Heavy rains at the end of June in the Devils Lake Basin are slowly adding up to measurable water problems for residents there, who already have been battling floodwaters for more than three decades.
Jeff Frith serves on the Ramsey County Commission, and is also Manager of the Devils Lake Basin Joint Water Resource Board. He says over a period of just a few days, portions of southern Cavalier and northern Ramsey County received anywhere from four inches to up to a foot of rainfall. And that water drains south into Devils Lake.
"We currently have 34 closures in Ramsey County, 51 miles that we've logged so far that we've lost, just in the past ten days. That number could continue to increase as water continues to move south and impacts more land, more roads. It's a real problem up here."
Frith says many coulees that are dry this time of year are now swollen and flowing. And due to mechanical issues, outlets on the lake's east and west ends are not operating at full capacity.
The lake elevation is currently at 1450.4, and is estimated to come up another foot or so now over the next month. This compounds issues stemming from a heavier spring runoff. Frith says by the time the water drains, the lake could be up about two and a half feet on the year. Frith says when the lake reaches this height, it becomes unmanageable at the local level.
"We're having daily briefings right now with the County; with the state Department of Emergency Services, National Guard, Civil Air Patrol, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Water Resources, to continue to try and get a handle on the damages that have been done, getting a better understanding of where we're at, and whether or not we're going to qualify for a state or presidential disaster declaration."
Devils Lake reached its historic high of just over 1454 feet in 2011. At 1458, the lake naturally spills into the Sheyenne River through the Tolna Coulee.
Frith says at its current level, the lake occupies more than 160,000 acres – much of that being agricultural land taken out of production.
