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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Glacier of soap suds

Ely fire department truck washing the apparent cause

Marshall Helmberger
Posted 5/10/17

ELY – What appeared to be suds or foam reportedly entered Miner’s Lake last Saturday afternoon through the storm water culvert on the west end of the lake, located near the parking lot for the …

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Glacier of soap suds

Ely fire department truck washing the apparent cause

Posted

ELY – What appeared to be suds or foam reportedly entered Miner’s Lake last Saturday afternoon through the storm water culvert on the west end of the lake, located near the parking lot for the Trezona Trail.

Sherry Abts, a member of the Ely Field Naturalists, said she noticed what looked like “hundreds of feet of thick white foamy suds like it was dumped from  that  culvert” around 3-3:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Abts said she called the Ely Utility Commission and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, who suggested she call the Ely Fire Department. The duty officer said a report would be made to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

“From far away it looked like a glacier,” Abts said. “I was observing a nesting pair of loons when I noticed it. “I became very concerned because this is a trout lake.”

Ely Clerk-Treasuer Harold Langowski speculated Monday that the foam could have been an overflow from a city fire truck. “Maybe they were doing some training or something. “Whatever it was, it came through the storm sewer,” he said.

Ely Fire Chief Tom Erchull confirmed Monday that fire department personnel were washing trucks Saturday afternoon. “Apparently they used a little too much and it washed down the sewer and foamed up as it came out of the culvert and hit the rocks and aerated and expanded,” he said. “It dissipated and evaporated quickly and no harm was done.”