Missouri River Scoping Meetings set for Fort Peck, Williston, Bismarck and Fargo

OMAHA – Four public meetings will be held by the Army Corps of Engineers next week in Montana and North Dakota to collect recommendations, suggestions, and comments to help define the scope of studies that will be conducted for the Missouri River Authorized Purposes Study. The schedule includes tribal-focused meetings at each city at separate locations.

The meeting in Fargo, N.D. is not related to the Fargo-Moorhead Metro Project; only the dams and reservoirs in the Missouri River basin.

The meetings will be held:

Jun 15 Fort Peck, Mont. Fort Peck Interpretive Ctr, Lower Yellowstone Rd
Tribal Meeting: State Fish Hatchery, Fort Peck

Jun 16 Williston, N.D. National Guard Armory, 3712 4th Avenue W.
Tribal Meeting: Williston College, Alumni Center, 1410 University Ave

Jun 17 Bismarck, N.D. Best Western Doublewood, 1400 Interchange Ave
Tribal Meeting: UTTC, Wellness Center, 3315 University Dr

Jun 18 Fargo, N.D. Holiday Inn of Fargo, 3803 13th Avenue
Tribal Meeting: NDSU, Alumni Center, 1241 N University Dr

Each of the public meetings will run from 5 to 8 p.m. with an open-house from 5 to 7 p.m. The final hour (7 to 8 p.m.) will be reserved for public speakers’ comments. Participants may attend at their convenience. The tribal meetings are from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The format will vary slightly.

The public meetings will include:

• Program booklet and Comment Form
• Continuous overview presentations so participants can watch at their convenience
• Individual, manned stations focused on each of the authorized purposes

• One-on-one conversations with Corps experts to ask questions and gain information on the study
• Materials on the study
• Comment Forms and a court reporter to record comments at each site

“We encourage the people planning to participate in these scoping meetings to come prepared to talk about what’s important to them and the problems and opportunities that should be addressed by the study,” said Mark Harberg, study co-manager.

Congress directed the Corps to conduct a study of the Missouri River projects within the basin to review the original project purposes based on the 1944 Flood Control Act to determine if changes to these purposes are warranted. The eight purposes are flood control, hydropower, water supply, irrigation, navigation, recreation, water quality and fish and wildlife. Infrastructure operated by both the Corps and Bureau of Reclamation is included in the study.

Individuals requiring assistance under the Americans with Disabilities Act to participate in these meetings can contact  lois@djcase.com at least three days prior to a specific meeting. Those who use a telecommunications service for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) anytime at 800-877-8339 to relay this same information.

Comments will be accepted through September 20, 2010. They can be e-mailed to: mraps@usace.army.mil or sent to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Missouri River Authorized Purposes Study, Attn: CENWO-PM-AA, 1616 Capitol Avenue, Suite 9000, Omaha, NE 68102-4901.

For more information about the Missouri River Authorized Purposes Study, visit:  www.mraps.org.