Art awakens Father Hennepin Park Stewardship
October 14, 2010
Mississippi River Stewardship had a good day yesterday. Last week a couple of Minneapolis officials walked and inhaled the oil laden stream in Father Hennepin Park. Yesterday I followed up our work by sending out the following email to city water quality officials, watershed experts that have been so helpful in getting the point source pollution looked into, colleagues at the Friends of the Mississippi River and Conservation Minnesota, and an old friend at the Star Tribune newspaper.
Greeting Everyone,
I have not heard anything after the flurry of activity last week led by Cordelia about the oil/diesel fuel (?the testing so far has not pinpointed the exact type of oil) that has been flowing from under the Xcel Transfer station in Father Hennepin Park for at least the two years I have been working there and then directly into our beloved Mississippi River. It was great that finally a couple city officials walked the stream and saw and smelled what I have seen for two years last week.
Plastic vodka bottle floating with fossil fuel remains in Father Hennepin Park#134
I would like to know who we think will step up to the plate in the various government entities with some jurisdiction in FHP and take responsibility for cleaning up this source of toxins flowing into the River?
I of course would be willing to give a tour about what I know and have seen in the park from my eco-artist expert point of view. I also would like to be included in any further testing just so I can learn about how this is done.
Literally this area does not pass the smell test that nothing is wrong in Father Hennepin Park (actually I was working there yesterday and the oil smell is moving farther up the wood stairs that lead into the Park).
So I am asking who do we look to to take responsibility here to clean up the flow of oil into the Mississippi River that is vital all our lives here in the Twin Cities?
Thanks for your time and consideration for the Big River, peter
Within hours I had an response from the Watershed district, the test collector of the samples, and this email from Patrick Hanlon, City of Minneapolis, Environmental Services Supervisor. Patrick had walked the stream last week.
Mr. Johnson,
I understand your frustration and would also like to thank you for staying on top of this issue. Our unit, City of Minneapolis Environmental Services, is responding to this case. The Minneapolis Park Board and Xcel Energy are working with us in accessing their properties and providing information. As mentioned below, Kari Oquist with The Mississippi Watershed Organization is assisting us in sampling of water. If everything goes as planned, we will be taking more samples in the stream by next week. We will be conducting a wider scope of analysis to see if we can help further characterize the product. We were also in contact with Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and will get back to you when we have discussed the matter with them further. As I am sure with all parties involved, we are taking this matter very seriously. A great deal of work has already been done by the representatives on this e-mail list. As you can imagine with the very storied past of this location and the surrounding former industrial area, pinpointing a source for this material is a complicated matter. Inspector Jim Doten, who is heading up this investigation for our unit, will contact you directly to get your information and insight in order to help us in resolving this issue.
In order to formally log your concerns please report any additional information to 311 under the address 420 Main St. SE. Please provide details such as perceived strength or odor, quantity of product observed, detailed location within the creek bed, exact time and date, or anything other information you think may be useful.
Thank you again,
Patrick Hanlon
City of Minneapolis
Environmental Services Supervisor
I am not naive. I know there is a long way to go to actually reach our goal of getting this point source oil cleaned up and therefore out of the Mississippi River. It was just one good step in making that happen.
Thanks to all the supporters on the continuing project. Your love of the Big River has been vital in my continuing going forward with this art work.
Activist Tip: When using email cc: all the people involved in the project. Don’t spam people, but by having in the cc line other citizens that are concerned with your issue the person you are sending the email to knows that this is not being done in secret. It also keeps your emails in a public space and tempers what you say. Still be direct and tell the truth. Just do it with respect for everyone involved. For example in this case everyone I have talked to wants a clean Big River. This is to your advantage.
thanks, peter
