FEMA Projects Lower Flood Risks
in Cogswell, North Dakota

Cogswell, ND - Like many North Dakota communities, Cogswell, founded by pioneers in 1885 and located on the prairie near the southeastern corner of the state, has been plagued repeatedly by overland flooding and lack of drainage. But in the spring of 2009, while vast areas of the state remained inundated for weeks by floodwaters, the abundance caused only minor concerns in Cogswell. Dennis Dockter, a member of the city council and former mayor, said the Sargent County city stayed dry because of steps that had been taken in previous years.

Dockter explained that water drains toward Cogswell from a ridge one mile to the west and flows from the high points to the low points in city. “Cogswell shouldn’t have been built where it is. It’s in a bowl. Water drains into it,” he said. But, he added, Cogswell is the only home many people have known. “It’s been home to so many people for ages. Families are here and their roots are here.”

As happens in communities throughout North Dakota, many homes flooded in Cogswell during high-water events, with some receiving damages that equaled or exceeded 50 percent of their pre-flood market value. Through FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, the city purchased four such homes.

With funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the State of North Dakota, and local sources, the city of about 165 people was able to improve drainage, move a lift station, and convert to open space floodprone lots where houses had stood. In addition, the county and state paid for the elevation of county roads, which improved access to and from the city.

“The people who had been under water were quite willing sellers after they went through the problems they had,” Dockter said. The city also has taken possession of abandoned lots, so several areas provide open space, as well as ponding areas for excess water.

“People are really happy with what took place,” Dockter said, after the 2009 flood subsided. “We got by the flood this spring without anybody having to move. We were able to use our sewer and water system all the time, and it just made life a little better.”

In the county, Drain 11 is an open ditch, a channel that meanders for 26 miles from the northwest corner of the county to the Wild Rice River on the south side. In recent years, many improvements have been made to Drain 11. The Sargent County Water Resource Board cleared the channel of cattails that had blocked the flow in places. According to board president Jim Bosse and board member Roger White, improvements that help prevent erosion of the bank include angling the culverts, use of caps, and installation of rocks and steel piling. In some places, the bank was made less steep. On the channel that leads from the city to the main drain, new double tiles have replaced the old. The new, perforated tiles consist of a corrugated outer channel that is stiff and strong and resists cave-ins and a smooth inner channel that helps the water keep flowing over the nearly flat grade.