Inside this issue:

American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers - Minnesota Section Newsletter

Minnesota Section ASABE

Save the Dates p. 1

Mark your calanders for upcoming tours and events

Member Anniversaries p. 2

You have been here how long?

Spring 2018 Meeting p. 3

January 2018 Meeting, p. 2

Highlights from January 2018 Officer meeting

Highlights from March 2018

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Financial Highlights p. 4

2017-2018 Officers p. 12

Chile’s First Hops Farm p. 5 ASABE Member helps Chile’s first Hops Farm

Volume 59, Issue I

Minnesota Agrineer

Bell Museum Tour Fall 2018Minnesota Section of ASABE will tour the Bell Museum on Thursday September 20, 2018, at 1:30 p.m. The cost is $14.00 per person. Please watch your emails in August 2018 for details on tour registration and possible cost subsidies.

The Bell Museum moved from the University of Minnesota’s Minneapolis campus to its St. Paul campus. It is now located on the corner of Larpenteur Avenue West and Cleveland Avenue North. The Bell Museum is responsible for managing a portion of the environmental data for the state of Minnesota. The tour will focus on the facility’s sustainability and ecofriendly aspects, including building design and outdoor features.

ASABE would not exist without its dedicated members. Minnesota Section of ASABE officer elections for the 2018-2020 term will be held during the Fall 2018 meeting. Please consider running for a two-year term. The Fall 2018 meeting is tentatively scheduled for Thursday September 20, 2018, at noon to coincide with the Bell Museum Tour.

Calling for Officers - Fall 2018 Meeting

We Need You!!

ASABE Student Branch / Environment & Ecological Engineering Tour Western Dakota County p. 6

ASABE Student Brnach explores Dakota County

ASABE Minnesota Section Member Anniversariesby Jennifer Soltys

Save the Dates (Continued from Page 1)

We would like to extend a special thank you to our members who are celebrating 40 years or more with ASABE. Without our valued members who make a difference every day, ASABE would not be possible.

Congratulations!Ralph E. Badger – 60 yearsCletus E. Schertz – 65 yearsBerthol E. Ryberg – 67 yearsHerbert W. Colwill – 63 yearsRoger E. Machmeier – 66 yearsTheodore O. Thorson – 60 yearsDeane M. Manbeck – 63 yearsRobin R. Grinnell – 62 yearsMichael C. Brumm – 40 years

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ASABE Minnesota Section - Spring 2019 Meeting

Due to the popularity of the ethics presentation in the spring of 2018, the Minnesota Section of ASABE is tentatively planning on hosting another ethics presentation in the spring of 2019. The ethics presentation is planned to meet the Minnesota requirement for two PDHs in ethics instruction per biennium for licensed engineers. Watch for details as planning moves forward.

On January 19, 2018, the Minnesota Section of ASABE held its executive committee meeting. During the meeting, officers reviewed the finding of the 2017 survey results. Based upon the survey results, additional tours were tentatively planned for 2018 and 2019. A tour of the Bell Museum was planned for the fall of 2018 and a sugar beet facility tour was planned for some time in 2019. It was also decided to incorporate an ethics presentation into the spring 2018 Minnesota Section of ASABE meeting based upon the membership’s feedback.

The committee also reviewed the draft grant application for the use of Minnesota Section of ASABE’s funds. Jessica Olson emailed the draft document out to the general membership for review. The final grant application was scheduled to be voted upon during the 2018 Spring

January 2019 Executive Committee Meetingby Jennifer Soltys

January 2019 Executive Committee Meeting (Continued from Page 2)

meeting, after the general membership had time to review the draft grant application.

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March 2018 - ASABE Minnesota Section Meeting by Jennifer Soltys & David Scmidt

On March 2, 2018, the Minnesota Section of ASABE held its general membership meeting. ASABE members and guests enjoyed a luncheon during the short business meeting. The “MN Section ASABE Financial Grant Request” grant application form was approved by Minnesota Section members. A copy of the grant application can be found on the Minnesota Section of ASABE’s website(http//www.mnasabe.org).

Following the business meeting, Attorney Kristine A. Kubes presented an ethics seminar for ASABE members and guests. Attorney Kubes presented on number of ethical topics related to engineering including the following:

• Minnesota’s rules on professionalism and ethics• How to identify conflicts of interests• What to do what ethical concerns are discovered• How ethical practices protect the public welfare, health, and safety• How the Licensure Board’s Complaint Process works

Attorney Kristine A. Kubes is principal of Kubes Law Office, PLLC, serving design and construction professionals. Kristine helps clients strengthen their businesses. She concentrates her work on design defense/ litigation and proactive counseling during the project. Services include defending clients against professional liability and general liability claims, contracts, addressing project-management, risk-management, and payment issues, prosecuting mechanic’s liens, and entity set-up. Integrated with her construction practice, Kristine is a qualified neutral who mediates construction and design disputes during and after the project. She is a frequent lecturer on construction, design, and ethics issues. Kristine serves as a Board Member of ACEC-MN. She serves in leadership of the American Bar Association Forum on Construction Law and served as a public member on the MN Board of AELSLAGID from 2006-2013, during which she served two terms as Board Chair from 2009-2011.

ASABE Minnesota Section’s Financial Highlightsby Jennifer Soltys

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As of 2018, the Minnesota Section of ASABE has $6,001 in its account. A summary of Minnesota Section of ASABE’s account balance can be found in Table 1.

During the 2017 Fall meeting, members voted to pay for up to 20 student ASABE memberships, with preferences given on a first come first serve basis. As of 2018, eighteen students were signed-up as student members of the Minnesota Section of ASABE. The section paid a total of $450 for the student memberships to date.

Table 1

Chile’s First Hops Farm

by John Brach

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In March, ASABE Minnesota Section member John Brach accompanied an-other hop grower, Eric Anderson, on a trip to Chile to provide assistance to the first hop farm in that country. The farm is in the lakes region of south-ern Chile which is similar to the coastal area of Washington State in the US.

Harvest was near and a quick evaluation found several major issues

with the harvesting equipment design. The Chilean designer and fabricators were very talented but had no experience with hops other than looking at pictures on the internet.

Eric came up with a design to modify the machine using locally available parts since there was no time for ordering specialty items. For instance, chain link fence from the farm was fabricated into a primary sorting conveyor. John and Eric over-came the language barriers and spent a week working along with the local crew to make the needed modifications. The machine worked very well after all the changes were made.

Chile’s First Hops Farm

Hop Machine

John Brach working on the Hop Machine

In addition to the machinery part, it was very interesting to learn about other aspects of the local area. For instance, the family developing the hop farm is just now getting back into agriculture after a long break. Back in 1973, communists took over the

country and nationalized their farms. The family was never compensated after the government changed back.

ASABE Student Branch / Environment & Ecological Engineering Tour Western Dakota County

October 28, 2017 By Chuck Clanton On a very cold, windy, dreary Saturday, the ASABE Student Branch / EEE Club tour the western part of Dakota County. Tour Guide and technical expert was Mark Ryan, P.E.; Water Resources Engineer; Vermillion River Watershed; Joint Powers Organization; Dakota County Environmental Resources

Vermillion River Vermillion River Watershed is the largest watershed in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. The Vermillion River travels through areas of rapid urban growth, agricultural land, and suburban residential land. The Vermillion River is a wonderful resource, providing many opportunities for people to get involved in its care, to learn about the environment and the ecosystems, and to enjoy the sport and relaxation that the river and watershed provide. The Vermillion River is a unique cold-water lazy prairie river, meandering through farmland, forest, and developed areas. It's a great place to paddle a canoe, cast a lure, watch birds, and enjoy nature. Most property along the river is privately owned and not open for public use. However, cities, counties, and state agencies within the watershed have established parks, trails, access points, hunting and fishing areas, wildlife protection areas, and other locations where residents and visitors can play. The Vermillion River provides a diversity of fish species for those looking to catch anything from carp to trout; known for its trophy brown trout population.

The Vermillion River offers great opportunities for canoeing and kayaking, with the best opportunities are downstream of State Highway 52. At the falls, fast-moving water drops through the Vermillion River bedrock gorge and piques the interest of whitewater kayakers. Stop #1—Iron-Enhance sand filter Student viewed three filter systems for Lake Marion, Lakeville; where nutrients in stormwater runoff pose a risk to the health of shallow lakes, promote growth of algae and invasive plants. The BMP practice incorporates iron into the filtration media targeting phosphorus removal.

Benefits are high pollutant removal rates and retrofit for existing ponds and/or filter systems. Limitations include: a new technology, performance history; lifespan reduced, clogging, plugging, iron loss; no vegetation; and no accumulated plant material (oxygen limitations).

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Stop #2—Avonlea Development Mattamy Homes envisions its 470-acre Avonlea residential development in Lakeville as a community surrounded and unified by parks, open space, natural corridors, and walking/biking trails in an 8 to 10 year development process.

Restoration of a seven-acre wetland on the Avonlea site and a half-mile section of Middle Creek (a tributary to the Vermillion River) were viewed. The restored stream reduces erosion, keeping an estimated 30-50 tons of sediment and 30-50 lbs of phosphorus per year out of Middle Creek. The restored wetland provides filtration of pollutants, stormwater storage, wildlife habitat, and establishes attractive and sustainable natural features in the landscape, which improve livability for Avonlea residents. The restored wetland removes an estimated 21 tons of sediment and 88 lbs of phosphorus annually.

Stop #3—205th Street Channel Stabilization Stormwater flow caused erosion and bank failure, and carved a six to eight foot deep ravine in the 600 foot long drainage channel. Sediment and nutrient laden waters drained into Lake Marion and created several water quality issues, such as cloudy water, algae blooms, and low dissolved oxygen. In 2008, two EEE students worked with Lakeville city engineers to develop a solution for their senior capstone/design project.

The natural channel shape and floodplain was reestablished. Stabilization included lining the channel bottom with rocks to slow water flow and stabilizing the sides with native plants, rocks, and erosion control fabric. Stabilizing the channel, prevent erosion, and reduce sediment and nutrients running into Lake Marion.

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Additional benefits included reduced water quality problems such as cloudiness, algae blooms, and low DO; enhanced wildlife habitat; improved aesthetics; and reduced chance for human accidents near steep banks.

During the past couple of years, trails and a bridge crossings were built for access to public areas of the channel and Lake Marion.

Stop #4—Farmington McDonalds To refresh your memory from the last Agrineer, McDonalds provided bathroom services after students encountered three locked privies. The students ceremonially place a historical EEE marker on their bulletin board along with singing “Thanks for the Memories” before venturing back out into the cold. Stop #5—South Creek Stream Habitat Restoration

Students then viewed stream habitat restoration between Farmington and Lakeville within the planned Lake Marion Greenway, a protected and publicly owned corridor that provides habitat, benefits to water quality, recreation, and transportation goals of the greenway.

The channel had significant downfalls and obstructions, was over-widened and shallow, had streambank erosion, and provided limited habitat for aquatic biota. A portion of South Creek is impaired for E. coli bacteria and aquatic life. The aquatic life impairment arises from insufficient in-stream habitat, sediment-carrying stormwater runoff, streambank erosion, warm stream temperatures, lack of adequate dissolved oxygen, and lack of native riparian vegetation.

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The project restored the stream reach by removing channel obstructions, narrowing the channel, stabilizing banks to prevent further erosion, and introducing multiple types of in-stream habitat features including: rootwads, stream barbs, brush mattresses, rock veins, cover boulders, stream cobble, a backwater pool, and tree pins. These restoration efforts improve habitat and decrease the amount of sediments in the channel.

Stream widening over time, resulted in a sand and fine sediment laden channel. This combined with stormwater runoff from upstream land uses, poor quality riparian vegetation, and channel obstructions allowed for bank erosion to occur. With a widened stream, velocities slowed resulting in the filling and covering of vital aquatic habitats making this a high priority site for restoration.

Streambanks were vegetated with native plants to filter stormwater runoff and reduce delivery of pollutants to the stream that adversely affect turbidity and dissolved oxygen.

Stop #6—Rambling River Park Rambling River Park, Farmington, is a popular recreation destination featuring picnic areas, hiking/biking trails, and a trophy trout stream with a self-sustaining population of brown trout. The Vermillion River main stem through Rambling River Park is impaired for turbidity, insufficient dissolved oxygen, and aquatic life. During fall 2016, students observed these problems arise from insufficient in-stream habitat, streambank erosion, inadequate connection to the flood plain, and lack of native riparian vegetation. A completed Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) identified turbidity as the primary stressor for fish and macroinvertebrates, with secondary stressors including low dissolved oxygen, elevated stream temperature, and loss of habitat.

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Construction during late summer, 2017, included: 1) install in-stream habitat features (such as toe wood, root wads, and rock riffle) that protect the shoreline, provide better connection to the flood plain, and provide refuge areas for trout and other vital aquatic species 2) stabilize streambanks to prevent further erosion, decrease turbidity, and increase resilience to intense storm events; and 3) vegetate streambanks with native plants to filter stormwater runoff and reduce delivery of pollutants to the stream that adversely affect dissolved oxygen.

Timing of restoration was critical as construction needs to work around the trout spawning periods and avoiding low flows. A temporary bypass channel was construction around all three impaired areas to allow for de-watering for construction.

Student returned to the Park to view the completed project. The total cost was $315,000.

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Stop #7—Minnesota Zoo Stormwater Improvement The Minnesota Zoological Gardens in 2015 decided to incorporate more green practices on its campus, including large-scale recycling and sustainable building practices. Impervious surfaces (parking lots, rooftops, and paved roads and paths) throughout the Zoo generate large amounts of stormwater runoff during rain or snowmelt events, which carries a variety of pollutants to local water resources, including the Main Lake within its boundaries. Three stakeholder groups prioritized the numerous suggested water quality enhancements in order to fund the top four projects:

VRWJPO – Vermillion River Watershed Joint Powers Organization MCES – Metropolitan Council Environmental Services Interesting to note the differences in opinions of the three different groups.

Main Lake, a major focal point at the Zoo has phosphorus concentrations more than six times higher than the water quality standard. Assessment of phosphorus loading on the main lake determined that the majority of the phosphorus is in the lake bottom sediment.

The Zoo also contains the largest animal feedlot in the Vermillion River Watershed, which produces manure containing high amounts of nutrients and bacteria. While the stormwater runoff generated within the exhibits may contain manure, it is conveyed via sanitary sewers to treatment facilities at a significant cost to the Zoo. By reducing the volume of stormwater generated from the Zoo’s impervious surfaces, and as a result, a reduction of stormwater runoff from the exhibits, the Zoo leaves a greener footprint on local water resources and reduces its sanitary sewer treatment costs.

The amount of impervious surface (pavement, buildings, and parking lots) and stormwater concerns within the Minnesota Zoo made this area a high priority for stormwater improvements. Re-grading resulted in runoff moving into the grassed mediums and surround areas instead of away, running directly into storm sewers. In the below photo, the center strip is an iron-enhanced sand filter and the riser pipes are used for gas exchange in the filter area.

Stop #8—Minnesota Zoological Gardens Checking out the Leopard Sharks and Komodo Dragons.

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Chair: Jessica Olson, jclolson@gmail.com Vice Chairs for Programs: Chuck Clanton, cjclanton@umn.eduVice Chairs for Programs: Sonia Jacobsen, jaco1026@umn.eduSecretary: David Schmidt, schmi071@umn.eduAgrineer Editor: Jennifer Soltys, jasoltys@yahoo.comTreasurer: John Brach, jcb1153@yahoo.comVice Chair for Membership: VacantVice Chair for Awards: Vacant

2017-2018 ASABE Officers

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