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<br /> <br />Minnesota Department ofN atural Resources <br /> <br />1200 Warner Road <br />St. Paul, Minnesota 55106 <br />651.772.7900 <br /> <br />April 25, 2006 <br /> <br />Rebecca Haug <br />Environmental Administrator <br />City of Elk River <br />13065 Orono Parkway <br />Elk River, Minnesota 55330 <br /> <br />RE: Liberty Heights Estates Residential Development Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EA W) <br /> <br />Dear Ms. Haug: <br /> <br />The Minnesota Department ofN atural Resources has reviewed the EA W prepared for the proposed <br />Liberty Heights Estates residential development project in the City of Elk River. Overall, the project <br />appears to make efficient use of space while avoiding impacts to wetland and lake habitats. We offer <br />the following comments for your consideration. <br /> <br />Description Gtem Nos. 6b and 6d) <br />Considering the proposal to mass grade 500,000 cubic yards of soil, we are concerned about the high <br />potential for wind and water erosion when soils are left exposed for a prolonged period. We <br />recommend that the project proposer develop an erosion control prevention plan prior to grading. This <br />plan should include measures for assuring that wetlands and their buffers are isolated from the <br />construction site and that temporary cover crops are planted to reduce water and wind erosion and <br />reduce the potential for air-borne particulate matter. <br /> <br />Additionally, the EA W identifies an outlot to be set aside for a future school site. That project, the <br />effects of which are not addressed in this EA W, may require review in a subsequent EA W. <br /> <br />Permits and Approvals Required (Item No.8) <br />Based on data supplied in Item No.12, it appears a Corps of Engineers' Section 404 individual permit <br />will be necessary. Because the proposed wetland fills are in drainage-ways, the Corps requirement of <br />"adjacency" probably is attained, and wetland fill greater than two acres will require an individual <br />permit. <br /> <br />Cover Types (Item No. 10) <br />This item shows a net gain of 1.0 acres of wetland onsite, for a future total of 45.5 acres. Item No.12 <br />describes. 2.6 acres of wetland loss and 10.3 acres of onsite wetland mitigation, while Item No. 17 <br />indicates that buffer strips will be created. We calculate that this would result in 52.2 acres of wetland <br />or some larger combination of wetland and grassland buffer. Please clarify these apparent differences. <br /> <br />An Equal Opportunity Employer Who Values Diversity <br /> <br />DNR Information: 651-296-6157 <br /> <br />1-888-646-6367 TTY: 651-296-5484 <br /> <br />1-800-657 -3929 <br />