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TRAIL DEVELOPMENT Environmental Impacts Due to Trott Brook's location on the Anoka Sand Plain, the corridor is susceptible to many possible environmental impacts. Any change to the landscape or development project can seriously affect the area. Some of the most sensitive aspects of the corridor include the wildlife, vegetation, soils and stream quality. This section answers the questiQns addressed on an Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EA W). An EA W is useful for determining the environmental impacts of a development project. A copy of the EA W is included in Appendix III. Past land uses around Trott Brook were primarily agricultural. Aerial photographs from the 1934 show all upland portions adjacent to the brook as tilled. Early agricultural practices such as removal of vegetation, introduction of non-native vegetation, and dredging of the brook impacted the land. Dredging of the area results in faster flow of water and flood water, lowers flood storage, and the edges of the floodplains become drier (Arndt, 1996). Shallow aquifers in the area are susceptible to contamination by agricultural chemicals leaching through the soil. Approximately two thirds of the Anoka Sandplain is designated within a high susceptibility class for ground water pollution, meaning that land application of chemicals can greatly effect the quality of the brook and regional ground water (MPCA, 1989). A riparian strip of vegetation is presently adjacent to the brook where slopes are steep. These buffer zones reduce the velocity of surface runoff, filter sediment and uptake nutrients that may be carried by surface water. The types of wildlife present in the Trott Brook Corridor are listed in Appendix I. Increased activity along the trail may effect wildlife movements. The wildlife may avoid certain areas or relocate completely. A six to eight foot wide trail will not have significant long term affects on the vegetation or populations of wildlife, but wildlife may be impacted by the loss of vegetation for food and cover. No state-listed endangered, threatened, or special-concern species or other ecologically sensitive resources have yet been identified in the area. The trail development project will not pose any physical or hydrologic alteration of the water resources in the area. Wells will not be installed or abandoned during the course of the project. This project does not require additional ground water or public water reserves. The source of water for Trott Brook is primarily discharge from shallow aquifers into the stream due to the sandy textures of the soils. The water infiltrates rapidly into the soil and surface runoff is slight. Therefore, the proposed plan will minimally affect the runoff the brook receives. Disturbances that may be generated during the trail development are dust and noise. 10 I I I I I I I I I I I 1 I I 1 I I 1 .1