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Elk River Station EAW <br /> <br />September 6, 2002 <br /> <br />Potential for Environmental Contamination <br /> <br />Although a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment has not yet been completed for the property, <br />Westwood Professional Services conducted a site review on August 9, 2002 and did not observe <br />stained soils, stressed vegetation, old foundations, or other characteristics that would suggest <br />evidence of recognized environmental conditions. The historical land use on the property is <br />agricultural crop production, and the past land use does. not suggest potential for environmental <br />contamination. As discussed in more detail under Item 13, there is one non field-verified registered <br />well within the project site. Active wells on the property will be field-located, abandoned, and sealed <br />in accordance with Minnesota Department of Health regulations. <br /> <br />10. Cover Types <br /> <br />Estimate the acreage q/'the site with each of the followin~ cover O;pes before and after development. <br /> <br />Table 10.1. Estimated Before and After Cover Types <br /> <br />I Before I After <br />Land Cover .(adres) (acres) <br /> <br />Old Field/Grassland 31.9 0.0 <br />Brushland/Grassland 3.8 0.0 <br />Woodland 16.9 1.5 <br />Delineated Wetland Types 1 through 8 15.0 15.0 <br />Impervious Surface 2.4 35.2 <br />Lawn and Landscaping 0.0 15.7 <br />Stormwater Pondincj 0.0 2.6 <br />Total 7-0.0 70.0 <br /> <br />If Before and After totals are not eqz.(al, explain why: Before and after totals are equal. <br /> <br />Westwood Professional Services, Inc., with the assistance of Tim Edgeton, Sherburne County <br />Forester, conducted a site visit on Aug0st 9, 2002 to map the cover types and assess the quality and <br />quantity of woodlands and wetlands on the site (Exhibit 4). The old field/grassland, which covers <br />approximately 46 percent of the site, was farmed for agricultural crops until two years ago and is <br />currently dominated by foxtail grass, Canada fleabane, common milkweed, common mullein, smooth <br />brome, sweet clover, and sandbur. Brushland/grassland is located near Tyler Street, and' includes <br />unpaved road right-of-way as well as upland meadow that has been invaded by staghorn.sumac. <br /> <br />Woodlands border the north side of the old field/grassland and occurs in strips along the eastern and <br />southern property boundaries. The overstory is dominated by bur oak and pin oak and dense <br />patches of prickly ash, red raspberry, current, American hazelnut, and gooseberry occur in the <br />understory. The herbaceous layer includes smooth brome, giant goldenrod, white snakeroot, <br />Pennsylvania sedge, and Virginia creeper. Many of the pin oaks are infected with oak wilt disease <br />and all pin oaks that are either diseased or threatened with disease will be removed during project <br />construction. <br /> <br />Passe Engineering, Inc. delineated and flagged one 15-acre wetland in the northern portion of the <br />property in mid-April of 2001 using the Corps of Engineers Wetlands Delineation Manual <br />(Environmental Laboratory, Waterways Experiment Station, 1987) (Exhibit 5) According to the <br />USDA/NRCS List of Hyd~c Soils for Minnesota (1995), Seelyeville muck and Marky muck are located <br />in the northern portion of the site and correspond to the delineated wetland. National .Wetlands <br />Inventory (NWl) mapping shows the wetland classified as a Type 3/7, Shallow marsh/Wooded swamp <br />(Exhibit 6). The wetland is dominated by reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea; FACW+), wool <br />grass (Scirpus cyperinus; OBL) and green bulrush (Scirpus atrovirens; OBL). Mr. Stephen Rohlf, <br /> <br />~¥ Westwood Professional Services, Inc. Page 5 <br /> <br /> <br />