Buffalo-Red River Watershed District
“Protecting, Managing, and Promoting”
Few people in the Red River Valley are not aware of the river issues that have plagued the area for decades. Each spring, the rising river is the primary topic of conversation among legislators and residents alike. When the threat of flooding is removed, however, that focus is largely gone. The river is appreciated for its entertainment and ecological possibilities; it is not studied with intense scrutiny. That is not the case for the employees of the Buffalo-Red River Watershed District (BRRWD). Although river issues are not their sole focus, they are one of the areas that are monitored on a regular basis.
A watershed is all the land area that drains to a specific water resource, such as a lake or stream. Watersheds provide water for drinking, irrigation, streams, and activities such as fishing, swimming, and boating. They also provide food and shelter for wildlife. A watershed district is a unit of government responsible for managing the water resources within its watershed. BRRWD Administrator Bruce Albright described the agency’s role well. “We preserve and conserve natural resources, primarily water,” he said.
The BRRWD, formerly known as the South Buffalo Watershed District, was established on August 31, 1960. At the time, it was comprised of approximately 344 square miles in Clay, Otter Tail, and Wilkin Counties. After a severe flood in 1975, the District was transformed to include all of the area that contributes runoff to the Buffalo River. It was then renamed the BRRWD.
Specific focuses of the BRRWD are often adjusted in response to the changing needs of the area. Some things, however, do not change much over time. According to Albright, the BRRWD is currently dealing with several primary issues, specifically groundwater protection and tiling. “These are current and ongoing issues,” he said. In addition, the BRRWD’s responsibilities include:
• Controlling or alleviating damage from flood waters
• Regulating the flow of streams and conserving the streams’ water
• Controlling or alleviating soil erosion and siltation of water basins
• Protecting or enhancing the water quality of water basins
• Providing for the protection of groundwater and regulating its use
• The BRRWD is one of ten major watersheds within the Red River Basin.
It covers an area of 1,785 square miles, including 510,080 acres in Clay County, 185,600 in Becker, 353,280 in Wilkin, and 93,400 in Otter Tail. All or part of three major watersheds are located within the BRRWD’s boundaries: the Buffalo River, Red River, and Otter Tail River downstream from Orwell Dam. The BRRWD is governed by a Board of Managers appointed by the County Board of Commissioners. The board includes three members from Clay County, two from Wilken, one from Otter Tail, and one from Becker.
Albright has been with the BRRWD since 1980, when he joined the organization after graduating from Wadena Technical Institute with a degree in Civil Engineering. “In 1980, all we did was try to keep the office open,” he said. “The position then evolved into a full-time job.” Albright enjoys the opportunity to work with landowners. “Water is such a complex subject,” he said. “We have to look at more than one concept.”
Working with the unpredictability of nature can be difficult. Members of the BRRWD understand the challenges, however, and are up to the task. According to Albright, those challenges include the fact that major rivers, streams, and waterways haven’t had much done in the last 100 years. In addition, many layers of jurisdiction need to be navigated in order to achieve common goals. “We need to continue to find ways to move/pass water through waterways,” he said.
Some people think of the rivers within the Red River Valley as foes; others treasure them as gifts from Mother Nature. For the dedicated individuals at the Buffalo-Red River Watershed District, however, the water and all that goes with it is likely a little of both. Ultimately, their work is fueled by a passion that goes far beneath the surface into what most of us don’t even know exists.
“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world’s great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs.
I am haunted by waters.”
― Norman Maclean,A River Runs Through It and Other Stories
For more information on the Buffalo-Red River Watershed District, visitwww.brrwd.org.
