PILARCITOS QUARRY EXPANSION Final Environmental Impact Report
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PILARCITOS QUARRY EXPANSION Final Environmental Impact Report Prepared for December 2011 County of San Mateo PILARCITOS QUARRY EXPANSION Final Environmental Impact Report Prepared for December 2011 County of San Mateo 225 Bush Street Suite 1700 San Francisco, CA 94104 415.896.5900 www.esassoc.com Los Angeles Oakland Petaluma Portland Sacramento San Diego Seattle Tampa Woodland Hills 205280 TABLE OF CONTENTS Pilarcitos Quarry Expansion Final Environmental Impact Report Page I. Introduction I-1 A. CEQA Process I-1 B. Method of Organization I-2 II. New Information II-1 A. Appendix H Expansion II-1 B. Updated Information on Quarry Operations II-5 C. Recirculation Not Required II-6 III. Agencies and Persons Commenting on the Draft EIR III-1 A. Agencies and Persons Commenting in Writing III-1 B. Persons Commenting at the Public Hearing III-1 IV. Comments on the Draft EIR and Responses to Comments IV-1 Letter A. State of California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research, State Clearinghouse and Planning Unit (Scott Morgan, Director) IV-2 Letter B. California Department of Transportation (Gary Arnold, District Branch Chief, Local Development – Intergovernmental Review) IV-6 Letter C. State of California Department of Fish and Game, Bay Delta Region (Carl Wilcox, Regional Manager) IV-11 Letter D. Midcoast Community Council (Len Erickson, Chair) IV-17 Letter E. LSA Associates (Kevin Torell, AICP, Senior Planner) IV-21 Summary of Planning Commission Public Hearing Comments on the Draft EIR IV-57 Responses to Planning Commission Public Hearing Comments IV-58 V. Revisions to the Draft EIR V-1 A. Revisions to Chapter III, Project Description V-1 B. Revisions to Chapter IV, Environmental Setting, Impacts and Mitigation Measures V-8 C. Revisions to Chapter VI, Alternatives to the Project V-16 VI. Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Plan VI-1 A. Monitoring Purpose and Authority VI-1 B. Mitigation Compliance Responsibility VI-1 C. Public Access to Records VI-1 D. Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Table VI-2 Pilarcitos Quarry Expansion i ESA / 205280 Final Environmental Impact Report December 2011 Table of Contents Page Appendices A. Revised Letter of Decision, including Conditions of Approval for Area H Expansion A-1 B. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biological Opinion B-1 C. Mining and Reclamation Plan for Area H C-1 D. Attachments to Comment Letter E D-1 E. Revised Air Quality Calculations E-1 List of Figures IV-1 Nuff Creek Canyon, 1956 IV-60 III-2a Parcel Map of the Project Site V-2 III-2b Parcel Map of Surrounding Properties V-3 III-19 Conservation Easement Boundary V-7 IV.E-1 Project Location and Roadway Network V-17 IV.E-3 Existing Turning Movement Volumes (2007) V-18 IV.E-4 Project Trip Distribution V-19 IV.E-5 2010 Plus Project Turning Movement Volumes V-20 IV.E-6 2013 Plus Project Turning Movement Volumes V-21 IV.E-7 2018 Plus Project Turning Movement Volumes V-22 IV.E-8 2023 Plus Project Turning Movement Volumes V-23 IV.E-9 2028 Plus Project Turning Movement Volumes V-24 List of Tables III-1 Summary of Proposed Uses within Project Site V-5 III-2 Anticipated Quantities of Materials V-5 IV.F-6 Estimated Project Maximum Annual Net Increase in Annual Air Emissions (2011) V-12 IV.F-7 Estimated Project Maximum Net Increase in Daily Air Emissions (2011) V-13 IV.F-15 Annual Increase in Greenhouse Gas Emissions V-15 VI-1 Pilarcitos Quarry Expansion Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program VI-3 VI-2 Mitigation Reporting Schedule VI-50 Pilarcitos Quarry Expansion ii ESA / 205280 Final Environmental Impact Report December 2011 CHAPTER I Introduction A. CEQA Process On May 11, 2011, the County of San Mateo (the Lead Agency) released for public review a Draft Environmental Impact Report (Draft EIR or DEIR) on the proposed Pilarcitos Quarry Expansion Project (Project). A 45-day public review and comment period on the Draft EIR began on May 11, 2011, and closed on June 24, 2011. The County also held a public hearing to receive oral public comment on the Draft EIR at the San Mateo County Planning Commission meeting on June 8, 2011, at the Board of Supervisors Chambers in Redwood City. The Draft EIR for the proposed Pilarcitos Quarry Expansion Project, together with this Document, constitute the Final EIR for the proposed Project. The Final EIR is an informational document prepared by the Lead Agency that must be considered by decision-makers before approving the proposed Project (CEQA Guidelines, Section 15090). California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines (Section 15132) specify the following: “The Final EIR shall consist of: (a) The Draft EIR or a revision of that draft. (b) Comments and recommendations received on the Draft EIR either verbatim or in a summary. (c) A list of persons, organizations, and public agencies commenting on the Draft EIR. (d) The responses of the Lead Agency to significant environmental points raised in review and consultation process. (e) Any other information added by the Lead Agency.” This document has been prepared pursuant to CEQA and in conformance with the CEQA Guidelines. This document incorporates comments from public agencies and the general public, and contains appropriate responses by the Lead Agency to those comments. It also provides relevant new information that has come to light since publication of the Draft EIR, and revisions to the Draft EIR prompted by comments and by new information. Pilarcitos Quarry Expansion I-1 ESA / 205280 Final Environmental Impact Report December 2011 I. Introduction B. Method of Organization This Final EIR for the proposed Pilarcitos Quarry Expansion Project contains revisions to and completes the Draft EIR published in May, 2011. The document is organized as follows: Chapter I describes the CEQA process and the organization of this Final EIR. Chapter II contains new information that has come to light since publication of the Draft EIR. Chapter III contains a list of all persons and organizations that submitted written comments and those who provided oral comments at the Planning Commission Public Hearing on the Draft EIR during the public review period. Chapter IV contains copies of the comment letters and public hearing minutes, and the responses to those comments. Within each letter and public hearing minutes, individual comments are labeled with a number in the margin. Immediately following the comment letter are responses to each of the numbered comments. Chapter V contains revisions to the text of the Draft EIR. Some changes were made by the County; others were made in response to comments received on the Draft EIR. Chapter VI contains the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program, which identifies the responsible parties and lays out the timeline for implementation, monitoring, and reporting of the mitigation measures specified in the EIR. Pilarcitos Quarry Expansion I-2 ESA / 205280 Final Environmental Impact Report December 2011 CHAPTER II New Information This Chapter provides new information regarding the Pilarcitos Quarry that has come to light since publication of the Draft EIR. A. Area H Expansion The environmental review of a previous version of the Pilarcitos Quarry Expansion Project commenced in 2005. At that time, West Coast Aggregates (the applicant) was seeking approval of a long-term master plan for future mining and reclamation of the Pilarcitos Quarry, under which approximately 256 acres of the 593-acre property (consisting of Expansion Areas A through J) would be disturbed. Since the quarry was reaching the limits of the area that could be mined under its then-current Mining and Reclamation Plan, however, the applicant simultaneously sought approval of the initial expansion area (Area H) encompassing 7.36 acres (see Figure III-5 in Chapter III, Project Description, in the Draft EIR), to enable the quarry to continue mining pending completion of the environmental review and consideration of approval of the larger Project. Environmental effects of the Area H expansion were analyzed in an Initial Study, prepared by County staff pursuant to CEQA Guidelines §15063, and completed in 2006. As the Initial Study identified no significant adverse environmental impacts for the Area H expansion project that could not be mitigated, and the applicant agreed to all identified mitigation measures, County staff recommended adoption of a Mitigated Negative Declaration, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines §15070. This recommendation was considered by the San Mateo County Planning Commission on May 10, 2006, but continued. In July, 2007, the County circulated a revised Initial Study and Draft Mitigated Negative Declaration that addressed issues raised in consultation and correspondence with the State Office of Mine Reclamation, the California Coastal Commission, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the California Department of Fish and Game. The Mitigated Negative Declaration was adopted and the Area H expansion was approved by the Planning Commission following a public hearing at their September 26, 2007 meeting. A private party then appealed the approval to the Board of Supervisors, who, at their December 18, 2007 meeting, denied the appeal and upheld the Planning Commission approval. Following the denial, the approval of the Area H expansion was appealed to the California Coastal Commission. In August, 2009, while the appeal of the Area H expansion was pending before the Coastal Commission, the applicant submitted a revised Mining and Reclamation Plan (“Pilarcitos Quarry Pilarcitos Quarry Expansion II-1 ESA / 205280 Final Environmental Impact Report December 2011 II. New Information Master Expansion and Water Resource Project Mining and Reclamation Plan”), which covered mining on approximately 117 acres within the quarry property, including Expansion Areas H and J, a combined A+B area, associated reclamation, development of a large water storage feature within Areas A+B, and placement of a conservation easement over an additional 210 acres within the property.