The dike capacity is 40 feet. The Red River is projected to crest on April 18 or 19 in the Grand Forks area at 46 to 48.8 feet. The dike capacity is being shored up to 54 feet. Ice in ditches and rivers complicates the situation, as does still-frozen ground. Levies, earth dikes and sandbags have the river waters contained.
Local volunteers continue to fill and place sandbags in all three states.
Water levels in the Wahpeton-Breckenridge area are receding, and present precautions should be sufficient to protect the towns. As people remember the 1997 floods and experience the present rising waters, they are experiencing enormous emotional and spiritual stress. Many of the low-lying houses flooded in 1997 have been moved or were not rebuilt. There are better drains, ditches, levees, and dikes in place. Residents of the Red River Valley are urged to be prudent.