Welcome, Friends of Fredrick-Miller Spring & Riley Creek!

Recent Updates - Visit the New Site:

http://springvalleyfriends.org/

Hello Supporters:

We hope you are enjoying the weekend. Since there was no consideration of the environmental impact data or proposal to acquire the land, our only path forward is to appeal the City’s decision to deny the environment assessment. This is done by filing a declaratory judgment action in district court. The estimated cost for this process is $15k. Please consider donating to our Go Fund Me campaign (if you haven’t already): https://www.gofundme.com/f/fredrickmiller-spring-friends-lawyer-fund Any amount helps!

In the meantime, please feel free to provide the City Council with comments. Here are a few ways to share your feedback:

• Send a message to City Council members to voice discontent for the process and outcome: allcouncil@edenprairie.org

• Post comments on the Eden Prairie Website: https://www.facebook.com/67533112767/posts/10159129350832768/?substory_index=0

• Write a short editorial to the EP Newspaper: editor@eplocalnews.org/

• Send an email to Senator Cwodzinski regarding outcome: https://www.senate.mn/members/email-form/1234

• Share on social networks: Nextdoor, Facebook, etc.

A few take-aways from the city council meeting:

• The Mayor allowed Pulte 40 minutes to present information and only 2 minutes for everyone else

• There was no consideration or review given to the information provided by experts, like Professor Alexander

• No consideration given to the multiple alternatives presented to acquire the land. For example, a legacy fund bill

• The Mayor completely missed the point of the petition for a study. The environmental review is about the Biodiversity and understanding the long-term cumulative effects

• In the April 29th Sun Sailor, the Mayor publicly announced that he planned to vote no on the study. This was prior to the 5/4 meeting and distribution of the 1600 page staff report containing all the updated information and study details. How do you make a sound decision without all of the data?

-Spring Friends, Organizers

Update, 4/24/21: Citizen's Petition for Environmental Study - Accepted & Approved - by Minnesota Environmental Quality Board

We have good news to share! Our citizen's petition for an environmental study was accepted and approved by the Minnesota Environmental Quality Board! We had enough evidence to show there could be significant environmental impacts with this project. That said, it is not finalized yet. The request for the study now goes to the City of Eden Prairie for their approval.

We are writing to urge you to contact the mayor and city council to request they approve our request for an environment study. This will help ensure the proper steps are taken to protect this unique area. Pulte has also been notified of the study request and we are sure they are leaning on the City to vote no to the study.

Please call and simply state to please vote in favor of the environmental study, we need the study to determine the impacts and effects of this proposed project.

April 2, 2021

Water Advocate Vigil at Spring Aims to Delay Noble Hill Development Approval-Eden Prairie, MN

Water advocates organized through the Friends of Fredrick-Miller Springs gather to hold vigil at the Spring in the wake of a threat of development. www.frederickmillerspringfriends.org

The Friends of Fredrick-Miller Springs intend to delay the rezoning initiative by the City of Eden Prairie City Council, which entitles Pulte Homes, a company who has a controversial track record with violations of the Clean Water Act and consumer complaints. The Eden Prairie City Council will vote on the Noble Hill development plans May 4, 2021.

Mayor Ron Case, and the city's position, is that the “... Fredrick-Miller Spring will not be impacted.” Yet, the Mayor sourced outdated material in reference to this claim. In addition, several city planning commissioners, voted nay to the development; due to an incomplete environmental impact study. A proper updated ecological, hydrological, geological, and watershed evaluation needs to be conducted. to truly ass,ss the specific impact of the Noble Hill Development.

The F-M Spring is located in the biodiverse and ecologically sensitive Riley Purgatory Bluff Creek Watershed District. The Friend’s and fellow water advocates are concerned about groundwater contamination of which the Spring is safe to drink, but has been exposed to nitrates from a nearby land-fill. The Riley Creek is susceptible to poor stormwater management, and Pulte has had to pay settlements due to sloppy stormwater management design and installment. Wild-life and biodiversity are also at risk: as up to 5 endangered have been identified as possibly living within the habitat; and upwards of 500 trees are destined to be cut down out of the fragile ecosystem along Spring Road.

Fredrick-Miller Springs is recognized as a landmark, and thousands of MN citizens, collect the untreated water as a preferred water source. The Friend’s recognize the relevance of the historical landmark of the Spring, as well historical trauma as detailed in the Land Acknowledgement of Eden-Prairie: that there is “... a painful history of unfair treaties, genocidal policies and forced removal of Indigenous people from their homeland.”