I. Project Description
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C. BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES 1. Introduction This section addresses the ecological resources within the Planning Area, and the potential for future development activities to impact ecological resources. In particular, this section provides a description of the wildlife, botanical, and habitat resources occurring or potentially occurring in the area with an emphasis on sensitive resources. Sensitive resources include state or federally listed threatened, endangered, rare, or fully protected species, species of special concern, and species, plant communities, or habitats of regional or local concern. This section also includes discussions of applicable local, state, and federal regulatory standards for resource protection to provide context for the analysis and characterization of potential project impacts. In addition to the programmatic assessment of potential project impacts, this section provides impact avoidance, minimization, and mitigation measures to reduce project impacts and protect natural resources during and following development. Additionally, this section describes over-arching resource protection goals and, where appropriate, potential mitigation measures to help achieve the goals. Information contained in this section is based on thorough field studies of the planning area conducted through all seasons during 2007 and 2008 by LFR Inc. (now ARCADIS Inc.), as well as prior surveys of specific portions of the Planning Area conducted by LFR in 2003. The EIR analysis also references survey data collected and assessed by others in the planning area including the following: • 2008 Draft Pismo Creek / Edna Area Watershed Management Plan. Central Coast Salmon Enhancement. • Natural environment study for the Price Canyon Road Widening Project, San Luis Obispo County, California. Prepared for County of San Luis Obispo Public Works Department. Garcia and Associates. 2003. • Final Environmental Impact Report for the Los Robles del Mar Specific Plan. 289 pp. plus appendices. Interface Planning and Counseling Corporation (Interface). 1996. • Biological Resources Assessment for the Price Canyon Investment Property. Olberding Environmental. 2008. • Jurisdictional Determination for the Price Canyon Investment Property. Olberding Environmental. 2008. • Special Status Plant Survey for the Price Canyon Investment Property. August 5, 2008 Olberding Environmental. 2008. • Final Plains Exploration and Production Phase IV Development Plan. Environmental Impact Report. 283 pp. plus appendices. Padre and Associates. 2004. • Final Plains Exploration and Production Phase IV Development Plan. Environmental Impact Report. Padre and Associates, 2008. PXP Produced Water Treatment Facility Prior to performing the fieldwork, ARCADIS staff reviewed existing documents concerning the Planning Area and the surrounding areas, including a search of the California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB; California Department of Fish and Game [CDFG], 2008) for the U.S.G.S. 7.5 minute series Pismo Beach, Arroyo Grande NE, Lopez Mountain, Port San Luis, and San Luis Obispo topographic quadrangles. The California Native Plant Society’s (CNPS) Electronic Price Canyon General Plan Update, SOI Change, Annexation and Specific Plan Program EIR IV-C Biological Resources. Page IV-C1 Inventory of Rare and Endangered Vascular (CNPS, 2008) was also queried for appropriate habitat within the Pismo Quadrangle and adjacent quadrangles. NOP RESPONSES The City received comment letters on the Notice of Preparation from the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Central Coast Salmon Enhancement that related to biological resources. The comments were related to the need to adequately study the aquatic habitat of Pismo Creek especially as it relates to the threatened steelhead. Key issues are stream flow modifications related to groundwater extraction, water quality and control of potentially polluted runoff into the creek. regulationsBeachregion.SpeciesXX.Other resourcesthe Aand full larger andHabitat list policies, ofutilizedPrice assessmentreferences Canyon/Arroyo reviewfor this utilized preparedof assessmentrecent forGrande by ecologicalthe LFR biologicalArea,included an ARCADIS reportsand assessment numerousARCADIS’ completedCompany local, directin (ARCADIS) inthe andstate, experienceoriginal around and in SensitiveAppendix federalPismoin the 2. Environmental & Regulatory Setting GENERAL ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING AND PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION The approximately 1,771-acre (717-hectare) Planning Area straddles Price Canyon Road approximately two miles north of the City of Pismo Beach, in San Luis Obispo County, California. The Planning Area is characterized by moderate to steep terrain interspersed with occasional expanses of open, flat fields and valleys. The Santa Lucia Range, which extends north to Monterey Bay, reaches its southern terminus to the northeast of the Planning Area. Both the east and west forks of Corral de Piedra Creek drain the southern slopes of the Santa Lucia Mountains and merge just north of the Planning Area in Edna Valley to form Pismo Creek. Pismo Creek meanders in a southerly direction through the center of the Planning Area before reaching the Pacific Ocean at Pismo Beach. Two tributaries drain into Pismo Creek from the east, Canada Verde and Tiber Canyon. At the mouth of Pismo Creek, a large lake and marsh system (later called Pismo Lake) originally covered over 30 acres (12 hectares) at the confluence of Pismo Creek, Arroyo Grande Creek, and other drainages (Hunt, 1993). Vegetation in the Planning Area is strongly influenced by water availability and soil and rock formations. Rocks and soils derived from the Pismo Formation predominate throughout the Planning Area. The Pismo Formation is a thick series of marine sediments formed during the Miocene Epoch. Quartz- and feldspar-rich sandstones form the predominant rock type in the Planning Area and are represented by the Edna member of the Pismo Formation. In the oil field area north of the Planning Area, the sandstone contains bitumen and crude oil; the oil did not originate in the Edna member, but likely came from plankton-rich subsurface formations, including the older Monterey formation (Chipping, 1987). Outcrops of Monterey shales can be observed both south and north of the Planning Area (Dibblee, 2006). Soils derived from the Pismo Formation include loamy sands of the Arnold, Briones, Gaviota, and Pismo group. The ridgetops and slopes of some mountains and foothills in the Planning Area tend to be covered with gray Briones loamy sands, which are about 26 inches (66 centimeters) deep, slightly acidic, and underlain by sandstone. In a few places, clay lenses and layers form under or over the Briones soils. Gaviota sandy loams occur primarily on ridgetops on both sides of Price Canyon Road and are comprised of residual material weathered from Price Canyon General Plan Update, SOI Change, Annexation and Specific Plan Program EIR IV-C Biological Resources. Page IV-C2 sandstone. Soil layers are 13 inches (33 centimeters) or less, slightly acid to neutral and underlain by hard sandstone. Maritime chaparral and oak woodland are the most common vegetation types in areas with Briones and Gaviota soils, except for drainages that support wetland vegetation. Pismo loamy sands occur in valleys and on slopes bordering portions of Pismo Creek and its tributaries, including the south side of Tiber Canyon and over large areas of south-facing slopes that extend towards the ocean. Pismo soils are rapidly draining loamy sands that are light brownish-gray, medium acidic, and about 19 inches (48 centimeters) thick. Vegetation types on Pismo sands include grasslands and woodlands. The Briones-Pismo complex occurs in the lowlands near Pismo Creek on the west side of Price Canyon Road as well as on ocean- facing slopes and is covered with grassland and some oak woodland vegetation. This complex consists of about 40% Briones loamy sand and 30% Pismo loamy sand. The Pismo-Tierra complex occurs in a horseshoe-shaped band surrounding a large portion of the knoll west of Price Canyon Road (North Ranch) and in limited amounts east of Price Canyon Road (South Ranch and southern parcels). Vegetation on the Pismo-Tierra complex consists primarily of oak woodland, with some grassland vegetation as well. This complex consists of about 40% Pismo soils and 30 % Tierra soils; Tierra soils have clay subsoil and tend to be very deep. Arnold loamy sands consist of weathered material from soft sandstones, are light brownish gray, and may reach 33 to 59 inches (84 to 150 centimeters) in depth; these soils are slightly to strongly acidic. Arnold soils support much of the grassland vegetation on the northwest portion of the Planning Area. Elder sandy loams occur in places on both sides of Pismo Creek as well as in the long grassy valley along the southwestern border of the Planning Area. Elder loams are characterized by dark gray to grayish brown sandy loams about 37 to 60 inches (94 to 152 centimeters) deep or more; they are slightly acidic and are derived from alluvium that has weathered from sedimentary rocks. Lopez very shaly clay loam covers the steep west-facing slopes immediately east of Pismo Creek as well as the top of the knolls on the west side of Pismo Creek; there is also an expanse of Lopez shaly clay loam on the east- and south-facing foothills of this knoll. Lopez shaly clay loams are gray and about 18 inches (46 centimeters) thick, underlain by hard shale. Oak woodland and maritime chaparral predominate in these shale soils, along