Legal Drain 39 Watershed Study & Analysis

This multi-phase project focused on updating drains built in the early 1900s. The reconstruction effort for this drain started after the 1997 flood. The 2017 project was the fourth completed phase over those 20 years.

In total, 10 miles of channel were reconstructed, 10 major road crossings were replaced, and hundreds of field inlet culverts were replaced or installed. Over 600,000 cubic yards of excavation were completed, and almost $2 million was spent over the length of the project to complete the first four phases.

The purpose of the overall reconstruction was to improve the stability of the channel and increase its capacity. The original construction had steep slopes (steeper than 2:1 in many cases) that caused sloughing. The channel was narrow, plugging with snow easily and causing adjacent flooding or excessive maintenance expenses to deal with snow removal. These projects will extend the channel’s life and reduce maintenance costs to the district well into the future.

Multiple permits and extensive funding, including funds from FEMA and the North Dakota State Water Commission, were needed to make this project successful. Wetland mitigation was part of one phase.