FARGO, N.D. (AP) —

North Dakota and Minnesota

residents who have

been fighting plans for a

Red River diversion channel

around the Fargo-Moorhead

area have agreed to a

settlement with the public

group managing the project.

Monday’s agreement

should end a federal lawsuit

filed by upstream residents

in 2013 as well as

other complaints and allow

the $2.75 billion project to

move forward. The deal

was signed by the Metro

Flood Diversion Authority

and several entities representing

people who live

south of north-flowing

river.

“This agreement is monumental

and I really commend

all sides for coming

together to find resolution,”

Fargo Mayor Tim Mahoney

said in a statement. “I think

future generations will be

grateful for the tremendous

effort put into this.”

The agreement requires

the diversion authority to

provide compensation and

flood prevention to political

subdivisions located

within Richland County in

North Dakota and Wilkin

County in Minnesota for

potential impacts from the

project. In turn, opponents

agree to dismiss all federal

and state lawsuits and other

proceedings challenging

the diversion.

“We believe this agreement

gives us the local

control to ensure that our

concerns over the impacts

in Richland County from

the diversion project will

be adequately addressed.”

said Nathan Berseth, who

helped lead the opposition

as a member of a group

representing Richland and

Wilkin counties.

The idea for the 30-mile

(50-kilometer) diversion

channel gained momentum

after a record-setting

2009 flood that destroyed

about 100 structures and

caused millions of dollars

in damage. Fargo, which

sits lower than Moorhead,

was saved only by a massive

sandbagging effort by

100,000 volunteers involving

more than 7 million

bags.

Opponents have said all

along they support flood

protection for Fargo-Moorhead

but filed the suit because

they believed there

was a cheaper project that

would not inundate upstream

land in times of serious

flooding.

The Minnesota Department

of Natural Resources

in October 2016 denied

a permit for the original

project, leading a federal

judge to stop construction

that had started southwest

of Fargo. The diversion authority

came up with a new

design meant to minimize

upstream impacts and the

DNR signed off on it in

December 2018.

The project could take at

least 10 years to complete.