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Lakes and Rivers Alliance,Box 53,Pequot Lakes,MN 56472 CROW WING CO Promoting leadership and education that result in healthy LARAIJ ecosystems for present and future generations. January 16, 2006 Mayor Cathy Malecha City of Pequot lakes 4638 County Road 11 Pequot Lakes, MN 56472 Dear Mayor Malecha: As chair of the LARA Government Relations Committee, I would like to extend LARA's appreciation to you and the members of the City Council for your concerns for appropriate land use,as shown by your current moratorium on gravel pits. As you may know, LARA has had members serving on county committees over the years that have wrestled with these same types of issues. What we have learned from the experts,the Crow Wing County Soil and Water Conservation District(SWCD)and the United States Geological Survey (USGS), is that the first step in zoning or designating areas for uses that hold a negative potential is to look at the hydrology and geology of the land. The SWCD soil survey, although antiquated (it is now in the early stages of a lengthy update),could be of some assistance to you, as could the newly completed County Geological Atlas done by the USGS. By determining sub surface and surface soils you would have a knowledge of soil permeability, ground water flow, etc.which could guide your decisions as to the approval and location of or the denial of potentially environmentally harmful and/or socially offensive land uses such as gravel pits, septic dump sites,etc. Isanti County has made a model of their county and I believe is using it for said purposes. Bonnie Finnerty, Crow Wing County Planner, could help you with the USGS Atlas and the Isanti County model and Keith Pohl, SWCD,could help you with the soil survey information. Sincerely, Tom Beaver Chair, LARA Government Relations Committee