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3.3 Natural Features of Gem Lake <br />The. natural environment of Gem Lake is unquestionably of a very <br />high quality,. the preservation or enhancement of which should. be. <br />considered as the. City more fully develops. <br />3.3.1 Topography <br />The topography of the community is generally rolling exhibiting <br />glacial. moranic surface features. Elevations vary approximately <br />90 feet (from 920 feet. to 1,0. 10 feet above sea level). The greatest <br />elevation variations are in the west central and northwestern portions <br />of the City where there are several knobs of higher elevations. <br />Virtually, all. steeper slopes over 10 percent grade are also %in. this <br />portion of the City. The northeast and southern portions of the City <br />range from gently rolling to flat. <br />3.3.2 Surface Water and Drainage <br />Most of Gem Lake Ties on a low plateau over 950 feet above sea <br />1 level. This plateau drains north, west, and south. Since Gem Lake is <br />in a relatively high elevation with respect to. surrounding: lands, no <br />` permanent streams exist within the. corporate. limits. However, as is <br />typical of glacial landscapes, much of the municipality is imperfectly <br />drained with much of the surface water draining into low lying <br />a depressions with no surface outlets. The largest of these. depressions. <br />is Gem Lake which. covers approximately 38 acres including its <br />t attendant wetlands: Much of the.central portion of the City drains into, <br />i this .feature. The. second largest area of standing water is a pond <br />covering. about six acres in the northeastern portion of the City. Most <br />of the.lands north of the Gem Lake Drainage Area and south of Goose <br />Lake Road drains into this surface feature: There are many other <br />smaller pockets.of intermittent and permanent surface water storage <br />areas scattered throughout the. municipality, <br />3.3.3 Soils <br />Much, if not most, of the surface. soils within Gem Lake are glacial <br />tills. Consequently, the character of soils can vary significantly in a <br />relatively small area. Gravel deposits displaying course soils are <br />located in knobs in the northwestern portion of the City. In contrast, <br />fine sediments are located in the Gem Lake and associated wetland <br />area not far away. Overall, the sails. might be characterized as <br />medium to fine in all but (1) the knob areas and (2) in the <br />northeastern area of the City where coarser soils predominate. <br />3.3.4 Vegetation <br />Much of the City is wooded especially in the central portion around <br />Gem Lake. There are also extensive stands of trees in the <br />northwestern portion of the City along Goose Lake Road. <br />Comprehensive Plan <br />Gem Lake, Minnesota Page 7 <br />