Stutsman County seeks permanent fix for flooded Road 39 near Medina

High water has kept County Road 39 west of Medina unsafe and impassable, forcing travelers between Medina and Crystal Springs onto Interstate 94 and other county roads while landowners west of the closure wait for a solution that lasts longer than another patch. For Bryan Behm, Russ Well and others who need the route for field access, the closure is no longer a nuisance. It is a daily barrier.

The Stutsman County Commission held a special meeting on April 14 to discuss an alternate route and whether U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service easements could affect rerouting. County leaders took no formal action, but the discussion made clear that Road 39 has become a long-running safety and access problem. The county’s 2026 meeting calendar identifies that session as a special commission meeting, one that could be called at any time.

The county already tried one short-term step. On April 7, commissioners approved designating a portion of Road 39 as a minimum maintenance road, but that move depended on St. Paul Township also approving its section. The county portion covers about 1,940 feet and the township portion about 1,550 feet. Commissioner Amanda Hastings said the designation was intended to give landowners immediate access if they believed the road was safe, while the county keeps looking for a more durable answer instead of spending more money on repeated grade raises and repairs. St. Paul Township chairman Tom Kleven said the township had not approved the change because of safety concerns and because other options were still being explored.

The road’s history explains the urgency. After a 3-foot grade raise completed in 2021, Road 39 went underwater again within four years. County officials say water in the area is rising by roughly 7 1/2 to 8 inches a year, and the broader Crystal Springs Watershed Initiative says rising water levels have affected several locations, including Interstate 94 inundation near Crystal Springs and east of there.

The same pressure showed up at the March 31 special meeting, when Guthmiller Earthmoving asked for temporary access on the closed road to retrieve materials north of it. Gene Guthmiller told commissioners he had gone around barricades and could build up 200 feet of road on the St. Paul Township side at no charge. Shawn Lachenmeier said the township believed the road had been closed in 2020 and turned over to the county, while Mike May said a FEMA project was done in 2020 but the road still belongs to the township. County Highway Superintendent Jesse Christianson said he did not see the feasibility of finishing the road while water remained a problem and raised public-safety and liability concerns. Guthmiller estimated it would cost about $200,000 to fix the entire stretch.

The larger watershed fix is far bigger. A July 2025 feasibility presentation identified a preferred water-move route of about 83,000 lineal feet from Stink Lake to Long Lake Refuge, with project cost estimated at about $24.6 million and preliminary engineering at $976,000. The study said the lakes’ elevations have risen since 1957 and that 34% of the water increase is associated with groundwater. It also noted a possible 75% federal, 10% state and 15% local funding split if the project qualifies for a hazard-mitigation grant. Under county water rules, projects that obstruct or move water require prior written approval from the North Dakota Water Commission or the county board.

For now, Road 39 sits at the center of a larger fight over access, liability and who should pay for a fix that could be temporary, expensive or both.