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19 <br /> <br />Wilkin County. Those issues would need to be addressed to follow Minnesota law. An Eastern <br />tieback levy in Minnesota would run north and south. This would dissect Clay County Ditch #59 <br />and JD #1 running east and west. Significant engineering and reroute would need to be done to <br />those systems to ensure drainage is not hindered. <br />Within the Minnesota staging area there are approximately 15 sections of land that would be <br />placed into the flood plain. There are concerns in regards to the city of Comstock’s infrastructure <br />and access during flood events. I question if ring dike protection will be certifiable because of <br />railroad access points. US Highway 75 and the BNSF railroad, both run north and south and are <br />heavily used corridors. Each system would experience deep inundation of floodwater with a <br />proposed project and a significant road and rail raise must take place. My proposal is to engineer US <br />Highway 75 to the standards of what the Eastern tieback would be, make it the tieback levy. The <br />Army Corps had stated that levies could be used in this capacity. By doing this the land between the <br />road and the Red River could be used as staging, the vast majority of that land is currently <br />susceptible to flooding due to its proximity to the river. Doing this would preserve valuable <br />farmland, eliminate the need to ring dike the city, prevent disruption to Hoff and Comstock <br />cemeteries, and offer huge cost savings by eliminating the need for a rail raise. <br />In looking at other possible changes The Northern Storage-Channel Alignment did not <br />prove to offer any change to impacts, I’m not sure a change is necessary, but if keeping existing <br />floodplain is important to getting a permit it may be an option. <br />Keeping impacts at the Canadian border neutral is an important factor. A small threshold <br />exists to allow for minor downstream impacts that could help ease the burden upstream. By allowing <br />up to 4 or 5 inches downstream impact we could see a measurable decrease in the staging area. <br />Ultimately reducing flow into the mainstem of the Red River south of the metro will <br />continue to serve as an integral part of reducing flood levels. Managing flow of the Wild Rice <br />specifically has been identified as something that could drastically decrease mainstem levels. <br />A comment has been made in reference to the amount of money the task force <br />recommended alternatives add to the final product. While there is truth in the statement, the reality <br />is that these are proposed elements that could potentially allow a project to be permitted. Without