10.b River Taskforce Letter 31
k.cammilleri
Subject:River concerns
From: k.m.lewis
Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 2021 11:02 AM
To: c.maefsky <c.maefsky@ci.scandia.mn.us>; k.cammilleri <k.cammilleri@ci.scandia.mn.us>
Subject: River concerns
Dear Mayor Maefsky and Scandia City Council,
As a lifelong denizen of Scandia who is right on the river, I support the city of Scandia turning its attention to
the use and abuse of the beautiful but fragile river that is such a jewel of our community and region, and such a
vital resource and habitat for wildlife.
Here are issues I have experienced and/or observed first hand:
1. Wake limits are not enforced, and motorized boats of all kinds zoom up and down the river with no regard for
paddlers. They are supposed to slow down when they pass paddlers and swimmers, and go out of their way to
give them space and not swamp them with their wake. Very few boaters do this. Many times, as I kayak or
paddleboard with my dog, a motorboat or pontoon will roar past me without slowing, often no more than than
15 or 20 feet away. It is not unusual for me to come close to capsizing and have had to take quick action to turn
my kayak into the waves created by the passing boats.
2. The banks of the river are eroding at a far greater rate – I notice it particularly along our shoreline, with
which I'm most familiar. Trees and plant systems are getting undermined and it won’t be long before they
collapse into the river. With the St. Croix river reaching flood stage with greater frequency, in the summer as
well as the spring, the wakes of boats are an even greater problem. Formerly, the river was high in the spring
when the water is cold and boaters are few. Now it's high during the warm months when traffic is constant;
higher water in the summer brings bigger and faster boats, and the near-constant lapping and washing of waves
against parts of the shoreline that wouldn't normally experience it.
3. Night fishing boats equipped with klieg lights shine directly into our bedrooms as the night fishermen cruise
along the shore. The generators that power the lights are extremely loud, and even when the fishermen are back
in the slough, we can see their lights illuminating the woods and hear the constant drone of their generators, as
well as their voices, since they have to shout over the generators.
Night fishing also means use of the Log House Landing at all hours of the night to put in and take out boats.
Our property is close to the LHL, as are the homes of many of our neighbors: the Log House Landing is in the
middle of a residential neighborhood. Nonetheless, motors rev, tires grind, people shout, doors slam, chains and
trailers screech and clank -- at 1am, 2am, 3am. We have jobs and need to sleep.
I’m concerned, as well, about the impact on wildlife of bright lights and lou d noise in the woods at night, and on
fish populations of overfishing, but do not have personal knowledge of it.
4. Trash. Too many boaters and campers on the St. Croix leave their trash behind on sandbars and in the woods.
A particularly disgusting phenomenon is soiled diapers and used toilet paper tossed into the tall grass or bushes
2
at sandbars and campsites. What if the canoe and kayak rental outfits in Taylor's Falls provided renters with
bags for their trash and information on litter laws and the importance of taking out what you bring in?
People who visit the St Croix from the western states, where the ethos of river use is "take out what you bring
in" and "leave no trace" are astonished at the casual attitude and disrespect they see evidence of, in the form of
trash and human waste, and noise and light pollution.
Thank you so much for your interest in these matters!
Katherine Lewis and family
20453 Quinnell Avenue North