Posted on August 13, 2025
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, awarded a $710,000 contract to Tunheim Construction, out of Fargo, North Dakota, Aug. 6, for repair of the Grand Forks levee in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and to restore the levee to the original condition.
In April 2023, the Red River of the North basin experienced a localized rain event in combination with rapid melt of a heavy snowpack, creating severe flooding in North Dakota and Minnesota. This flooding produced significant erosion in the English Coulee diversion channel, resulting from high water flows that exceeded the designed protection of a grass-lined channel. The total damaged areas exceeded 4,630 linear feet, sporadically distributed along two miles of channel.
Repair will include removing and filling topsoil, filling and compacting a clay base, placing a geotextile base and riprap, and reestablishing turf in areas disturbed by construction. Construction is anticipated to start this construction season and finish in 2026.
This Grand Forks project for local flood control improvements, including the construction of levees, floodwalls, diversion channels, and other flood control measures, was authorized in 1998.
Every year, floods sweep through communities across the United States, taking lives, destroying property, shutting down businesses and causing millions of dollars in damage. The Corps of Engineers assists communities in building projects that reduce risk from floods while managing a number of reservoirs designed to reduce excess flooding.
