Green lines on the map below represent separate drainage areas of the current Devils Lake basin, over 2.6 million acres. These several drainage areas have been connected with thousands of permitted drains, now funneling water to the lower part of the Devils Lake basin. The largest of these drains have names such as Big Coulee, Mauvais Coulee, Edmore Coulee, Starkweather Coulee, Channel A. In a 1976 report the ND State Water Commission states (see Reports page) that draining previously undrained areas with Channel A could potentially flood Devils Lake and thousands of acres of land. As long ago as 1965 the wisdom of connecting the upper chain of lakes for drainage purposes was questioned. (See History of Draining)