Local officials in North Dakota and Minnesota said they can work together on a permanent flood protection plan, despite recent complaints about some of the ideas.
Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., held an official Senate hearing on flood protection Wednesday inside the Fargodome, the building that was used to build sandbags during record-setting flooding in March and April.
"A lot of people have very strong opinions about these issues," Dorgan said. "In the final analysis, there needs to be some agreement, and I think that will be the case."
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has outlined three preliminary proposals, a $1 billion diversion project on the Minnesota side of the river, a $625 million levee system and a combination of the two. Any plan must meet federal guidelines on costs and benefits.
Corps officials said during the hearing that the levee proposal is the only one that appears to qualify.
The delegations from the two states told local leaders they will have to agree on areas that should be protected.
"We know that the path is out there, but we need to find where that path begins," Moorhead Mayor Mark Voxland said.
"We need to allow the Corps of Engineers to do their process," said Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker. "We're all waiting for the preferred alternative."
