Red River Basin Flood Damage Reduction Framework

Flooding is a major problem within much of the Red River Basin. This problem is primarily related to geology, topography, weather, and land use. The Flood Damage Reduction Work Group in Minnesota seeks to provide Project Teams, Watershed Districts and others with science-based and consensus-based tools to enable more effective flood damage reduction within the basin. A fundamental premise of this technical paper is that flood damage reduction (FDR) along the main stem of the Red River and the lower reaches of its major tributaries (glacial lakebed region) is substantially dependent on the types and locations of FDR and related measures implemented upstream. Flooding in the glacial lakebed region of the basin is substantially affected by runoff timing and volume from upstream areas. Runoff timing and volume are, in turn, substantially affected by the topography, soils, precipitation and land use within different regions of the basin, as well as by the types and locations of FDR and natural resource enhancement (NRE) measures that may be implemented. A basin-wide FDR framework will better enable a coordinated approach to integrate various FDR and associated NRE measures that are most effective for achieving the overall goals envisioned by the Red River Basin Mediation Agreement adopted in December 1998. The goal of this framework is to implement various types of FDR measures individually, or in concert, at locations for which they are best suited to achieve FDR benefits locally and in the watershed, while also contributing to reduction of main stem flooding risk. This framework includes FDR measures that are also NRE measures, and promotes multi-purpose projects.