An Interagency Task Force charged with tackling the Devils Lake flooding problems met Thursday in Washington.
Democratic Congressman Earl Pomeroy said all the agencies involved were on hand, and talk of proceeding with transparency at an urgent pace dominated the discussions.
“I reported on my visit to Devils Lake last Saturday and we all found that very helpful,” Pomeroy said Thursday in a telephone conversation.
With 58 different roads under water in the Lake Region, and still more being threatened, he said the situation is dire.
And leaders on a local level as well as federal levels seem to recognize that fully.
Various members of the Task Force will be coming to Devils Lake in coming weeks as the process kicks into full gear.
That will start next Thursday here in Devils Lake when Democractic Senator Kent Conrad, along with other dignitaries.
“An action plan is scheduled to be in place in August,” added Pomeroy. “We see that as a realistic time table that is to be kept in place.”
“There is now a real recognition for a need to work toward a solution to this problem. People now see it as a much more serious problem.”
Pomeroy says folks in the Lake Region will see a more aggressive approach to the lingering problem.
And he feels officials are now on the right track as they work toward a solution to the flooding, which began 17 years ago.
“It’s a much more serious effort now,” the congressman added.
The meeting with Conrad and other officials next week will be held at Lake Region State College in Devils Lake.
Devils Lake, ND —
