The History & Future of Flood Protection in Carver
Nearly 10,000 years ago the Glacial River Warren carved a new landscape though Minnesota, which we recognize today as the Minnesota River Valley. The result of this geological wonder left us with the present day Minnesota River and the natural amenities we enjoy here in Carver.
Following the devastating floods of 1965, the City of Carver has been spared from floodwaters due to the collective community efforts to plan, construct, and pay for what we all know as the Carver Levee. The work of this generation has protected the City of Carver from the floodwaters of the Minnesota River for over 50 years. We’re now in a position to start a conversation on what we should do to plan for the next generation of flood challenges – namely, a discussion on the modernization and certification of the Carver Levee.
In addition to making improvements to one of Carver’s most vital pieces of infrastructure, having our levee certified means home and business owners within the 100-year flood plain will no longer have to pay exorbitant flood insurance, downtown residents won’t be restricted to the extent of investment they can make to their homes and conditions will be favorable for investment in historic our downtown.
To start on the path towards certifying the levee, we will need to invest an estimated $12M into upgrades into this important piece of Carver’s infrastructure.
With that price tag, this is not something the City of Carver can do alone. Since seeing the concept plan for this project in February, I’ve met with potential funding partners and am excited to have their preliminary support.
The City Council is in the earliest process of examining what it will take to certify Carver’s levee. Right now we have made no definite plans whether or not to move ahead with this project. If we choose to move forward, the process of getting the levee in the City of Carver certified will be long and will require a significant investment. As always, I want to hear your thoughts on this.
Sincerely,
Courtney Johnson, Mayor
