Crews get to work on projects to protect Oakport from flooding

Oakport Township, Minn. (WDAY TV) - Signs of progress in one of the hardest hit communities during the spring, WDAY 6 Reporter Kelsey Soby has more from Oakport Township.

Crews are hard at work in this flood project area, where just within the last week they started digging up the area where they hope to build 6 to 7 miles of levee and five water retention ponds.

The ponds can hold at least 6 inches of water that otherwise would flood the area. Crews hope to get 2 to 3 miles of levee done by this winter. It's an aggressive goal, but they're moving fast, working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week.

“If we had this flood protection in place last year we could've protected a lot of homes and saved a lot of damage on the sewer system. It would have been much better for us.”

Anderson says they've had some trouble with children wandering into the work sites. He asks families to be extra cautious around construction zones.

A committee from the Minnesota House of Representatives will visit the site tomorrow. Town leaders plan to thank them for helping secure state bonding money to cover the 10 percent local share of 800-thosuand dollars in flood costs.

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