In April of 1997, the Red River crested at more than 26 feet above flood stage, flooding East Grand Forks. Since that time, SEH and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) worked together to implement a comprehensive, state-of-the-art flood protection system that would enable the Cities to recover from the flooding and then manage the forces of nature rather than engaging them in an un-winnable battle.

SEH led the efforts in East Grand Forks, Minn., where the new flood protection system is certified to provide protection for a 100-year flood event and includes more than 18 miles of earthen levees, 1.4 miles of permanent floodwall and 1,040 feet of "invisible" floodwall, eight road closures, three railroad closures, 11 pump stations, and a 300-foot-long highway bridge. In addition, the design included a 6,100-foot-long diversion channel, and new recreational trails, trailheads, and supporting facilities.

The SEH project team included Mark Angelo, Ron Farmer, Pete Fischer, Doug Forster, Paul Hegre, Jeff Johnson, Rocky Keehn, Dave Odden, Wayne Wambold, and Brad Woznak.

Project awards include:

2010 MSPE Project of the Year
The Minnesota Society of Professional Engineers (MSPE) awarded SEH and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) with a 2010 Seven Wonders of Engineering award for its design and construction support of the Grand Forks/East Grand Forks Flood Protection Project. The project was subsequently awarded the Project of the Year.

The MSPE selected the project to recognize outstanding achievements in the field of engineering based on the project’s engineering methods, complexity, overall significance, and the extent to which the project meets the needs of the clients.

2009 ACEC Minnesota Honor Award
ACEC Minnesota presented SEH's East Grand Forks Flood Protection Project with a 2009 Honor Award as part of ACEC's Engineering Excellence Award competition. The project was recognized as a forward-thinking infrastructure project that reflects technical creativity and sensitivity to community values.

2004 Gold Star Award (Phase II)
Phase II of the project was chosen for the specific attention paid to project aesthetics and technical creativity. While the citizens of Grand Forks/East Grand Forks traded views of the Red River and its scene-scape to construct the flood protection works, project planners “traded” some of the connection to the river scene with wonderfully appointed flood works taken to the highest possible aesthetic and technical levels.

2003 ACEC Honor Award (Phase I)
The project was chosen as the first of five phases because of its importance to the area, and the number of residences and businesses it protected. In addition, the project managers created recreational opportunities around and on the levees to keep residents from feeling barricaded. Pump stations blend with their neighborhoods, stone or simulated stone masonry faces soften concrete flood walls and stoplog closure structures, and trailheads provide a gathering place for the community and entice pedestrians and bikers to enjoy the new trails constructed on or adjacent to the levees.

2000 MSPE Seven Wonders of Engineering in Minnesota Award for Distinguished Engineering Achievement

Read more about the East Grand Forks Flood Control Project