The $3B Project That Saved Fargo

Описание: Welcome back to 21st Century Engineer the podcast where we share real-world insights for mid-career and emerging professionals shaping civil infrastructure.

In this episode, Dr. Dennis D. Truax sits down with Joel Paulsen, civil engineer and former Executive Director of the Fargo–Moorhead Flood Diversion Authority, to break down one of the most important flood-risk projects in the U.S.: the Fargo–Moorhead Diversion Project.

After record flood events including the 2009 flood fight that brought the entire community out to sandbag Fargo knew a permanent solution was no longer optional. The result: a multi-billion-dollar program blending federal, state, local, and private financing, including a groundbreaking public-private partnership (P3) with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

This conversation is a masterclass in risk management, stakeholder alignment, innovative delivery, and community resilience.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

Why the Red River Valley is uniquely flood-prone

What it takes to build a diversion channel + major control structures

How Fargo moved from “back of the bus” funding to the front

How P3 delivery helped speed the project up dramatically

The urban–rural challenge: mitigation, easements, and landowner trust

Why stable funding is often the difference between “planned” and “built”

Joel’s takeaway for leaders: never take no for an answer

YouTube Chapters / Timestamps

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00:00 Intro + why Fargo needed permanent flood protection
01:20 Meet Joel Paulsen + background in Red River Valley flooding
04:10 Why the valley floods: flat terrain + river flows north
06:30 1997 Grand Forks devastation + Fargo’s wake-up call
08:45 2009 record flood: “inches from losing Fargo”
10:30 The diversion concept: engineered channel + flow control
12:45 Scope: acres, bridges, aqueducts, gates, and earthwork
14:55 Funding challenge: federal appropriations + cost-benefit realities
16:40 The breakthrough: pitching a P3 to the Corps + Congress
18:55 Split delivery: Corps control structures vs. P3 passive elements
22:00 Local buy-in: half-cent sales tax + joint powers authority
24:10 Benefits: floodplain removal + insurance + economic growth
27:10 Why prevention is hard: political will + risk perception
29:30 Risk management: aligning cities, counties, states, feds + private sector
31:45 Urban–rural divide: lawsuits + upstream impacts
34:35 Mitigation innovations: easements, relocation, crop protection
37:20 Construction reality: 24/7 work + accelerated schedule
39:40 Results: cost savings + 10 years faster (Corps estimate)
41:55 IIJA funding impact: stability changes everything
44:10 Multi-generational funding: sales tax through 2080
45:30 Final takeaway: “never take no for an answer”
46:10 Wrap-up