Sheet pile being driven

ST. PAUL, Minn. (KCSi-T.V. News) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, will host a dedication ceremony for the Tolna Coulee Advance Measures Project, which is located on the southwest corner of Stump Lake in Nelson County, Thursday, July 19, 2012, at 10 a.m. Speakers at the ceremony will include Governor Jack Dalrymple and Maj. Gen. John Peabody, the Mississippi Valley Division commander for the Corps of Engineers.

The Corps completed construction of the Tolna Coulee Control Structure May 22. The 800-foot wide structure is designed to regulate the amount of water that would flow through the coulee. Completion of this project significantly reduces the threat of catastrophic flooding along the Sheyenne River, if Stump Lake were to exceed 1,458 feet above sea level. According to the National Weather Service, the current lake level is 1,452.92 feet.

The Corps anticipates officially handing over the project to the North Dakota State Water Commission later this summer. At that time, the NDSWC will then be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the control structure.

In the event of severe weather, the dedication ceremony may be relocated to the Lake Region State College Auditorium at 1801 College Dr. N.