5 Street Bridge Replacement Project BA Biological Assessment for Valley Elderberry Longhorn Beetle (Desmocerus Californicus Dimo
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5th Street Bridge Replacement Project BA Biological Assessment for Valley Elderberry Longhorn Beetle (Desmocerus californicus dimorphus) 5th Street Bridge Replacement Project City of Yuba City Sutter and Yuba County, California 03–SUT/YUB–Yuba City BHLS-5163(025) September 2011 For individuals with sensory disabilities, this document is available in Braille, large print, on audiocassette, or computer disk. To obtain a copy in one of these alternate formats, please call or write to Caltrans, Attn: Cara Lambirth, District 3, 703 "B" Street, Marysville, CA 95901; (530) 741-4109, or use the Caltrans District 3 Office of Equal Opportunity TTY number, 530-741-4509. Biological Assessment for Valley Elderberry Longhorn Beetle (Desmocerus californicus dimorphus) 5th Street Bridge Replacement Project City of Yuba City Sutter and Yuba County, California 03–SUT/YUB–Yuba City BHLS-5163(025) September 2011 STATE OF CALIFORNIA Department of Transportation City of Yuba City Prepared By: ___________________________________ Date: ____________ Sarah Jenkins, Biologist (916) 858-0642 Dokken Engineering Reviewed By: ___________________________________ Date: ____________ Maureen Doyle, Associate Biologist (530) 741-4470 Biological Studies and Permits Caltrans, District 3 Approved By: ___________________________________ Date: ____________ Susan D Bauer, Environmental Branch Chief (530) 741-7113 Environmental Planning Caltrans, District 3 Summary of Findings, Conclusions and Determinations Summary of Findings, Conclusions and Determinations This Biological Assessment (BA) is a review and evaluation of the potential effects to the federally listed species valley elderberry longhorn beetle (VELB) (Desmocerus californicus dimorphus) as a result of the proposed 5th Street Bridge Replacement Project. The City of Yuba City, in cooperation with the City of Marysville and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), proposes replace the structurally deficient and seismically inadequate 5th Street Bridge. The existing bridge facility is at risk should a seismic event occur, and it does not meet Caltrans structural design standards. Due to the seismic risk, the 5th Street Bridge has been included in the State Mandatory Retrofit Program. A combination of local and Federal funds have been approved for the 5th Street Bridge Replacement Project. In August 2011, a Draft Natural Environment Study (NES) was prepared for the proposed 5th Street Bridge Replacement Project, located at the boundary between the City of Marysville, Yuba County and the City of Yuba City, Sutter County. A small population of elderberry shrubs (Sambucus mexicana), which provide potential habitat for the federally- listed VELB, were identified within the Biological Study Area (BSA). The August 2011 Draft NES also addressed several other federal species, but these are under the jurisdiction of the National Marine Fisheries Service and are not addressed here. Various avoidance and minimization measures were developed to ensure that potential project impacts to VELB would be minimized to the greatest extent practicable. Due to the location of the bridge structure, some elderberry shrubs must be removed to accommodate project construction. However, no critical habitat would be affected, and with proposed mitigation there would be no cumulative effects on VELB from the proposed project. Therefore, the project may affect, but is not likely to adversely affect VELB and this document has been prepared to initiate Section 7 Consultation with USFWS. During construction, the Project would implement avoidance and protective measures as described in “Conservation Guidelines for the Valley Elderberry Longhorn Beetle” (USFWS 1999). The Project would mitigate for removal of 12 elderberry shrubs by purchasing 9 credits from River Ranch Conservation Bank, a USFWS-approved VELB mitigation bank. Final impacts and mitigation requirements will be determined through Section 7 consultation with the USFWS. 5th Street Bridge Replacement Project BA BHLS-5163(025) 2011 i Table of Contents Table of Contents Chapter 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 1 1.1. Project Description ................................................................................................................. 1 1.1.1. Purpose and Need ........................................................................................................... 1 1.1.2. Build Alternatives ........................................................................................................... 2 1.2. Summary of Consultation to Date .......................................................................................... 8 1.3. Document Preparation History ............................................................................................... 8 Chapter 2. Study Methods ............................................................................................................ 9 2.1. Listed and Proposed Species Potentially in the Biological Study Area ................................. 9 2.1. Studies Required ................................................................................................................... 10 2.2. Personnel and Survey Dates ................................................................................................. 13 2.3. Agency Coordination and Professional Contacts ................................................................. 13 2.4. Limitations That May Influence Results .............................................................................. 13 Chapter 3. Results: Environmental Setting ................................................................................ 14 3.1. Description of Existing Biological and Physical Conditions ............................................... 14 Chapter 4. Results: Biological Resources, Discussion of Impacts and Mitigation .................... 15 4.1. Federally-Listed or Proposed Animal Species Occurrences ................................................ 15 4.1.1. Discussion of Animal Species ...................................................................................... 15 4.1.1.1. Survey Results ...................................................................................................... 16 4.1.1.2. Critical Habitat ..................................................................................................... 17 4.1.1.3. Project Effects ...................................................................................................... 18 4.1.1.4. Avoidance and Minimization Efforts ................................................................... 20 4.1.1.5. Modifications to the Project to Mitigate Effects ................................................... 21 4.1.1.6. Cumulative Effects ............................................................................................... 22 Chapter 5. Conclusions and Determination ................................................................................ 24 5.1. Conclusions .......................................................................................................................... 24 5.2. Determination ....................................................................................................................... 24 Chapter 6. References ................................................................................................................ 25 Appendix A Representative Elderberry Photographs Appendix B USFWS Species List Appendix C VELB Federal Register 5th Street Bridge Replacement Project BA BHLS-5163(025) 2011 ii List of Figures List of Figures Figure 1. Project Vicinity ...................................................................................................................... 3 Figure 2. Project Location ...................................................................................................................... 4 Figure 3. Project Features ...................................................................................................................... 6 Figure 4. BSA ...................................................................................................................................... 12 Figure 5. Elderberry Locations Within BSA ........................................................................................ 19 5th Street Bridge Replacement Project BA BHLS-5163(025) 2011 iii List of Tables List of Tables Table 1: Listed Species Potentially Occurring in the Project Area. ....................................................... 9 Table 2: Elderberry shrub observations ................................................................................................ 16 Table 3: Impacted Elderberry Shrubs ................................................................................................... 20 Table 4: USFWS Elderberry Mitigation Ratios ................................................................................... 21 Table 5: Elderberry Project Mitigation ................................................................................................. 22 5th Street Bridge Replacement Project BA BHLS-5163(025) 2011 iv List of Abbreviated Terms List of Abbreviated Terms BA Biological Assessment BSA Biological Study Area Caltrans California Department of Transportation ESA Environmentally Sensitive Area FHWA Federal Highway Administration NES Natural Environment Study USFWS U.S. Fish and