This isn't about just one farm. More than 100 landowners and 12,600 acres of productive private farmland in Roseau County are at risk—threatened by projects that three independent hydrology reviews show will cause permanent flooding.
This is working farmland. It's fed families for generations and paid taxes to the state for decades—and we intend to keep farming it.
And this isn't theoretical. It's happening now. Some landowners have already experienced flooding on private land—without their knowledge, permission, or easements.
The Roseau Lake “Rehabilitation” and Roseau River “Restoration” projects are supported by taxpayer-funded grants from Minnesota’s Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council (LSOHC) through the Outdoor Heritage Fund (OHF) among other other sources. Additional OHF funding is currently under consideration by the Minnesota House Legacy Fund Finance Committee with a decision anticipated April 15, 2026.
Under Minnesota Statutes § 97A.056, subd. 1, the OHF is prohibited from being used to acquire property by eminent domain unless the owner specifically requests it.
We unequivocally do NOT want our land taken.
We are asking legislators to pause ANY additional funding toward these projects until the legal case and procedural issues have been addressed.
As landowners and taxpayers, we've been fighting these projects for well over a decade. Despite our willingness to work with the RRWD, and our decades of experience farming our land, the Board has failed to address our concerns or provide sufficient information to us.
A dam (weir) constructed on private property without notice, permission, or easements has flooded multiple landowners’ fields, seeing backups up to 3 miles.
As more landowners learn about the projected impacts, concern continues to grow. Landowners are continuing to work with engineering experts and legal experts to save our land and livelihoods.
The Roseau River Watershed District (RRWD), in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, is advancing the Roseau Lake "Rehabilitation" and Roseau River "Restoration" projects.
Project plans include new embankments and dikes around the lake basin and reconnecting sections of the Roseau River, which will disrupt seasonal flooding patterns.
While the stated purpose is flood damage reduction and improved fish and wildlife habitat, independent hydrology reviews all project that flood reduction would be minimal but will have catastrophic impacts on farming operations—at a cost far exceeding the watershed district's proposed multi-million dollar budget.
In the early 1900s, landowners, working alongside the State of Minnesota, developed a drainage ditch system to manage seasonal flooding and keep fields productive.
In fact, the spring runoff makes this land some of the most fertile in Minnesota—and that system still supports active farming today.
These projects would change how water is managed in the area, disrupting a system that has worked for generations.
These projects would effectively flood residents out of their homes, buildings and farm facilities, make our land unfarmable and destroy our livelihoods. With huge costs and no clear public benefit, these projects amount to nothing more than a land grab.
If what's happening concerns you also, please contact Minnesota legislators and ask them to keep funding paused to allow the court to review.
Find Minnesota legislators contact info here.