle the threat of the rising lake.

"I'm pleased that we've been able to work with the North Dakota delegation to take this next step to explore solutions with regard to Devils Lake," Vice President Biden said.

"We are pleased to be working with the North Dakota delegation to set up this working group to develop a coordinated federal response to support individuals, families and small businesses in the Devils Lake region," said OMB Director Orszag.

The federal group will be comprised of representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Transportation, Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Department of State, Environmental Protection Agency, National Weather Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The first meeting of the federal agencies is expected within the next two weeks. In addition, the group will have participation from the state, tribal and local governments as well as downstream interests in North Dakota.

In the short term, each agency has been asked to address specific issues including: options to protect and / or relocate residents of Minnewaukan; review of upper basin storage capacity; and a reevaluation of FEMA's flood endorsement policy and other mitigation strategies for saving homes in the region before they are flooded. Relevant agencies will also be looking into whether water quality criteria south of Lake Ashtabula could be safely adjusted to allow more water to be pumped from the west end of the lake.

In the longer term, there is a real risk of an uncontrolled overflow, which could have devastating downstream impacts. In order to avert disaster, the working group will examine options for removing more water from the lake. Options include: improved water treatment; a control structure at the Jerusalem or Tolna coulees; modifications to the state outlet to increase capacity; and technologies to lower sulfate levels. A deadline of 90 days has been set for the Corps to provide its recommendations.

Additionally, the delegation said the Corps has agreed to expedite review of any requests for permits necessary to allow the state to access higher quality water from Pelican Lake to ensure that its outlet can pump at full capacity.

Source