Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Roseau "Lake Rehabilitation" Project?
What is the Roseau "Lake Rehabilitation" Project?
What is the Roseau "Lake Rehabilitation" Project?
- The Roseau River Watershed District (RRWD) and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources wants to construct a series of embankments and water control gates around the Roseau Lake basin
- Their aim is to create a permanent marsh for waterfowl year-round, while attempting to minimize flooding downstream
- Thousands of acres of family farmland would be rendered unfarmable by disrupting seasonal flooding patterns
- The operational plan was proposed and passed without sufficient consultation of farmers and landowners in the project's footprint
- Alternative 1 is the Board's currently preferred alternative
- The Engineer’s Report states the project will be completed by 2022
How does the project affect flooding?
What is the Roseau "Lake Rehabilitation" Project?
What is the Roseau "Lake Rehabilitation" Project?
- The Watershed District’s own engineering report admits that the project will do nothing to reduce the threat or damage of larger (“10 year”) flood events
- The project aims to address the smaller ("5 year") floods, but these are already well-managed by Roseau farmers and landowners
- The project would hold excess water in the Roseau lake basin, preventing it from emptying as it normally does
- The project's proposed dikes are higher than those currently used by farmers to protect their land, which would result in the flooding spilling over onto privately owned farmland first, instead of filling the basin
- Should the project go through, the region would still be unprepared for larger, periodic flood events
- According to an outside engineer who reviewed the Watershed District’s plan: “…this project could deem several thousand acres unfarmable due to the increased risk of submergence due to the flood control, cutoff of access for farming equipment, and/or blockage of drainage”
Does this project use eminent domain?
What is the Roseau "Lake Rehabilitation" Project?
Does this project use eminent domain?
- Farmers and landowners in the project's footprint do not wish to sell their land and oppose this project
- Under the Board's previous preferred alternative (2A'), thousands of acres of privately owned land would have been taken to build embankments and easements
- While there is no longer a formal threat of eminent domain, the Board still has not disavowed the use of eminent domain
- Under the Board's now preferred alternative (alternative 1), land would be rendered unfarmable due to increased risk of flooding at key times during the growing season
- Landowners stand to face even more loss as a result of alternative 1, since their land will be flooded without compensation from easements
Who's paying for this project?
Who is the Institute for Justice?
Does this project use eminent domain?
- The watershed district’s engineering report estimates their preferred option for completing the project will cost just over $15 million
- The outside engineer who reviewed that report estimates the actual cost will be more than $15 million
- Exact figures have not been provided by the watershed district for the public to know how the project is being funded
- Taxpayers will likely foot a significant portion of the bill, and already have through RRWD local construction taxes
- Based on available information, the project would be funded by: state bonds, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Red River Watershed Management Board, Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council, and local construction taxes
- Previous iterations of the project have failed to go through due to lack of funding/sustained interest
What are the proposed benefits?
Who is the Institute for Justice?
Who is the Institute for Justice?
- While RRWD states the project will improve spring and fall migratory waterfowl habitat, this will not be the case, as the spring is prone to flash floods when river heights can overtop the banks and de-nest the ducks
- The DNR already owns thousands of acres, including 40% of the watershed area, that can be converted into a habitat for ducks without destroying farmland
- Upland game currently hunted in the area will be displaced by the project
- While RRWD states the project will enhance recreational activities like fishing and boating, the reality will be a permanent marsh that attracts pests, not fish
- The permanent marsh will average six to twelve inches of water, which is no place for boats or fishing but a hot spot for mosquitos and ticks
Who is the Institute for Justice?
Who is the Institute for Justice?
Who is the Institute for Justice?
- A nonprofit, public interest law firm, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with an office in Minneapolis and dedicated to stopping the abuse of eminent domain
- Represented Susette Kelo and her neighbors before the U.S. Supreme Court in Kelo v. City of New London and helped save over 20,000 homes and small businesses from eminent domain abuse through grassroots activism
History of the Roseau "Lake" Rehabilitation Project
The Roseau River Watershed District (RRWD) was formed in 1963 to manage the waters of Roseau County and its surrounding area. The agency has been studying the Roseau Lake Basin for decades to reduce chronic flooding in the region. The original Roseau Lake was drained in 1914 for agricultural purposes. But, RRWD claims that the area consistently floods, leading to losses of crops and decreased biodiversity among wildlife.
The Roseau Lake Rehabilitation Project was re-born in 2014 from this concern to reduce flood damage and improve habitats for wildlife. RRWD plans to build embankments and control structures along the Roseau River to help with flood storage in the Roseau Lake Basin. To date, the project was set to start construction in 2020, however, no construction has begun. The project site appears to have not been updated since mid-2016, despite project planning continuing to this year.
Project goals were rearticulated in a June 2019 Engineer’s Report with a similar emphasis on reducing flooding, improving conditions for wildlife, and preventing loss of crops for farmers. Most of the land in Roseau lake is owned and managed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). DNR has made attempts in the past to move forward with the project, but all previous attempts inevitably stalled from lack of funding or sustained interest.
Agencies Involved
- Roseau River Watershed District (RRWD) – Manages the watershed around the Roseau River in Roseau County. RRWD is the primary entity behind the project. Board members are not experts in hydrology but wield tremendous power when it comes to decision-making—including about the futures and livelihoods of these 50 farmers.
- Red River Watershed Management Board (RRWM) – Holds the real power behind the project. The RRWMB has several jurisdictions under its management that have membership on its board, including Roseau River Watershed District. They have reportedly been told to not speak to outside counsel about the project.
- Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council – The funders of the project, based in Minneapolis. The Council was established by the state legislature to provide annual funding recommendations to the legislature from the Outdoor Heritage Fund. This is one of several funds created by Minnesota State clean water legislation that seeks to restore, protect, and enhance Minnesota wetlands.
- Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) – Manages and protects state land and water. Also provides outdoor recreation opportunities. The agency owns significant land in northern Minnesota, including much of the land in the proposed project area.
History of the Project
- April 2014 – Project restarted
- Fall 2015 – Topographic survey completed
- October 2015-May 2016 – Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council recommended $2.76 million for the project, which was signed into law by the governor
- December 2015 – Concept Report completed
- January 2016 – Red Board Step 1 approved
- June 2016 – First public meeting held
- June 2016 – Preliminary engineer’s report released
- April 2017 – Red Board Step 2 approved
- June 2019 – Second engineer’s report released
- December 2020 - EAW Public Comment Period
- January 2021 - Board votes to change preferred alternative from 2A' to alternative 1, during public comment period
- February 2021 - MN DNR extends EAW determination, seeking more information on alternative 1
- March 2021 - Board votes on new operational plan
