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MOUND, MN. - Mound, Minnesota, residents are confronted with a brutal reality: despite having some of the highest water bills in the state, their tap water is unsafe to drink. The city's water supply contains high manganese levels, which can harm one's health, especially for the elderly and young children. Residents have been looking for a solution to this issue for the past two years, but nothing has been found.

The problem is that not only are we paying excessive amounts for our water bills, but you can't drink the water that you're paying for," Mound resident Heidi Peterson said of the water situation.

Like thousands of others in Mound, Peterson and her family have been forced to use bottled water as an alternative. The family still uses tap water to shower, brush their teeth, boil eggs, and wash their clothes, but they worry that drinking it could harm their health.

I don't know of any public utility provider that doesn't have a drinkable-at-the-faucet goal for the level and quality of service they provide," city manager Eric Hoversten stated.

"We are currently not meeting that objective." However, he said the city does not have the resources to pay for the filtration plant necessary to lower the manganese levels in the well water. The filtration plant is expected to cost $36 million.

The city is asking the legislature for help, but even if funding is approved, the problem will not be solved for another three years. Residents are urged to write to legislators to voice their concerns, and Mayor Jason Holt is working with legislators on this.

Another Mound resident, Lisa Rosenthal, was able to install a costly filtration system in her home; however, she is concerned about those who cannot afford alternatives.

It's a serious problem that really needs to be dealt with," she stated. "Drinking is harmful to your health and unhealthy. In addition, the majority of people who live in Mound have fixed incomes."

Peterson stated, "My hope is that someone kind of comes to the rescue," expressing her optimism. She wants to know when the water problem in Mound will be resolved.

Sadly, Mound is not the only community experiencing this issue. Sixty-six other Minnesota communities, including Lino Lakes and Ramsey, have informed residents that their water contains elevated manganese levels. Residents of Mound hope their water problem will soon be resolved because it affects the entire state and needs to be addressed.

County jail records show the boy's mother and a 27-year old man were taken into custody.

MOUND, Minn. — It's been two horrific days for the family of a child found dead inside the trunk of a car in Mound, Friday.

"Eli was a very happy, energetic 6-year-old boy," said Josie Josephson. "He loved his dad immensely. His eyes would light up when he saw his dad."

Josephson is the fiancé of Tory Hart, Eli's father. She remembers the exact moment she heard the news.

"Great sadness and disappointment this happened, when this shouldn't have," she said.

County jail records show the boy's mother and a 27-year old man were taken into custody. Court records show the boy's mother had also recently engaged in custody disputes with Eli's father.

"Although Eli wasn't biologically my own, I fought side by side with Tory to try to get him custody of him; in my heart he was my own son," she said. "We expressed our concerns numerous times."

NEW: A small memorial sits outside Shirley Hills Primary School in Mound. It’s been two days since a 6-year-old, identified by family as Eli, was found dead inside the trunk of a car during a traffic stop. @kare11 pic.twitter.com/dIDo5AG2xd

— Charmaine Nero (@CNeroTV) May 22, 2022

It's a tragic event Mound Mayor Ray Salazar says has rocked his small town.

"Our hearts go out to the family," said Salazar. "For myself, and I'm sure I share with all of our great citizens in our city, it's a horrible, horrifying situation ... You can't imagine the pain that this family must be going through, Tory, Eli's family."

And now, a community is in mourning.

"I feel we failed as a community, the most vulnerable, a 6-year-old little boy, who was forgotten," said Mound resident, Jane Anderson.

For Josie Josephson, she's praying no other family has to experience a similar pain. "I'm going to continue changing things so this doesn't happen to another child, and fathers' rights are protected, and heard," she said.

School counselors and staff will be available in all Westonka school buildings to support students, staff and parents.

There is a GoFundMe page to help the family with expenses, which has already reached more than $33,000 as of Sunday night.

An investigation into the incident is ongoing, but Orono PD says there is no further threat to the public.

Charges for both suspects are still pending.

The Mound City Council spent the majority of its time at its Feb. 22 meeting fielding questions and comments from community members who oppose a proposed apartment complex near Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church (OLL). Among other things, residents expressed concerns about road access, traffic congestion, parking and the size of the complex.

The Northland Mound project is a proposed 104-unit apartment building to be located on a property generally southwest of the intersection of Commerce Boulevard and the Dakota Rail Regional Trail on the shoreland of Lake Langdon. In addition to 14 privately held properties which were part of the Kennedy’s Subdivision of Lot 56, Lynwold Park, Lake Minnetonka, the project applicant is proposing to acquire three parcels from the city of Mound and to vacate a platted, but never constructed right-of-way called Juniper Road.

The Mound Planning Commission voted to amend the city’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan and rezone the property in question from residential to mixed use at its Nov. 6 meeting and held a public hearing about the project on Jan. 4. The project was first presented to the Mound City Council for approval on Feb. 8 for a public hearing, but it was tabled in order to provide time for the applicant, Northland Real Estate Group, to work with adjacent property owners regarding traffic circulation and to evaluate whether the project could be modified to have fewer units.

One of the main concerns residents expressed is that the city has not allowed for sufficient public comment regarding the project. Mayor Ray Salazar explained that residents can always come to the podium to express their opinions or send emails to the council.

Residents also shared their worries about how the building will be accessed, as well as their fears that the amount of traffic will increase and that those who live in the apartment complex will use the church as overflow parking and as a thoroughfare. In addition, Councilmember Paula Larson said she believes that there needs to be more transparency in the process for when developers come to town.

Currently, there is a private easement agreement between the property owners and OLL who have been granted the right to cross and have access into the area behind Commerce Blvd. At the Feb. 8 meeting, the council heard from City Planner Rita Trapp about a study done in 2016 which showed minimal impact in the amount of traffic and that there are 127 planned parking spaces for the project.

In the past, there have been several projects that have been proposed for the lakeside property, but none of them made it to the approval stage. Councilmember Sherri Pugh noted that Mound is a small town and there are not a lot of development sites left.

The next step in the process will be for the developer, Brian Farrell, to meet with Father Peter Richards and John Biglow from OLL and the owner of another nearby building owned by Paddle North on March 2 to discuss a traffic plan.

If no formal extension is received from the developer, the council must make its decision on whether or not to approve the project by March 31.

In other news, the council voted to approve bids for the watermain replacement on Lynwood Boulevard from Birch Lane to Southview Lane, which is budgeted for $615,000. The council also voted to approve bids for the replacement of the lift station on the west end of Island View Drive and associated force-main that runs through the right of way up to the intersection of Drummond Road and Roxbury Lane, which is budgeted at $570,000.

About Indian Mounds: A Sacred Burial Place

The landscape of Indian Mounds is a sacred place of burial. It is a cemetery built by ancestors of living people. The place has deep significance to the Upper Sioux Community, Lower Sioux Community, Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, Prairie Island Indian Community, Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin, Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, and other descendants of those who are buried here. It is home to the only known remaining burial mounds within the Minneapolis-Saint Paul urban core.

BBQ grills Picnic area (2) picnic shelters Playground Restroom building Scenic overlook (2) tennis courts

Permit and Rental Information

Please call the Park Permit Office at 651-632-5111 for more information or to reserve facilities or permit events. Office hours are 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The possession of alcohol is prohibited in the park.

Picnic area photos

History

The Indigenous burial ground that is currently called “Indian Mounds Regional Park” has been a sacred site and place of burial for over a thousand years. It is significant to living Indigenous Peoples as a cemetery where their ancestors are buried. It is a place of reverence, remembrance, respect, and prayer. When the City of Saint Paul established a park in this location in 1892 with the purpose of protecting the historical setting and spectacular views, connections of contemporaneous Indigenous Peoples to the sacred site were not understood, considered, or valued. Over the last century the condition, name, and use of the landscape as a park have become beloved to the surrounding community. Yet many non-Indigenous people have wondered about this powerful landscape without knowing how to learn more about it. Through public gatherings with generous sharing by Indigenous Peoples and members of the public, strong support for protection of this sacred site has been revealed.

The Cultural Landscape Study and Messaging Plan is an initial step to update the City’s practice for preservation awareness, and understanding of sites significant to American Indians. The project team conducted rigorous research to provide a basis for a shared understanding among diverse project collaborators. The Study presents a comprehensive framework for acknowledging the sacred site and the living Indigenous People whose ancestors are buried there while:

The Cultural Landscape Study and Messaging Plan guides changes and updates within the site currently called Indian Mounds Regional Park. Visit the Indian Mounds Regional Park Projects page for more information.

This content is shared with MinnPost by MNopedia, the digital encyclopedia created by the Minnesota Historical Society and supported by the Legacy Amendment's Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

Blue Mounds State Park, named for a long, high Sioux quartzite cliff, is located in southwestern Minnesota on the Iowa and South Dakota borders. The cliff, one and one-half miles long and up to ninety feet high, appeared to be blue in color to the early Euro-American immigrants who saw it from a distance. A unique herd of bison, the largest North American mammal, makes its home in the park on 533 acres of native tall grass prairie, which escaped plowing due to poor soil quality.

Located on 1,830 acres, the park is in an area known as Coteau des Prairies (in English, a hilly prairie upland). As high as 2,000 feet above sea level, the plateau runs from southeast North Dakota, through southwest Minnesota, and into northwestern Iowa. Dating to 1,700 million years ago, numerous Sioux quartzite outcrops and boulders, colored pink, red, white, and purple, can be seen in the fields.

The old quartzite quarries in the park were owned and operated by the Luverne Granite Company. The stone was used to construct many local buildings, such as the Rock County Courthouse (1882), the old city hall (ca. 1890s), Trinity Episcopal Church (1891), and the Hinkly House in Luverne (1892).

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Before white immigrants came, the eastern cougar, elk, pronghorn antelope, grizzly bear, bison, prairie dog, and prairie chicken all inhabited the southwestern Minnesota prairie. Because of habitat changes caused by settlement, only bison, commonly known as buffalo, now live in the park.

In 1961, the current herd of North American plains bison (scientific name Bison bison) began when three bison were relocated from the Fort Niobrara Wildlife Refuge near Valentine, Nebraska, to the park. Many of the bison in commercial herds in the United States carry cattle genes; however, DNA testing, using blood and tail hair, shows that the Blue Mounds herd is among the most genetically pure in the country. To promote healthy herds, increase genetic diversity, and prevent inbreeding, park staff participate in a national conservation program that exchanges bison among pure herds. The pasture in the park can sustain about seventy-five mature animals, and park visitors can view them from an observation platform.

Running across 1,250 feet on top of the Blue Mound is a mysterious wall—as much as five feet in height in some places—composed of rocks and small-to-huge boulders. The sunrise and sunset on the spring and fall equinox closely align with the wall’s east-west orientation. Theories about the wall’s origin and purpose include that it was an early white-immigrant-constructed wall; a Minnesota equivalent of England’s Stonehenge; and a barrier to help Indians stampede bison off the cliff during hunts. Surveys and excavation of the wall in the 1980s, however, concluded that the wall was built after the mid 1800’s. In the 2010s, the issue remains unresolved.

Beginning in 1938, workers in the WPA (Works Progress Administration) built five structures in the park: a latrine and the upper and lower dams on Mound Creek, which created Upper and Lower Mound Lakes. The rustic style of the structures features native materials such as locally quarried quartzite. Rustic-style architecture, as defined by the National Park Service, is labor intensive, finely crafted, and uniquely American.

The Upper and Lower Mound Lakes were once the only lakes in Rock County. In 2014, over eleven inches of rain destroyed the lower dam. This caused Lower Mound Lake — then the only recreational lake in Rock County — to drain. In 2016, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources decided not to make repairs to the dam that would have restored Lower Mound Lake.

Visitors to the park enjoy hiking on three main trails, biking, rock climbing, spotting bison, camping, birding, and exploring for flora and fauna. Campers can spend the night in a tipi and snowmobile in the winter. Native prickly pear cactus grows in the quartzite outcrops, and birders may spot the uncommon blue grosbeak. Mound Creek is home to the Topeka Shiner (Notropis tristis), a small minnow that is on the U.S. Fish and Wild Life Service’s endangered species list. The park is the only place in Minnesota where the lined snake (Tropidoclonion lineatum) is found.

For more information on this topic, check out the original entry on MNopedia.