ST. PAUL  — Three federal appeals judges will hear arguments today on whether construction of a levee related to a planned Red River diversion project should proceed.

A federal district judge last year halted construction of the levee south of Fargo, North Dakota, until the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources completed its environmental study of the diversion project. Supporters of the proposed 36-mile diversion channel appealed the decision.

The levee would protect structures in three small North Dakota communities south of Fargo, which are part of a staging area that would be flooded when the diversion channel is needed.

A group of diversion opponents from North Dakota and Minnesota filed the lawsuit in August 2013, saying there were better and cheaper options. They later added a motion to stop construction of the levee.