Bland colors, unfortunately, aren’t the river’s most serious problem. Runoff from ag chemicals and illegal septic tanks have contaminated the waterway, making it, according to The Star Tribune, the most polluted major river in the state. In Burnsville, the river’s most dominant feature is Xcel Energy’s 680-foot tall smokestack that towers over the surrounding national wildlife refuge. The utility company, to be sure, has a hand in maintaining the habitat. It leases hundreds of acres around the Black Dog generating station to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the support of the preserve, and I’ll grudgingly give Xcel Energy props for switching from coal to natural gas at the plant, although wind or solar would be better. Despite these efforts, it’s disheartening to see that smokestack rise over a sanctuary for bald eagles, peregrine falcons, ospreys, egrets, herons, and dozens of other species.
Postscript: A few days after this diatribe appeared, the city of Burnsville announced that Xcel Energy is tearing down the remaining smokestacks. I don't think the timing is a coincidence. Such is the power of social media.
Veiled in snow, the Minnesota River appears chaste but that looming smokestack spoils the illusion.
The smokestack is still standing in late May, although it is scheduled to be dismantled.
The smokestack emerges from the fog on a black-and-white morning.
