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depressions with no surface outlets. The largest of these depressions is the water body called Gem Lake which covers approximately 38 acres including its attendant wetlands. Much of the central portion of the City drains into this water body. The second largest area of standing water is a pond covering about six acres in the northeastern portion of the City. Most of the lands north of the Gem Lake Drainage Area and south of Goose Lake Road drain into this surface feature. There are many other smaller pockets of intermittent and permanent surface water storage areas scattered throughout the municipality. Soils Most surface soils within Gem Lake are glacial tills. Consequently, the character of soils can vary significantly in a relatively small area. Gravel deposits displaying course soils are located in knobs in the northwestern portion of the City. In contrast, fine sediments are located in the Gem Lake and associated wetland area not far away. Overall, the soils might be characterized as medium to fine in all but the knob areas, and in the northeastern area of the City where coarser soils predominate. Vegetation Much of the City is significantly wooded, especially in the central portion around Gem Lake. There are also extensive stands of trees in the northwestern portion of the City along Goose Lake Road. Population Growth of Gem Lake and Vicinity Gem Lake is located in the northeast portion of the Minneapolis -St. Paul metropolitan area, which has experienced very rapid urbanization. This area reached the population "take -off stage during the 1950s, accelerated during the 1960s and has since stabilized. The populations of the cities of Gem Lake and White Bear Lake have witnessed a slight decrease in population from 1990 to 2000; while the City of Vadnais Heights and White Bear Township have increased substantially in the same time period (refer to Table 3). Table 3 - Population Trends and Projections for Gem Lake and Contiguous Governmental Units Change Change Govt. Unit POP. POP. 2000 est. est. est. 2030 Gem Lake 439 419 0 490 561 652 56% Hs Heights 11,041 13,069 18% 13,800 14,300 16,800 22% White Bear Lake 24,642 24,325 -1.3% 27,200 27,850 27,950 15% White Bear Twnshp %424 11,293 20% 13,100 13,500 13,500 20% Current and future population trends as estimated by the Met Council indicate that the populations of the Cities of Gem Lake and White Bear Lake will grow from the year 2000 to 2030 (55 percent and 15 percent respectively). While Gem Lake's 3.0 community development. trends and detriments I page 6