02-10-1997 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

I I I I I r I I I I PROJECT LOCATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT 1 Description of the Project Area The proposed Spring Hill Golf club covers an area roughly 47 hectares (115 acres) in size and consists of irregularly shaped uplands separated by wetlands. Although the wetlands drain sluggishly, water from this area enters into Lake Minnetonka and eventually into the Mississippi River. The project area is located in the Owatonna Moraine physiographic area (Wright 1972; Figure 2). The Owatonna Moraine Area is composed of coarse glacial sediment derived from the eastern edge of the Des Moines lobe of the late Wisconsin glaciation. This region is also referred to as the West Twin Cities Metropolitan Area in the Minnesota outline of historic contexts (Dobbs 1988). Almost all of the uplands within the project area have been plowed and were either fallow field or woodlot. At the time of the surv’ey, a few inches of snow had fallen causing poor ground surface visibility (Plates 1 and 2). 'fhis was not considered to adversely effect the survey as the vegetation present would have restricted ground surface visibility to less than 30 percent. Therefore, shovel testing was necessary across all of the uplands except where the surface slope was greater than 15% or where the area was heavily impacted by landscaping or other earth moving (Figure 3a and 3b). Project Environment The proposed golf club is located on the Owatonna Moraine physiographic area (Wright 1972; Figure 2). The moraine area is a series of irregularly shaped glacial moraines that formed along the eastern side of the Des Moines lobe during the late Wisconsin glaciation. These moraines are interspersed with depressions that, due to the high water table, contain wetlands and lakes. Based on the soil profiles, the upland soils appear to have formed under a forest environment. These soils have thin upper horizons, including E horizons, where plowing and erosion have not truncated the soil profiles. The upland soils are coarse and susceptible to erosion when exposed. The wetlands contain organic- rich sediments and are filling in due to the erosion of the moraines. Project Area Soils. The soils in Hennepin County have been mapped, and the soil survey was published in 1974. This sur\'ey information was consulted prior to entering the field as a means of roughly assessing the potential of the area to contain archeological deposits. Principally, the soil survey was used to determine the extent of made-land and other heavily disturbed areas within the proposed golf club location. Abbreviated descriptions of the soils in the project area are presented below in Table 1. The applicable soil maps are presented in Figure 4.