FM River is funded in part through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 8 EMPACT (Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and Community Tracking) project. It will provide residents of Fargo-Moorhead accurate, time-relevant information about the quality of the Red River of the North in order to promote a better understanding of this valuable resource, the main source of drinking water for the community. The project will strive to increase community awareness of water-related issues, especially with respect to the Red River, and promote stewardship of not only the Red River, but also all of the water resources in the FM metro area.

FM River will accomplish this objective by developing and implementing a community-supported, sustainable monitoring and environmental education capability, data management procedures, and data dissemination system for key environmental information associated with the Red River. These activities will focus on water quality in the Red River determined through water sampling and analysis, development of applicable biological monitoring protocols, and the dissemination of existing monitoring data from other agencies and groups.

FM River will address a wide range of water quality issues associated with the Red River, including near-real-time ambient water quality monitoring, chemical water quality monitoring by student and citizen volunteers, development of protocols for macroinvertebrate sampling and analysis, and community education and outreach.

FM River is a partnership between Prairie Public Broadcasting, the Energy and Environmental Research Center, River Keepers, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, the North Dakota Department of Health, and the cities of Fargo and Moorhead.