Years of tension between land owners, watershed district managers, and county, state, and federal conservation agencies, ultimately changed when in 1998, when all parties agreed that flood protection, water quality, and conservation efforts do not have to constantly be at odds. Today, the Red River Watershed Management Board’s (RRWMB) makes watershed decisions based on an agreed upon process of mediation.
The decisions made today by the RRWMB must follow the mission of the mediation agreement that says: “To reach consensus agreements on long-term solutions for reducing flood damage and for protection and enhancement of natural resources. Such agreements should balance important economic, environmental, and social considerations. Such agreements must provide for fair and effective procedures to resolve future conflicts related to flood damage reduction.”
“I was a long 8 months,” recalls Jerome Deal of Wheaton, Minn. who participated in the 1998 mediation process. “Folks got their two-cents in and their ideas were respected and became part of what we do today,” says Deal.
The mediation agreement created, the Flood Damage Reduction Work Group, which provides for a collaborative approach to planning and implementing both flood damage reduction and natural resource enhancement projects. Key elements of the agreement are clearly identified goals for both flood reduction and natural resources; comprehensive watershed planning; early consultation and collaboration among all stakeholders; and a cooperative approach to permitting projects.
The Flood Damage Reduction Work Group relies on a Technical and Scientific Advisory Committee (TSAC) to provide technical and scientific information and analysis in support of the mediation effort. The TSAC represents a range of disciplines, including hydrology, engineering, ecology, soils science, and economics. The TSAC group’s work is based on consensus, and its work reflects consensus recommendations to the Work Group.
Current members of TSAC include representatives from Houston Engineering, JOR Engineering, the Army Corps of Engineers, and federal and state agencies including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Minn. Department of Natural Resources, and the Minn. Center for Environmental Advocacy. The TSAC developed a series of 15 working papers that address key topics associated with flood damage reduction. The technical information contained in each paper is what TSAC, and ultimately the RRWMB, uses in recommending all flood damage reduction projects it funds.
John Finney of Humboldt, Minn. and president of the RRWMB, is quick to remind board members and citizens that the watershed issues addressed by the board must meet the standards of the mediation agreement.
“Without the mediation process as our directive, our work would be muddled in conflict, but we actually get things done, we all have different ideas about flood protection, water quality, and conservation, but we all agree that without the mediation process, we’d get nothing done,” says Finney.
Crookston, Minn. —
