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2001-12-07 Replacement Wetland Reporti SVOBODA ECOLOGICAL RESOURCES Providing the Sharper Edge in Natural Resources & Environmental Consulting December 7, 2001 Lisa Goeb City Administrator ~ , P.O. Box 9 ' Albertville, MN 55301 RE: Project name: Minneapolis Factory Shopper (a.k.a. Albertville Factory. Shoppes) .Project location: E 1/2 of Section 35, T. 121 N, R. 24 W, Albertville, Wright County, Minnesota ~ " Project No.: 2001-024-26' ' Project Description: Replacement-Wetland Monitoring Report - Yeaz III (LGU Version) Deaz Ms. Goeb: Pursuant to Minnesota Wetland Conservation Act (WCA) §8420.0620 and to the Army Corps of . , Engineers (Corps) permit issued four this project, Svoboda Ecological Resources (SER) staff visited the above referenced site on May 23, July 18, and October 10, 2001, for the purpose of monitoring the progress,of the proposed replacement wetlaads and wetland buffer seeding areas. , This is the third yeaz of monitoring out of the five years required by the WCA and by the Corps permit to determine if replacement wetlands satisfy replacement of functions ,and values lost by permitted wetland fill. The purpose of this yeaz's field visits was to: 1) Obtain three_seasonal water level measurements between April and October; - . 2) Develop a list of dominant vegetation in the wetland; and 3) Take color photographs from the photo reference points to document progress: In addition, SER staff inspected the sites for existing or potential problems with the progress of the replacement wetland areas. _ - As you are awaze, approximately 113,691 ft2 (2.61 acres) of wetland fill is associated with this project. As a result, 170,320 ft2 (3.91 acres) of New Wetland Creation and 202,990 ft2 (4.66 -acres) of Public Value Credit was proposed under the Wetland Replacement Plan Application ; Revised Plan submitted by the client. The Revised Plan proposed five new. wetland creation azeas located in the southern and western portions of the -site, and three azeas of wetland buffer seeding area located on the western and southern portions of the development. To maintain consistency with the Revised Plan, these new wetland creation areas are labeled NWC-1,2,3,4, and 5. During our site visits, these five proposed mitigated wetland azeas were observed. 2477 Shadywood Road ~~ Excelsior, MN 55331 . (952) 471-1100 (Office) • (952) 471-0007 (Fax) As was suggested in the 2000 Local Government Unit (LGU) and Corps reports, our first site visit was made earlier in the season to assist in determining if hydrology in these basins is adequate for wetland formation. Results are discussed in the Conclusions section at the end of the report. OBSERVATIONS NWC-1 This area was designed to provide 1.62 acres of New Wetland Creation (NWC) credit. The desired wetland type noted in the Replacement Plan Application (RPA) was Type 3 palustrine, emergent, seasonally flooded and excavated (PEMCx). The basin was classified as a Type 3 PEMCx wetland. In May, there was open water ponded about 1 foot deep covering 85% of the basin. In July, water ponded at about 9 inches dominated about 50% of the land cover of the basin; most of this decrease is due to an increase in cattail coverage, but part of it was due to a drop in water level and an increase in bare ground (from 0% to 5% between visits). By October, there was only 10% open water with blue-green algae. In October, water levels varied between ponding at 6 inches to saturated to the soil surface. This basin is much wetter this year than it was in 2000, when the maximum observed water level was 3 inches of ponding covering 25% of the basin in June. Adjacent slopes ranged between 3 :1 to greater than 3:1 (a gentle slope). Minnows were observed in the open water in July, and frogs were observed in May. Vegetation was well-established in this basin. Narrow-leaf cattail (Typha angustifolia) made up approximately 20% of the basin in July and about 50% of the area in October. Reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) comprised about 15% of this area. This is less reed canary grass coverage than in 2000, when it peaked at 60% in August. Water plantain (Alisma subcordatum) covered about 15% of the basin in October. Other plants in this area included Canada thistle (Circium arvense), dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), and common plantain (Plantago major). Plants in the adjacent upland area included reed canary grass, hawk's beard (Crepis tectorum), and giant goldenrod (Solidago gigantea). By October, the buffer was almost completely reed canary grass. NWC_2 This area was designed to provide 1.14 acres of NWC credit. The desired wetland type noted in the RPA was Type 3 palustrine, emergent, seasonally flooded and excavated (PEMCx). The basin appeared to be a Type 3 PEMCx wetland at the time of the two site visits. In May, there was open water ponded between 3 and 12 inches deep with dead reed canary grass and lesser duckweed (Lemna minor) in it covering 80% of the site. In July, there was approximately 70% open water ponded between 3 and 9 inches deep. By October, there was about 40% open water with filamentous blue-green algae ponded between 2 and 6 inches deep. This basin was much wetter than last year, when maximum water level was 4 to 6 inches covering 15% of the site in June. Adjacent slopes ranged between 3:1 to greater than 3:1 (gentle slope). Nickel-sized tadpoles were found swimming in the open water in May. Aquatic insects and frogs were found in the water in July. The adjacent Burger King was operational in October. Some of the silt fencing was down in the area behind the Burger King in October. Vegetation was dominated by about 15% reed canary grass in May. This percentage decreased in June and October to less than 10%. Narrow-leaf cattail dominated 20% of the site in July and about 40% of the basin by October. Other plants included water plantain, barnyard grass (Echinochloa crusgalli), and water smartweed (Polygonum amphibium). Plants in the adjacent upland area that were noted included Canada thistle, bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare), timothy (Phleum pratense), white clover (Trifolium repens), common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia), quackgrass (Agropyron repens), reed canary grass, and alfalfa (Medicago sativa). NWC-3 This area was designed to provide 0.50 acres of NWC credit. The desired wetland type noted in the RPA was Type 3 palustrine, emergent, seasonally flooded and excavated (PEMCx). It was noted last year that NWC-3 had been divided into two areas by a berm leading to a billboard on the site. Vegetation on the western side (3A) of this berm was examined separately from vegetation on the eastern side (3B) of this berm. This basin appeared to be a Type 3 PEMCx wetland on both sides of the berm. There was at least 12 inches of ponded open water. Open water covered about 90% of both 3A and 3B in May. In July, open water covered about 80% of 3B, and about 25% of 3A. The decreases in coverage were due primarily to increases in vegetative growth, especially narrow-leaf cattail. Water in both sides of the basin had filamentous blue-green algae in them in July. By October, open water ponded between 2 and 3 inches covered only 5% of 3A, and open water with filamentous blue-green algae and floating leaf pondweed (Potamogeton natans) covered 75% of 3B. This area was significantly wetter than in 2000, when the maximum water level was 8 inches of ponding covering 50% of side 3A in June. Adjacent slopes ranged between 3:1 to greater than 3 :1 (gentle slopes). A woodchuck and Canada geese were observed in May. Frogs were observed in July. On both sides of the berm, vegetation included reed canary grass, water plantain, and narrow-leaf cattail. Narrow-leaf cattail dominated 70% of side 3A in July and about 80% of side 3A in October. Mud increased to 10% of 3A in October. Upland plant species included quackgrass, water plantain, red top (Agrostis gigantea), reed canary grass, dandelion, and white clover. Some hydrophytic species (water plantain, reed canary grass) were creeping into the buffer, indicating that it was relatively wet earlier in the growing season. N -4 This area was designed to provide 0.26 acres of NWC credit. The desired wetland type noted in the RPA was Type 3 palustrine, emergent, seasonally flooded and excavated (PEMCx). This basin appeared to be a Type 3 PEMCx wetland at the time of the May visitation, but lack of hydrology in July caused this area to be re-classified as Type 1 PEMA. By October, this wetland more resembled a Type 2/3 PEMB/C wetland. In May, there was approximately 6 inches of water ponded over 80% of this area. By July, the area was dry. In October, there was approximately 1 inch of ponding in this area covering about 10% of the basin. This area was generally wetter than last year, when the maximum amount of water in this basin was 3 inches deep, covering only 10% of the area in June. The decrease in water between May and July this year is probably a result of high temperatures and low precipitation through most of July. The May site visit did reveal that there seems to be water present in this basin long enough for the area to meet wetland hydrology criteria. Adjacent slopes were primarily greater than 3:1 (gentle) but were closer to 2:1 (steep) on the western side of the basin (where PVC-1 was built). Despite this steep slope, no problems associated with erosion were noted at this time. Frogs were seen at this site in May, and a redwing blackbird was present in July. Pink wetland delineation flagging (marked A-1 Start) was found on the north side of the area on the south side of an adjacent ditch in May. The wetland seemed significantly wetter and better developed in October than it did in July. In May, reed canary grass covered about 15% of this area. By July, reed canary grass increased to 35% of this area. Reed canary grass cover was noted to be 25% in October. Narrow-leaf cattail comprised 35% of this area in July and 25% of this area in October. Water plantain increased from less than 5% in May and July to 20% in October. Other plants noted included Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis), dandelion, water smartweed, redtop, blunt spike rush (Eleocharis obtusa), and witchgrass (Panicum capillare). Bare, dry soil made up 10% of the area in July. Plants in the buffer area (PVC-1) included foxtail barley (Horedum jubatum), reed canary grass, Canada thistle, timothy, common ragweed, white clover, and quackgrass. Buffer plants seemed to be well-established. NW C-5 This area was designed to provide 0.39 acres of NWC credit. The desired wetland type noted in the RPA was Type 3 palustrine, emergent, seasonally flooded and excavated (PEMCx). This basin appeared to be a Type 3 PEMCx wetland. In May, there was about 12 inches of water ponded over about 90% of this basin. In July, there was approximately 8 inches of water ponded over about 50% of the basin. Part of this decrease was due to an increase in narrow-leaf cattail cover, but much of it was due to a drop in water level. In October, open water with filamentous blue-green algae, ponded at about 12 inches, covered 20% of the basin. This basin was wetter than in 2000, when the maximum water level was 10 inches of water ponded over about 75% of the basin in June. Adjacent slopes ranged between 3:1 to greater than 3:1 (gentle slope). Frogs were found in this area in July. Bare ground covered about 5% of this area in May, but this increased to 25% in July. There was no bare ground by October; the percentage of bare ground was dependant upon the water level. Narrow-leaf cattail increased to 20% of this area in July and 65% of this area in October. Other plants in this area included reed canary grass, white clover, dandelion, water plantain, blunt spike rush, witchgrass, and cow parsnip (Heracleum lanatum). The upland plants included reed canary grass, Canada thistle, timothy, common ragweed, white clover, Kentucky bluegrass, and quackgrass. Buffer plants seemed to be well-established. CONCLUSIONS There are two issues that were deemed management concerns in 2000 that SER deemed necessary to address this year: In 2000, it appeared that most of the areas are drier than what was proposed in the RPA. This year's site visits revealed an increase in hydrology in these basins. The major factor that caused this change was probably precipitation. In 2000, precipitation was lower than normal during the preceding winter, causing a deficit in snowmelt runoff available for basin recharge. In 2001, precipitation in May and June was normal to above-normal. The preceding winter also provided plenty of runoff water for the spring recharge of these basins. Hydrology seems to be adequate for creation and maintenance of wetland conditions in all basins. These basins should be examined early in the season the last two years of monitoring (April or May 2002 and 2003), as they were this year, to monitor early post-snowmelt conditions and ensure that hydrological conditions will be adequate in future years. Reed canary grass is present in most of the created basins. However, there generally seems to be less reed canary grass in the basins this year. This is primarily due to the increase in open water preventing establishment in reed canary grass. No remedial measures are deemed necessary at this time, but SER will monitor growth and spread of this problem species in the future. Based on our observations, it was quite apparent that all replacement wetlands and all wetland buffer seeding areas did exist at the time of the visit. The mitigated wetlands will continue to be monitored according to the monitoring plan outlined in the Wetland Replacement Plan Application and the Corps permit issued for this site. If you have any questions or need additional information regarding this site, please feel free to contact us at (952) 47 I -1100. Thank you. Sincerely, Svoboda Ecological Resources ' ~. Franklin J. Svoboda, CWB, PWS Vice-President cc: Robert Morse, JMJ Properties Gary Elftmann, Army Corps of Engineers ~a~~~~ Laura E. Peck Wetland Ecologist Attachment: Photo Log Photo Log PHOTO 1: NWC-1, facing east. Photo taken in July. This photo is similar to Photo 1 of the 2000 report. Note the significant increase in water since 2000, and the Burger King being erected on Out- lot D (the white and gray building near the center of the picture). PHOTO 2: NWC-2, facing east. Photo taken in May. Note the Burger King being erected on Out- lot D (behind the silt fencing to the right side of the picture). ;,~~ ~~-~~~. '~~~~;~'~` Svoboda Ecological Resources PHOTO LOG OF SITE Minneapolis Factory Shoppes PHOTO 3: NWC-3A, facing west. Photo taken in May. This photo is similar to Photo 3 of the 2000 report. Note the significant increase in water since 2000. PHOTO 4: NWC-3B, facing west. Photo taken in May. This photo is similar to Photo 4 of the 2000 report. Note the significant increase in water since 2000. ~, -~ PHOTO LOG OF SITE '`,' ~'~' Svoboda Ecological Resources Minneapolis Factory Shopper PHOTO 5: NWC-4, facing southeast. Photo taken in May. This photo is similar to Photo 5 of the 2000 report. Note the significant increase in water since 2000. This wetland was dry by July. PHOTO 6: NWC-5, facing west. Photo taken in May. This photo is similar to Photo 6 of the 2000 report. Note the significant increase in water since 2000. By July (see Photo 7), cattail growth had increased and water levels had decreased. ,,~~ ~, ~`s' ~'~` Svoboda Ecological Resources PHOTO LOG OF SITE Minneapolis Factory Shoppes PHOTO 7: NWC-5, facing west. Photo taken in July. This photo is similar to Photo 6 of the 2000 report and Photo 6 of this report. It is included to illustrate the difference in site conditions between the May and July visits. PHOTO 8: NWC-5, facing north. Photo taken in May. This photo is similar to Photo 7 of the 2000 report. Note the culvert in the lower right corner of the photo, and the significant increase in water since 2000. By July, cattail growth had increased and water levels had decreased. 1l:;, F~ ,~ ~ .'~~ Svoboda Ecological Resources PHOTO LOG OF SITE Minneapolis Factory Shoppes