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~ty of <br /> <br />April3,1998 <br /> <br />St. Paul District Corps of Engineers <br />ATTN: Tim Fell <br />Army Corps of Engineers/Cencs-CO-R <br />190 Fifth St. East <br />St. Paul, MN 55155-4100 <br /> <br />Dear Mr. Fell, <br /> <br />I am writing to you concerning the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office's <br />comments regarding the Lake Orono Improvement Project, SHPO number 98-1491. The <br />State Historic Preservation Office indicated in a ietter, dated March 6, 1998, that two of <br />the proposed sludge spoil disposal sites for the Lake Orono project have significant <br />potential for archaeological sites. <br /> <br />One is the Orono Cemetery site in the Southeast Quarter of Section 32. This site is high <br />ground that was directly adjacent to the original channel for the Elk River, prior to the <br />creation of Lake Orono. Further, this site has never been disturbed. <br /> <br />The City of Elk River is not contesting the judgment of State Historic Preservation Office <br />regarding this site. The city has requested bids from three firms to do a Phase I <br />Archaeological Survey of this site and hopes to have it completed in early May of this <br />year. <br /> <br />The second area deemed to have significant potential as a archaeological site is a minor <br />disposal area in the Southeast Quarter of Section 29, referred to as the Island View site. <br />The City of Elk river is contesting this site for the following reasons: <br /> <br />This disposal area is over 600 feet at the closest from where the historic river channel <br />was located. I have included a copy of an 1888 plat map and a Lake Orono <br />Improvement Project site plan for verification. The sediment deposits still found in <br />the lake and identified on the attached site plan provide further proof of the locations <br />of inside curves of the original river channel. <br /> <br />The Island view disposal site is on relatively Iow ground as can be verified by the <br />contours on the attached Dredging Deposit Exhibit for the Island View site and the <br />attached photos. The peaty nature of the ground underlying the proposed disposal site <br />makes it unlikely that the area would have been utilized as a camp or burial site. <br /> <br />13065 Orono Parkway ° P.O. Box 490 · Elk River, MN 55330 · TDD & Phone: (612) 441-7420 · Fax: (612) 441-7425 <br /> <br /> <br />