Belford asks community to stay positive

The power of positive thinking enters into Joe Belford’s mind almost on a daily basis.
It has helped him through nearly 17 years of being at the forefront of Devils Lake’s fight against rising water and accompanying flood problems.
And those who have been at his side think similarly.
“We’ve all got to remain positive,” Belford says. “If we don’t, the community will die.”
“We can’t give up. Even though it’s depressing, we’ve got to keep pushing.”
Belford echoed those sentiments on the heels of a Saturday meeting in Devils Lake with Democratic Congressman Earl Pomeroy, who is facing re-election.
It was a give-and take session with new Mayor Dick Johnson, Water Board Commissioner Paul Becker and a handful of people at the White House Cafe.
Pomeroy was seeking an update on water and flooding conditions here since the recent Summit at Lake Region State College, and community leaders here stressed to him the urgency of the situation.
“We just have to convince the federal government of the need to move water off this lake,” added Belford.
What leaders are now looking for is a method to blend water from the current outlet with that of the water on the east end.
The idea is that something needs to be done soon to avert a possible tragedy downstream.
And for that to happen, the whole water quality scenario has to change. Higher levels need to be achieved all along the Sheyenne River,  Belford notes.
“This lake seems to be moving toward a damaging, history-making  trend to spill over again, just as it did over a thousand years ago,” added Belford. “This situation is just unreal - and it’s only getting worse.”
The veteran Ramsey County Commissioner thinks Devils Lake’s plight is finally hitting home with the right people at the right levels of the federal government.
It’s a situation that Vice President Joe Biden has been aware of for a number of years and a situation he has followed closely.
Getting Biden here for a first-hand look at the situation would be a major coup.
“That would be superb if that happened,” added Belford.