A Glimpse at the History of Draining in the Devils Lake Basin-

Warning of massive draining projects for Flood Control and concerns for the future impacts of the drained lakes and wetlands.

North Dakota Outdoors (complete copy of article) June, 1965

A Guest Editorial, by Sidney C. Brashears, Director, North Dakota Wildlife Federation

Devils Lake Drainage Project - Will Affect You and Your Children

On May 25, 1965, there will be a public meeting in Devils Lake at which representatives of the Corps of Engineers and the State Water Commission will divulge engineering plans which call for draining or drastically altering several thousand acres of meandered lakes located north and west of Devils Lake, North Dakota.

The lakes directly involved in the massive project are Pelican Lake, Lake Irvine, Lake Alice, Mikes Lake, Chain Lake, Dry Lake, Sweetwater Lake, and Morrison Lake.

In order to drain these lakes, a system of gigantic drainage ditches will have to be dug which will empty into the west bay of Devils Lake. These ditches will not only drain the lakes, but they will also provide an outlet for draining thousands of potholes which are located in the watersheds above the lakes.

The official label that has been pasted on this project reads - Flood Control. Since the project is designed to carry water off the land and out of the lakes at a much faster rate than it presently moves, this might in a sense be construed to be flood control. But the principal thing the project will accomplish is the drainage of thousands of acres of lakes and potholes which now trap the water each year as it falls, and hold it on the land.

When considering this project from the standpoint of how it will affect the natural resources of the area, which in turn will affect all of the people, it is appalling to conceive that such little consideration has been given these aspects. The eradication of thousands of acres of lakes and potholes will cause waterfowl and other wildlife to vanish from this area which historically has been one of the best waterfowl areas in the nation. These lakes and potholes not only produce thousands of waterfowl each year, but also provide resting and feeding areas for hundreds of thousands of geese, ducks, and other waterfowl during the spring and fall migrations. To the waterfowl hunter, this area exceeds all others in the nation, when consideration the number of birds available and the ease with which the hunters have access to them.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent in this general area each year by hunters from throughout the nation. These monies boost the whole economy of the area annually.

Another aspect to consider and of probably more importance, when viewed in respect to flood control, is the loss of these lakes and potholes which now provide collecting basins for water to hold it on the land. Water trapped in these basins percolates into the ground and evaporates into the air, and does not rush down a drainage ditch to a stream, river, or coulee to flood homes and cities. it seems to me that these lakes and potholes provide the best means of controlling floods if they are not altered. In this particular project, this approach would be about 3.7 million dollars cheaper, not to mention the annual maintenance cost of over a quarter million. A large share of the flood problem throughout the state and nation today can be traced back to indiscriminate drainage and improper land use.

The purpose of the public meeting scheduled for May 25 in Devils Lake is to hear the views of the people, both pro and con, concerning the project. The views expressed at this meeting will probably be used in the basis for the decision as to whether or not this project is recommended for authorization by our Federal Congress.

To view this proposed project realistically, I believe we must consider whether or not it is wise to eliminate thousands of acres of irreplaceable wildlife habitat in order to alleviate the temporary flooding of a few acres of farm land. The wildlife resources of this state and nation are important to all of us in this generation and will probably be more important to those that follow.

It is my fervent hope that citizens from throughout our state will attend this meeting and become cognizant of what the proposed project is, and to express their views to these public officials. These people are our representatives in government and the question that they will probably want answered at this meeting is this: "Do we, the people, want this project?"

I believe that all of us have the responsibility of answering this question, because the project will directly affect all of us in this generation and in the generations to come after we have gone.

Sidney C. Brashears, Director , North Dakota Wildlife Federation

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