5.4. SR 09-07-2004 - Laserfiche WebLink

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e Land use. Describe current and recent past land use and development on the site and on adjacent lands. Discuss project compatibility with adjacent and nearby land uses. Indicate whether any potential conflicts involve environmental matters. Identify any potential environmental hazards due to past site uses, such as soil contamination or abandoned storage tanks, or proximity to nearby hazardous liquid or gas pipelines. Land use associated with the Site was determined from observing current conditions and from review of historic aerial photographs for the years 1939, 1953, and 1991 as obtained from Environmental Data Resources, Inc. 0EDR); USGS 7.5-Minute Series topographic maps for Elk River (1961, 1961; photorevised 1980, and 1961 revised 1993); and the City of Elk River Zoning Map (January 2002). An interview with a longtime local resident indicated that the property had been part of a large shallow lake prior to a ditch being installed in the 1880's which still exists today. County records indicate that the ditch, which was designated as Judicial Ditch Number 1 was abandoned in 1965 and, at this time, the ditch appears to contain primarily ground water which exists at an elevation above the existing ditch bottom. In the 1939 aerial photograph, the majority of the Site appears to be open grassland and/or cropland. Four areas of possible wetlands appear across the Site. A farmstead is located in the southeastern portion of the Site and includes a small cluster of four buildings. A wooded area is located to the northwest of the farmstead. The remaining surrounding property land use is primarily open agricultural or wooded land. The 1953 aerial photograph depicts little change from the 1939 aerial photograph. One additional potential wetland area appears on the western portion of the Site and appears to be an excavated wildlife pond. An additional wooded area appears on the southern portion of the Site, southwest of the farmstead. The remaining portions of the Site are unchanged from the 1939 aerial photograph. The 1991 aerial photograph appears similar to the 1953 aerial photograph. The areas of potential wetlands appear more defined across the western portion of the Site. Two additional apparent wetland areas appear on the eastern portion of the Site. The remaining portions of the Site are unchanged from the 1953 aerial photograph. Currently, land use at the Site is as it appears in the 1991 aerial photograph, with the exception that none of the Site is currently cropland. All open areas of the Site are currently grassland. Copies of the aerial photographs provided by EDR are included as Attachment B. Review of the topographic maps confirm the same general land uses as observed from review of the aerial photographs including wooded and open areas, depressions for potential wetland areas, and the location of the farmstead. According to the 2002 Elk River zoning Map, the Site is zoned for Agricultural Conservation. Adjacent properties to the east and west are also zoned for Agricultural