INFORMATION #2 12-17-2001DOUGLAS A. MOE
ARCHITECTS
INCORPORATED
16684 Yale Street
Elk River, Minnesota 55330
(612) 441-5469
November 5, 2001
City Hall
13065 Orono Road
Elk River, MN 55330
Office of the Mayor;
Snow removal from City streets has always been dep-
osited on the banks of the Mississippi River at the
public landing at Highway 101, which obviously includes
chemicals and salts. The City wisely requires developers
to create retention ponds to retain those same chemicals
to prevent harmful runoff.
I would hope the City fathers would follow their own
requirements in the future and use existing retension ponds
for that same reason.
Your attention to this matter would be appreciated by all
those who cherish our Nation's Signature River.
Sincerely,
uD~_~as A. Moe
Pdver
13065 0r0n0 Parkway
Elk River, MN 55330
December 13, 2001
Mr. Douglas Moe
Architect Incorporated
16684 Yale Street
Elk River, Minnesota 55330
Dear Mr. Moe:
You are correct; with state approval the city has hauled snow from the downtown area to the
Babcock Park parking lot for the past 17 winters. We feel that this is an excellent site,
because of the hard surfaced lot we are able to sweep up the sand/salt residue after the
spring melt.
Road salt has become a way of life for Minnesota winters and I am sad to say that some of
the chemical finds its way into our waterways whether it is from storm sewer outlets, bridge
drains, or from highxvay ditches.
The City of Elk River uses about 500 tons of salt annually to cover 100 centerline miles of
streets. With a population of 17, 000, that breaks down to about 60 pounds of salt per
person per year. We make every effort to walk the fine line between public safety and
environmental stewardship.
Thank you for }Tour concerns, however; the long and short of it is that there is no easy
answer to address the balance between safe roads and spring runoff issues. We do our best,
are always open to new ideas, and are always wortdng with the state on possible
improvements to our method of operation.
If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact me at (763) 441-4910.
Philip E. Hals
Street/Park Superintendent
Phone: 763.441.7420
Fax: 763.441.7425
www. ci.elk-river, mn.us