5.3. SR 09-07-2004 - Laserfiche WebLink

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2.8.2 Site Analysis Information There is very little tree cover in the areas of the proposed mining. The depth to gravel and peat beneath the topsoil is typically less than 12 inches. There are no buildings located on the Site and no buildings are proposed. The nearest buildings are located south of the Site and are associated with a farmstead currently owned by Bob LeFavor who is a co-applicant on this project. The Site is not located in the delineated 100-year flood plain and an abandoned ditch runs southwest to northeast in the 40-acre parcel in Section 11. The ditch was abandoned in 1965 and was referred to at the time as Judicial Ditch Number 1. Five separate wetlands and the abandoned ditch are located on the Site. It is anticipated that one of the smaller wetlands in the northern portion and a portion of a wetland on the eastern portion of the site will be impacted by the mining and mitigated on-site. The remaining larger wetland complex will be transformed from type 2 wetlands to deeper water type 5 wetlands by shallow excavation of the peat resources in the vicinity. The elevations and slopes within 20 feet of the perimeter of the Site are shown on the Existing Conditions Map included as Sheet 1 in Appendix C. 2.8.3 Estimated Quantity of Materials to be Extracted Approximately 1,250,000 cubic yards of material will be mined from approximately 41.32 acres of the Site. All of the gravel to be mined is located in existing hills and adjacent areas. 2.8.4 Depth of Water Table The general hydrogeologic conditions in the vicinity of the Site were described in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) prepared for the Elk River Gravel Mining District, Elk River, Minnesota, by Maier Stewart and Associates, Inc (MSA), dated May 1994 (the 1994 EIS). Based on groundwater information in the 1994 EIS, the groundwater elevation is the area of the Site is approximately at elevation 950 feet NGVD. A review of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Water-Table Hydrogeology and Water Well Database also indicates that the groundwater elevation at the site is approximately at elevation 950 feet. Three ground water monitoring wells were installed at the site in May of 2004 and preliminary monitoring results indicate that the ground water elevation at the site is approximately 944 - 945 feet. This is also consistent with the observed elevations of the wetlands and observations of standing water at the site. The proposed depth of mining will extend from five feet below the water table in areas where the existing type 2 wetlands are being excavated to transform them into type 5 wetlands to a maximum of 45 feet below the water table in deepest portion of the area where open water is being created. (refer to Sheet 2 Mining Plan, Appendix C). LIESCH ASSOCIATES, INC. May 2004 Hydrogeologists · Engineers · Environmental Scientists 'Page 3'