Flood 2009

Friday, April 24, 2009 - As I was thinking about something to post today, I thought I would give you a quick recap of how we (MPS) fared during the Flood of 2009. Below is a summary (by division) of what happened over the past month of so.

Electric:

• All major electric facilities were protected.
• The Brookdale substation (located just south of I-94 along the river) was protected by a clay dike created by the City of Moorhead and was protected to 44'. Additional dikes were added around the control house as secondary protection.
• At the Power Plant, water came right to the wall during the first crest (resulting in no damage). In preparation for the second crest a clay dike was added for protection to 44'.
• Various switches and other electrical equipment was protected during both crests.
• Individual homes had power turned off based on customer requests if the homes were lost to water.
• There was only one area (in the Woodlawn area, north of the Power Plant) that had power turned off. After the area was evacuated by the National Guard, MPS Electric Division Manager Dave Kahly monitored water levels in and around the area for 24-hours. Once water was found on the inside of the dike, house fires became a concern, and with limited access for the fire department, the fear of a neighborhood fire resulted in MPS turning off power for a few days.

Water:

• The River Pumping Station was really the only asset from the Water Division that was a concern during this flood. Located right on the river, after 1997, MPS built permanent protection to 40 feet. Additional measures were added and the River Pumping Station was protected during both crests.
• After concern for the integrity of the entire Moorhead city water system, MPS made the difficult decision to cut water service to Oakport Township. As basements flood, uncontrollable water leaks can occur and cause the entire water system to loose pressure. After 24-hours, it was determined that the Oakport Water Tower maintained water pressure to the Oakport area allowing MPS to restore water service to the township.

GoMoorhead.com:

• Many residents were displaced from their homes and many more were in need of Internet access to monitor river levels and stay in touch with concerned loved ones.
• MPS was able to open the GoMoorhead.com Wireless Internet Service to all residents of Moorhead through a special guest access. This guest access allowed residents to use the Internet at reduced speeds for a limited amount of time. Although the cumulative number of guests on the system was unable to be tracked, a snapshot look at the users indicated approximately 400 guests were utilizing the GoMoorhead.com Flood Access.
• MPS was also able to provide emergency personnel and organizations with GoMoorhead.com while they were in town assisting with the flood fight. 18 organizations utilized this special access.

Check Out the Flood Page:
MPS has a lot of information from the flood online at www.mpsutility.com. Features on that site include a daily journal from MPS General Manager Bill Schwandt and photos from the flood.

MPS wants to thank all those who worked so hard to protect this great community! THANK YOU!

Posted by: MPS Communications Director, Doug Rogness