PG&E L-057A-1 Decommissioning Biological Resources Report
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BIOLOGICAL TECHNICAL REPORT PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC COMPANY LINE 057A-1 MCDONALD ISLAND TO PALM TRACT PIPELINE DECOMMISSIONING PROJECT SAN JOAQUIN AND CONTRA COSTA COUNTIES, CALIFORNIA Project No. 1902-4302 Prepared for: Pacific Gas & Electric Company Gas Transmission, Environmental Management 5555 Florin Perkins Road, Room 128D Sacramento, CA 95826 Prepared by: Padre Associates, Inc. 350 University Avenue, Suite 250 Sacramento, California 95825 DECEMBER 2020 (REVISED MARCH 2021) PG&E Line 057A-1 McDonald Island to Palm Tract Pipeline Decommissioning Project Biological Technical Report Project No. 1902-4302 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 1-1 2.0 BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................. 2-1 2.1 LOCATION .....................................................................................................................2 -1 2.2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ............................................................................................. 2-1 3.0 METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................... 3-1 3.1 LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................................................. 3-1 3.2 FIELD RECONNAISSANCE SURVEY .......................................................................... 3-1 4.0 ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING ............................................................................................ 4-1 4.1 GEOLOGY/GEOMORPHOLOGY .................................................................................. 4-1 4.2 CLIMATE ........................................................................................................................4 -1 4.3 SOILS .............................................................................................................................4 -1 4.4 WATER QUALITY .......................................................................................................... 4-2 4.5 HABITAT DESCRIPTIONS AND VEGETATION ........................................................... 4-4 4.5.1 Non-Native Grasslands ........................................................................................... 4-7 4.5.2 Ruderal ...................................................................................................................4 -7 4.5.3 Great Valley Willow Scrub ...................................................................................... 4-8 4.5.4 Coastal and Valley Freshwater Marsh .................................................................... 4-9 4.5.5 Developed Lands .................................................................................................. 4-10 4.6 WATERS AND WETLANDS ........................................................................................ 4-10 4.6.1 Tidal Waters (Waters of the U.S.) ......................................................................... 4-11 4.6.2 Palustrine Scrub-Shrub Wetland (Wetland) .......................................................... 4-12 4.6.3 Emergent Wetland (Wetland) ................................................................................ 4-12 4.6.4 Aquatic Bed Wetland (Wetland) ............................................................................ 4-13 4.7 WILDLIFE .....................................................................................................................4 -13 4.8 SPECIAL-STATUS SPECIES ...................................................................................... 4-14 4.8.1 Special-Status Plants ............................................................................................ 4-25 4.8.2 Special-Status Wildlife .......................................................................................... 4-28 4.9 WILDLIFE CORRIDORS .............................................................................................. 4-42 5.0 REGULATORY SETTING .................................................................................................. 5-1 5.1 FEDERAL .......................................................................................................................5 -1 5.1.1 Special-Status Species ........................................................................................... 5-1 5.1.2 Waters and Wetlands .............................................................................................. 5-2 5.1.3 Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (33USC 403) ............................ 5-3 5.1.4 Section 14 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (33USC 408) ............................ 5-4 5.2 STATE ............................................................................................................................5 -4 5.2.1 Special-Status Species ........................................................................................... 5-4 5.2.2 Waters and Wetlands .............................................................................................. 5-5 5.3 LOCAL AND REGIONAL PLANS .................................................................................. 5-6 5.3.1 San Joaquin County General Plan .......................................................................... 5-6 - i - PG&E Line 057A-1 McDonald Island to Palm Tract Pipeline Decommissioning Project Biological Technical Report Project No. 1902-4302 5.3.2 Contra Costa County General Plan ........................................................................ 5-7 6.0 SIGNIFICANCE CRITERIA ................................................................................................ 6-1 7.0 PROJECT IMPACT ANALYSIS ......................................................................................... 7-1 7.1 IMPACT CATEGORIES ................................................................................................. 7-1 7.2 IMPACTS TO BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES ................................................................... 7-1 8.0 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................... 8-1 8.1 LITERATURE .................................................................................................................8 -1 LIST OF TABLES Table 2-1. L-057A-1 Pipeline Decommissioning Project - Excavation Footprints ..................... 2-3 Table 4-1. Soil Mapping Units and Characteristics at the PG&E L-057A-1 Decommissioning Project Study Area .....................................................................................................................4 -3 Table 4-2. Comparison of the Vegetation Community Classification Systems ......................... 4-6 Table 4-3. Special-Status Species Occurring Within Five Miles of the Site and Considered for Potential Occurrence in the Vicinity of the PG&E L-057A-1 Decommissioning Project ........... 4-16 Table 4-4. Blooming Period for Special-Status Plant Species - PG&E L-057A-1 Decommissioning Project ........................................................................................................ 4-26 Table 4-5. Migration and Spawning Periods of Special-Status Fish Species within the Project Area .........................................................................................................................................4 -30 Table 7-1. PG&E SJVHCP Avoidance and Minimization Measures 1 through 11 to be Implemented as Part of the Project ............................................................................................ 7-2 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Project Location Figure 2. Project Overview Figure 3. Vegetation Communities Figure 4. Preliminary Aquatic Resource Impacts Figure 5. Special-Status Species Occurrences Figure 6. Site Photos APPENDICES Appendix A. USFWS and NMFS Species Lists Appendix B. CNDDB Query Results Appendix C. Plant Species Observed at the PG&E L-057A-1 Project Site Appendix D. Wildlife Species Observed at the PG&E L-057A-1 Project Site - ii - PG&E Line 057A-1 McDonald Island to Palm Tract Pipeline Decommissioning Project Biological Technical Report Project No. 1902-4302 1.0 INTRODUCTION Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is planning the decommissioning of four segments of the previously retired L-057A-1 natural gas pipeline crossings through Latham Slough, Mildred Island, Middle River, and Old River in San Joaquin and Contra Costa Counties, California. A portion of the L-057A-1 alignment was the subject of an emergency effort conducted in December 2019 to re-sink an approximately 900 linear foot segment of the pipeline that had floated to the surface across the breached entrance to Mildred Island. The currently proposed Line 057A-1 McDonald Island to Palm Tract Pipeline Decommissioning Project would formally decommission and remove that section of pipeline, as well as the remaining waterway crossings and levee landing segments of the L-057A-1 pipeline that were retired in place in 1993. L-057A- 1 was constructed by Standard Oil of California in 1949, purchased by PG&E in 1959, replaced by PG&E in 1993 and the original pipeline (L-057A-1) was retired in place at that time. The purpose of this Biological Technical Report is to detail the findings of the biological reconnaissance surveys conducted for the proposed Project in San Joaquin and Contra Costa Counties, California. Following this introduction, there is a description