City of Montevideo, Minnesota Flood Hazard Mitigation Program
Our community, like many other communities, was founded and built on the banks of a river. In
our case, two rivers, the Minnesota and Chippewa Rivers. At the time of our founding that was
important, but over the years this has become increasingly problematic, and eventually,
destructive.
About 1/3 of Montevideo is flood prone, but those areas are very important because they
included a major subdivision (with over 130 homes and 350+ people), a large highway
commercial area, parts of our historic downtown and an active industrial park. In addition, the
crossroads of three major state highways, a rail yard, and a major east/west rail line are flood
prone. A water treatment plant, a wastewater treatment plant, and many other public facilities
including a regional park full of WPA era buildings, bridges and structures are also in this area of
Montevideo.
Montevideo has a long history of flooding. Pictures from the turn of the century show much of
the lowlands in Montevideo flooded. Major floods have hit Montevideo on a frequent basis over
its entire history, but during the last 15 years we have seen 5 major floods, and 5 federal
emergency declarations. In 1997, 2001, 2009, 2010 and 2011, Montevideo was hit with three of
its worst floods of record, and all five years are in the top ten of all time worst floods.
Our Flood Mitigation Goals:
The City has a three-tiered goal:
1) eliminate damage, health and safety issues associated with flooding,
2) eliminate infrastructure problems during high water events, and
3) to permanently eliminate the need for costly disaster interventions.
What Did We Do?
Dedicated to changing the situation, the community looked at the following issues and took
action:
Action–Levee Construction and Rehabilitation:
In 1998, the city asked the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) to look at our existing
“temporary” levee system and help the city ascertain if it was cost effective to rebuild the system
to higher standards. In addition, the ACOE was asked to look at other flood prone areas to see if
they could be protected by expansion of the levee system. The ACOE “Section 205" study
showed that it was cost effective to rebuild what is called the “1969 levee,” but that an expansion
into an area called Smith Addition was not cost effective.
1) In 2009, Phase 1 of the levee project was completed. This almost $2 Million project built new
levee structures along Highway 7 in the most northwest section of the levee system, close to city
hall.
2) In 2012, Phase 2 of the project was completed. This section rebuilt the levee in the vicinity of
the Wastewater Treatment Plant, erected a new levee reach, and raised State Highway 212 in the
southeast part of the community. This project cost close to $8 Million to complete.
3) Phase 3, completes a rebuild of the existing “1969 levee.” $3.5 Million will be needed to
complete this phase of the levee project.
Overall this project has been funded to date by the ACOE ($7,000,000), the state of Minnesota
($2,500,000), and the City of Montevideo ($1,400,000 committed).
Action-Smith Addition Property Buy-Outs:
127 homes, most in Smith Addition, were purchased in a series of buyouts that spanned almost a
decade. These homes were not protected by the levee system, and were heavily flooded in 1997
and damaged or threatened in 2001. The city continues on a path to acquire the few remaining
flood prone residential properties (18), and this year is working with FEMA to acquire and
relocate most of the remaining flood prone businesses.
In an associated project, the city’s Economic Development Authority (EDA) has taken action in
the last 15 years to assist in our mitigation efforts. Since 1997, the EDA has been directly or
indirectly responsible (with the assistance of state, federal and non-profit partners) for the
relocation of, rehabilitation of, or the actual construction of over 110 residential units in our
community. These units have been used to directly aid in the re-establishment of flood prone
property owners to less flood prone properties within our community. An in-house study by the
city in 2007 showed that we had been able to keep all but a few of our “buy-out” families within
our community, and most of those that left the city reside nearby.
In 2009, FEMA did a study of the cost effectiveness of the purchase of 48 homes in flood prone
areas of Montevideo. Their study showed that their investment of $1,123,145 in these 48 homes
saved FEMA (since 1997) $8,394,030, or a 747% return on their investment. That investment
only increases each year and, to date, 127 homes have been removed, not a mere 48, and the real
return to FEMA, the state, and the city is even higher.
Elimination of Repetitive Loss Properties: Only four (4) repetitive loss properties still exist in
Montevideo. Of those four, one has been elevated and is no longer flood prone, and another has
been flood proofed (basement filled.) We hope to eradicate all such properties within the next
few years.
Relocation of Water Plant:
The city’s water plant was located alongside the Chippewa River, and during high water events
had to be protected by temporary levees sometime reaching 10 feet in height. Not only was our
entire water supply at risk, staff and citizens lives were in jeopardy during each flood event as
work was done to protect our water supply. In 2001, at a cost of $3.5 Million, the city completed
the construction of a new water plant. Its placement on high ground, and well away from the
flood plain, now removes our water sources from potential disaster.
Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP):
Our WWTP (which is on the banks of the Chippewa River) was within minutes of being lost in
both the 1997 and 2001 floods. Only heroic action on the part of staff and citizens saved the
plant from inundation. In 2012, as part of a $15 Million upgrade of the WWTP, over $1 Million
was spent to add flood proofing to the plant. We raised a critical internal manhole/pumping
station, we rerouted internal drainage, and we added dual pumping in the basements of critical
structures. The new plant is also protected by the reconstructed levee.
ISO Flood Insurance Rating of 5:
The city holds a federal flood insurance rating of 5, tied for the highest in the state. The city is
working towards receiving a 3 rating within 2 to 3 years. (We have enough points for a 1 rating,
but we still lack a few action items to get us a higher rating.) We believe we are the smallest city
in the United States with a 5 or better rating.
Educational Materials:
Montevideo has a basic, but well planned educational program aimed at those most flood prone.
We send at least one, and usually two, flood update letters to those most flood prone properties
each year. During flood years, as needed, those same residents receive information on a daily or
weekly basis. Those letters update them on any flood related forecasts we may have for the
coming year, and we remind them about flood insurance and safety related items. All citizens in
Montevideo receive at least one flood information letter each year, reminding them as well about
flood insurance options, and flood safety issues. We also have a new, updated web site, full of
flood related information.
What is the outcome of this program? Not only do most flood prone properties buy insurance,
our outreach to the entire community has created a very rare situation in which property owners
in Preferred Risk Classes buy insurance policies at a rate of two times those in flood prone areas.
MS4/Storm Water Pollution Plan:
The city has a very active and comprehensive MS4/Storm Water Pollution Plan that focuses on
not only controlling polluted waters, but controlling the effect of storm water on internal
drainage. All new construction projects are reviewed by the city, and most projects over one
acre in size must include internal drainage plans. Montevideo is marked by numerous man made
wetlands, drainage ponds and rain gardens that not only control polluted waters, but aid in the
control of internal and external flooding. We have a very unique system that uses old river
oxbows and lowlands to aid in the control of water as it flows to the Minnesota and Chippewa
Rivers.
Dam Removal:
In 2012, working with the State of Minnesota DNR, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and
others, the city removed a 1950's era dam, immediately adjacent to Smith Addition and our new
levee system. Even though the removal of this dam was not tied directly into flood issues (the
dam had only a small effect on flood levels). The dam itself was considered an unsafe dam, and
a hazard to the public. It has become the site of ice or log jams that could directly affect our
most flood prone areas. This project cost $350,000 to complete.
Wetland Replacement and Smith Addition Lowland Forest/Prairie Project:
Because of the levee construction project, we were required to construct about 25 acres of new
wetland (to replace at a 2 to 1 ratio those wetlands affected by new levee construction). Not only
have we replaced those wetlands on a 2 to 1 basis in a site connected to our watershed, we have
doubled our true replacement ratio to 4 to 1 by taking about 26 acres of flood buy-out lands
along the Chippewa River and returning them to a lowland shrub, wooded, and riverside prairie.
Sewer Line Flood Proofing:
A major sewer line runs through Smith Addition in Montevideo. Not only does this line serve
those residents and businesses in the area, it serves the adjacent town of Watson. In the past
(particularly in 1997 and 2001), once flood waters reached the moderate flood level of 16 feet,
we lost the ability to continue to serve those on this line, and because of the large rush of flood
waters into the Wastewater Treatment Plant, we had to turn off service to that line. Any
residence, business (and now the City of Watson since 2011) on that line would lose service, and
often it was 2 to 3 weeks before we could resume service to those areas. After 1997, we began to
undertake a series of actions to help us flood proof those lines. Besides the benefit of removing
over 120 homes from the line (by buy-outs), we sealed manholes, capped unneeded lines, and
added additional pumping capacity to our lift stations. By the 2009, 2010 and 2011 floods, our
direct action (and improved expertise in running our system) allowed us to keep that main sewer
line open past the major flood stage (17.5 feet) and, in fact, we were able to operate at 18 feet of
flood water. When ultimately we were forced to shut down the system when flood waters
exceeded 18 feet, services were lost for days, not weeks. We have plans to take even more steps
(remote control of our lift stations) and believe we will be able to keep the system operational
even longer during high water events, and once shut down will be able to bring them back on
line much sooner.
Outcomes:
Over a decade of work has achieved real outcomes. Two-thirds of the levee system has been
rebuilt, almost all flood prone housing has been removed, key infrastructure has been moved or
protected, we have a comprehensive educational program, and wetlands and green space have
blossomed in place of homes. Because of this work, we began to see progress during the 2001
flood, but it became very real to us and our citizens during the 2009 flood. The 2009 flood was
the sixth highest flood on record, but for the first time the City experienced high flood levels
without substantial damage to public or private property, and at little threat to life. The City was
part of the Presidential Disaster Declarations for 2009, 2010 and 2011, but we only needed to
receive limited assistance through the Public Assistance (Infrastructure) Program. City Manager
Steve Jones explains the non-declaration for individual assistance by saying, “We weren’t
declared for Individual Assistance because so few individuals are threatened anymore. It’s a
great feeling to know that the mitigation efforts we have undertaken have saved not only
someone’s home from damage but also have limited the flood fighting efforts and costs to the
city, state, and federal governments.” Hundreds of citizens no longer have to maintain massive
temporary levees, at risk to themselves, as was done in 1997 and 2001. More property is
protected (or removed) and less damage is being done to public property and infrastructure
during flooding.