The whole purpose is water quality.”

Kyle Axtall, planning and projects program manager for the South Washington Watershed District

Efforts to reduce road salt use, questions about groundwater conditions and the future of the Grey Cloud Island channel were among the major topics before the Grey Cloud Island Township Board during its August meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 12, in the town hall.
The board also updated its swimming pool ordinance, retired an outdated stormwater management ordinance, reviewed the township’s finances and discussed upcoming tree trimming and ditch maintenance.
Before the salt discussion, Town Treasurer Keshia Jones gave a financial update.
Keshia Jones reported a beginning checking balance of approximately $242,000, expenses of about $12,000 and nearly $113,000 in revenue. The township ended the reporting period with $342,919 in checking and had $257,924 in investment assets.
Year-over-year expenses were approximately $1,000 lower, primarily because of lower legal costs, although that was partly offset by additional work with WSB related to road projects.
Revenue was approximately $22,000 higher than at the same point last year, with much of the increase coming from higher first-half property tax receipts following the township's 2026 levy increase.
The township's year-to-date surplus stood at $68,680 compared with $54,642 at the same point last year, an improvement of approximately $14,000.
The board also approved bills 113 through 126 totaling $17,911.40.
Polta reminded residents that the township's suspended annual budget meeting will resume in September. He explained that the township has followed a practice of beginning the budget process in March and suspending the meeting until September, giving officials additional time to refine the following year's spending plan.
He emphasized that township residents attending the annual budget meeting ultimately vote on the budget rather than leaving the final decision solely to the Town Board.
"As of right now, I don't see any changes from what we proposed in March to what we plan on proposing in September," Polta said.
Shift from finance to road salt, a lengthy portion of the meeting centered on whether the township could reduce its use of road salt through brine or a pre-wetting system. Kyle Axtall, planning and projects program manager for the South Washington Watershed District, discussed possible options with supervisors and the township’s snowplowing contractor.
Axtall said the watershed district has worked with municipalities on chloride reduction projects and can typically provide funding for up to 50 percent of eligible equipment costs. Because the township uses a private contractor for snow removal, however, the arrangement would need to be coordinated through the township rather than directly between the watershed district and contractor.
Brine can be applied before a storm and remains on the pavement after drying, Axtall said. Unlike granular salt, it is less likely to be knocked off the road by traffic. He said communities using well-implemented programs have seen significant reductions in salt use.
The discussion quickly turned to whether such a program would make financial sense for Grey Cloud Island.
Chairman Phil Dupre questioned whether applying brine separately would require the township's contractor to make an additional trip to the island, increasing labor costs. The contractor also noted that brine would not completely replace conventional road salt, particularly during storms that produce hard-packed snow and ice.
Grey Cloud Island's roads create additional challenges because some are uneven or tapered, making it difficult for plows to completely clear the pavement.
An alternative discussed was a pre-wetting system that would apply liquid to granular salt as it is spread. Axtall said pre-wetting can help salt stick to the pavement rather than bouncing or being knocked off the road and can reduce the amount needed.
That possibility drew interest because it would not require a separate pre-storm trip.
Supervisor Jake Jones said the pre-wetting approach appeared to offer a middle ground because the treatment could be applied at the same time as regular salting. Treasurer Keshia Jones suggested comparing the additional equipment and operating costs against the township's historical salt expenses.
The board ultimately asked Axtall and the contractor to develop numbers showing the equipment cost, the effect of the watershed district's potential 50 percent cost share and estimated reductions in salt use. The Town Treasurer could then compare the proposal with an average of the township's salt expenses over the previous three years.
The watershed district's interest is primarily environmental.
"The whole purpose is water quality," Axtall said, explaining that chloride can enter rivers and lakes and affect aquatic organisms. He said chloride management will be an important part of the watershed district's new plan coming this fall.
The discussion expanded from road salt to broader water issues affecting Grey Cloud Island.
Supervisor Richard Polta asked about a recent bathymetric survey of the Grey Cloud channel and slough. Axtall said Houston Engineering completed another survey and that he would make sure the township received it.
Axtall explained that the survey is based on actual elevations rather than simply measuring the distance between the water surface and channel bottom. That allows comparisons even when river levels differ between surveys.
Polta then raised a longstanding concern about dewatering associated with mining on Upper Grey Cloud Island and whether pumping groundwater could potentially influence the movement of Mississippi River water into the island's aquifer.
Polta pointed to the experience of a Pioneer Road resident whose well had been used since the 1950s. According to Polta, contamination was discovered after the channel was opened during bridge work, eventually requiring a new well. He said monitoring wells on the island appear to rise and fall along with the Mississippi River.
"If the river comes up a foot, these wells come up a foot. River goes down a foot, they go down a foot," Polta said.
He questioned whether continued dewatering could effectively draw river water toward groundwater beneath the island.
Axtall stressed that he is not a groundwater expert and said determining what is happening would require consideration of well depths and the different aquifers beneath the area.
He said he had spoken with Washington County about Polta's concerns but did not yet have new information. He had also contacted the area's Minnesota Department of Natural Resources hydrologist but had not yet received a response. Axtall said groundwater issues are more directly within the expertise of agencies including Washington County, the DNR and Minnesota Department of Health.
Still, Axtall said Polta was raising questions worth investigating and agreed to make additional contacts.
The watershed district is also considering a major habitat project in the lower Grey Cloud Slough area.
Axtall said the district, working with the DNR and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has been exploring habitat rehabilitation and restoration in the lower slough. The district applied for approximately $3.5 million through the 3M Priority 2 Fund and has received notice of a conditional award.
He emphasized that the project remains in its early stages and that there will be additional opportunities for public involvement.
The concept includes recreating some of the floodplain islands that existed before changes to the river system, using dredged sediment beneficially and restoring habitat. Axtall said planners also hope the work could create more variability in water depths and habitat while potentially helping portions of the channel remain more self-cleaning.
Polta, who said he previously worked for the Corps of Engineers, expressed skepticism based on previous predictions that changes to the Grey Cloud channel would cause it to flush itself and become deeper.
Axtall said surveys show a mixed picture.
"There are areas where it is deepening, and there are some areas where it's filling in," he said, describing the channel as dynamic.
Earlier in the meeting, the board held a special meeting to update its swimming pool ordinance and retire an older stormwater management ordinance.
The board approved swimming pool Ordinance 50.1 after adding language clarifying that prefabricated above-ground pools exempt from building permit requirements would also be exempt from demolition permit requirements when removed.
Polta explained that the changes were part of an ongoing effort by the township clerk to review older ordinances, bring them into line with state law and eliminate unnecessary duplication.
"The swimming pool one was outdated, and this brings it up to date and matches wording out of the state," Polta said.
The board also acted to retire Ordinance 48, the township's older stormwater management ordinance. Officials said its provisions were outdated and that stormwater requirements are now addressed through township zoning, Washington County regulations, watershed requirements and state law. The board subsequently adopted Resolutions 2026-11 and 2026-12 covering the ordinance actions.
Closing the update from August in Grey Cloud, the township is also preparing to begin work on its 2050 comprehensive plan. An October meeting is expected to serve as a kickoff, with hopes that representatives of the Metropolitan Council and residents who will be involved in the planning process can attend.
Tree trimming, meanwhile, is expected to begin during the last week of August on township roads. County road trimming has already been handled separately. Residents concerned about particular trees were encouraged to contact the township clerk before crews arrive.
Also notedwas that fact that Xcel Energy is conducting separate tree trimming along Grey Cloud Trail. That work is being performed by the utility and is not part of the township project.
The board also expects to revisit ditch mowing and maintenance in September.
The township's mowing contractor said rocks, boulders, cable and other debris in the ditches have damaged equipment and forced him to raise the mower in some locations, reducing mowing quality. The board discussed potentially having the contractor perform another mowing after tree trimming while also using workers and equipment to remove or relocate obstructions.
A decision is expected at the September meeting.
The contractor also alerted the board that his snowplowing rate could increase. He said Grey Cloud Island has been paying $100 per hour for several years, while another contract is paying $135 per hour, and rising costs may require him to adjust his township rate for the coming winter.
Finally, Dupre advised residents to expect increased utility activity on the island. Xcel Energy is preparing to replace high-voltage transmission lines running through Grey Cloud, with crews already bringing mats and other materials into the area.
"There'll be a lot of activity," Dupre said.
The next Town Board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m., with the continuation of the budget meeting scheduled for 6:30 p.m. that evening.