Laserfiche WebLink
1 <br /> <br /> <br />Division of Ecological and Water Resources Transmitted by Email <br />Region 3 Headquarters <br />1200 Warner Road <br />Saint Paul, MN 55106 <br />September 15, 2022 <br /> <br />Katie Larsen, City Planner <br />City of Lino Lakes <br />600 Town Center Parkway <br />Lino Lakes, MN 55014-1182 <br /> <br />Dear Katie Larsen, <br />Thank you for the opportunity to review the Robinson Sod Farm Environmental Assessment Worksheet <br />(EAW) in Anoka County. The DNR respectfully submits the following comments for your consideration: <br />1. Page 6, Permits and Approvals. Please include a DNR Permit to Take in the list of required <br />permits and approvals. Protected state-listed species have been identified in the project <br />vicinity. The need for a Permit to Take will be determined as the proposer works through the <br />rare plant survey process. <br />2. Page 12, Wastewater. The proposed plan to add 557 and even up to 707 residential units <br />would presumably add a comparable number of residential water softeners due to the water <br />hardness levels of the City of Lino Lakes municipal water supply. Many Minnesota <br />municipalities are wrestling with high chloride levels in their wa stewater (See this recent study <br />on sources of chloride in Minnesota). Chloride is one of the components of salt, which is used in <br />forms such as sodium chloride (table salt), calcium chloride and magnesium chloride (road <br />salts). Sodium chloride is commonly used in home water softeners and by water treatment <br />plants to treat “hard” water. Minnesota generally has groundwater with high levels of calcium <br />and magnesium that must be removed through softening in order to improve taste and prevent <br />lime scale buildup in appliances, pipes and water fixtures. The majority of home water <br />softeners use sodium chloride (NaCl) in a softening process that replaces calcium and <br />magnesium ions with sodium, while the chloride ions are discharged in the wastewater and <br />eventually end up in the environment. <br />Each community needs to determine which tool is appropriate for their situation. This factsheet <br />suggests ways for homeowners to optimize their water softener salt use, while this link <br />provides resources for cities and examples of how other communities in Minnesota are <br />addressing their high chloride levels. We suggest that as this development moves forward, the <br />City of Lino Lakes consider what strategies can be used to minimize chloride use.