People To Save Sheyenne

Formed in 1997 in response to concerns of potential impacts of an outlet from Devils Lake into the Sheyenne River, members have been active to educate the public about the issues involved and how an outlet could impact the river and the people that live along its banks. Activities include phone calls and writing letters to newspapers, state and federal agencies and elected representatives, attending meetings, and testifying at hearings before state and federal decision makers. Last updated 02 Apr 2008

On Dec. 3, 2001, The People To Save the Sheyenne passed a resolution indicating the group's position on an outlet into the Sheyenne River, whether built by the State of North Dakota or the Corps of Engineers:

Be It Resolved: "The People To Save the Sheyenne will not consider supporting any outlet in any form until an Environmental Impact Statement that is in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act has been completed.

People To Save the Sheyenne propose that the following alternatives be investigated thoroughly. An outlet is not the only or the best answer to long term drainage practices or future flooding potential. We want:

MODERN MYTHS ABOUT AN OVERFLOW FROM DEVILS LAKE	MYTHBUSTERS GET THE FACTS, BECOME INFORMED
Devils Lake will soon overflow.	Perhaps in 15-20 years of more rain than we have gotten in the from 1993-1999. And if the upper basin drains are not closed. From 1999-2003, precipitation has been below avg.
When Devils Lake overflows, it will WASH OUT Tolna Coulee 20 feet deep.	ND Geographical Survey soil studies show that when Devils Lake overflowed the last three time (in how many thousand years?) Tolna Coulee did not wash out.
Then a 14-foot WALL OF WATER will wipe out everything along the Sheyenne River all the way to Fargo.	Since the Tolna Coulee will likely not wash out, the overflow will be about 100 cubic feet per second when Devils Lake reaches 1460 feet, and then it will overflow at up to 500 cfs as it goes up.
Over 22,700 drained wetlands in the upper basin do not contribute to flooding in Devils Lake-It's just the rain.	Upper basin drainage accounts for more than 189,000 acres of drained wetlands. Overflow from these acres contributes to Devils Lake flooding. Rainfall alone does not account for all the water flowing into the lower basin.
An outlet from Devils Lake can be "controlled".	Once in the Sheyenne River, water can't be stopped from adding to flooding and bank erosion. It would take weeks to adjust flows already released hundreds of river miles upstream.
An outlet will solve the flooding problems at Devils Lake.	An State outlet operating only when allowed will remove about 1-3 inches from Devils Lake each year at a cost of $35 million+. Evaporation, however, will remove 30 inches per year.
Water in Devils Lake is as good as that in the Sheyenne River. Water from the outlet will be 'treated' and so will be good.	Devils Lake has sulfates over 500 ppm and total dissolved solids (minerals) over 1200 ppm. The Sheyenne River has about 100 ppm sulfates and about 475 ppm total dissolved solids. They don't drink that water in the city of Devils Lake. There will be no 'treatment' of water from the outlet.
The Sheyenne River can't be hurt by 300-400 cubic feet per second more water. It's just a ditch anyway.	The Sheyenne River is not a drainage ditch. It has over 50 species of fish and 8 species of mussels, some are rare. It is listed as a National Scenic Byway River, a scenic gem for North Dakota.
People who oppose an outlet are just bad neighbors.	Good neighbors don't want to help themselves by hurting their neighbors-this time with too much poor quality water from Devils Lake.