Over the years, the City of Oxbow, North Dakota, has grown to be well-known for its scenic river setting and quality golf course located along the Red River of the North. But in more recent years, Oxbow has been headline news on national television channels due to flooding from the Red River. With four major flood events occurring in the Red River Valley basin in the last 10 years, Engineers, Designers and Municipalities such as Oxbow are finding innovative ways to control the river.
The City storm sewer outfalls directly into the Red River and during the spring, river water can back up into the sewer and flood the community.
With the existing sewer consisting of a mixture of drainage products, design engineers at Moore Engineering in West Fargo, North Dakota, selected aluminized T2 corrugated steel pipe as the best method to control the elevated Red River flood waters and keep them from backing up into the city’s storm sewer.
With multiple stormwater outlets located along the river, the engineers at Moore Engineering designed a water control structure consisting of a corrugated steel pipe riser with inlet and outlet stubs. It included a gate valve that can be opened and closed during high water events with a non rising stem extension placed at the gate wheel, directly beneath the protective access hatch.
The water control structures were placed within the existing storm conduit near the inlet structures. Individual structures were then utilized to attach to the verity of conduits previously placed within the city limits. Engineers also designed clay dike systems to protect the city from future flood events.
A total of 14 flood control structures were placed within either the existing storm sewer or new dike construction to protect the periphery of the city. By utilizing these methods, the City of Oxbow can now control the backup of river water in the active storm sewer system and also detour the over land flood water from the Wild Rice and Sheyenne Rivers.
The gated structures have provided the City with great confidence in battling the Red River. Generators and pumps have been placed near these structures and are accessible from the dry side of the river and dikes system in order to evacuate any seepage that may occur.
After recovering from major spring flooding in 1997 and 2009 and as the 2011 Red River flood recedes, the City residents and leaders are pleased with their flood fighting efforts. Oxbow residents remain concerned about their community being excluded from a permanent Red River diversion project that is in the planning stages, but for today, the City of Oxbow is safe.