MinDak Upstream Coalition report
Content
Objective:
The MinDak Upstream Coalition commissioned a survey to get a better understanding of the public
sentiment of Moorhead, Minnesota voters towards the proposed Fargo-Moorhead Red River Diversion.
405 Moorhead residents responded to the survey focusing on public opinion of local and state leaders as
well as gauging concerns around impacts of the project including costs, environmental effects, and
attitudes on the economic outlook for the communities of Fargo and Moorhead. Calls were conducted
during the week of May 19th-26th .
Key Findings
Local Leadership. Overall the Mayor of Moorhead Del Rae Williams has an approval rating of 44% across
the community. However when asked specifically on her handling of the Diversion, Mayor Williams’
support erodes with only 25% approving of the way she is handling the issue.
Do you approve or disapprove of the way Del Rae Williams is handling her job as Mayor of
Moorhead?
Approve –44%
Disapprove/Unsure –56%
Do you approve or disapprove of the way Mayor Williams is handling the proposed FM Diversion?
Approve –25%
Disapprove/Unsure –75%
Furthermore when asked how concerned Moorhead local leaders should be about the proposed
diversion regarding impacts to rural Minnesota, 43% responded in saying leaders should be “
Very
Concerned”and 48% responded saying they should be “
Somewhat Concerned.”
How concerned should Mayor Williams and Moorhead city council members be about the FM
Diversion’
s potential impacts to rural Minnesota –very concerned, somewhat concerned, not too
concerned, or not concerned at all?
Very concerned –43%
Somewhat concerned –48%
Not too concerned –7.5%
Not concerned at all –1.5%
Recent Federal Court Ruling.
The poll commenced on the heels of Federal Judges’
ruling halting construction of a ring dike in the
community of Oxbow. The survey identified wide and strong support for the ruling with 55% approving
of the decision against 26% disagreeing with the decision. When asked if the entire project should be “
halted”until community disputes have been resolved, again we found broad support for moving more
slowly on the project with 66% stating they favor settling disputes before moving forward.
We also looked at public awareness around a Dam that would be constructed to the south of
Fargo/Moorhed and found that 53% of Moorhead residents were NOT aware that the project included a
Dam.
…Do you agree or disagree with the judge’
s ruling?
Agree –55%
Disagree - 26%
Unsure –19%
Do you feel that construction of the proposed FM Diversion should be halted until the disputes with
surrounding communities are resolved?
Yes –66%
No –32%
Unsure –2%
Are you aware that the FM Diversion project includes the construction of a dam on the Red River
directly south of Fargo and Moorhead?
Yes - 47%
No - 53%
Benefits for the Communities of Fargo and Moorhead.
Finally, we wanted to test perceptions of which community will benefit the most from a completed
Fargo/Moorhead Diversion within the community of Moorhead. The results show a clear sentiment that
Fargo will reap the benefits of having a Red River Diversion with 63% stating the Fargo will benefit most,
compared to 2% saying Moorhead will benefit more from the diversion.
As the plan is currently proposed, which community do you think will benefit more from the FM
Diversion?
Moorhead –2%
Fargo –63%
Both communities will equally benefit –35%
The MinDak Upstream Coalition commissioned a survey to get a better understanding of the public
sentiment of Moorhead, Minnesota voters towards the proposed Fargo-Moorhead Red River Diversion.
405 Moorhead residents responded to the survey focusing on public opinion of local and state leaders as
well as gauging concerns around impacts of the project including costs, environmental effects, and
attitudes on the economic outlook for the communities of Fargo and Moorhead. Calls were conducted
during the week of May 19th-26th .
Key Findings
Local Leadership. Overall the Mayor of Moorhead Del Rae Williams has an approval rating of 44% across
the community. However when asked specifically on her handling of the Diversion, Mayor Williams’
support erodes with only 25% approving of the way she is handling the issue.
Do you approve or disapprove of the way Del Rae Williams is handling her job as Mayor of
Moorhead?
Approve –44%
Disapprove/Unsure –56%
Do you approve or disapprove of the way Mayor Williams is handling the proposed FM Diversion?
Approve –25%
Disapprove/Unsure –75%
Furthermore when asked how concerned Moorhead local leaders should be about the proposed
diversion regarding impacts to rural Minnesota, 43% responded in saying leaders should be “
Very
Concerned”and 48% responded saying they should be “
Somewhat Concerned.”
How concerned should Mayor Williams and Moorhead city council members be about the FM
Diversion’
s potential impacts to rural Minnesota –very concerned, somewhat concerned, not too
concerned, or not concerned at all?
Very concerned –43%
Somewhat concerned –48%
Not too concerned –7.5%
Not concerned at all –1.5%
Recent Federal Court Ruling.
The poll commenced on the heels of Federal Judges’
ruling halting construction of a ring dike in the
community of Oxbow. The survey identified wide and strong support for the ruling with 55% approving
of the decision against 26% disagreeing with the decision. When asked if the entire project should be “
halted”until community disputes have been resolved, again we found broad support for moving more
slowly on the project with 66% stating they favor settling disputes before moving forward.
We also looked at public awareness around a Dam that would be constructed to the south of
Fargo/Moorhed and found that 53% of Moorhead residents were NOT aware that the project included a
Dam.
…Do you agree or disagree with the judge’
s ruling?
Agree –55%
Disagree - 26%
Unsure –19%
Do you feel that construction of the proposed FM Diversion should be halted until the disputes with
surrounding communities are resolved?
Yes –66%
No –32%
Unsure –2%
Are you aware that the FM Diversion project includes the construction of a dam on the Red River
directly south of Fargo and Moorhead?
Yes - 47%
No - 53%
Benefits for the Communities of Fargo and Moorhead.
Finally, we wanted to test perceptions of which community will benefit the most from a completed
Fargo/Moorhead Diversion within the community of Moorhead. The results show a clear sentiment that
Fargo will reap the benefits of having a Red River Diversion with 63% stating the Fargo will benefit most,
compared to 2% saying Moorhead will benefit more from the diversion.
As the plan is currently proposed, which community do you think will benefit more from the FM
Diversion?
Moorhead –2%
Fargo –63%
Both communities will equally benefit –35%
