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TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................1-1 1.1 Purpose of the Final Environmental Impact Report .......................................................1-1 1.2 Environmental Review Process ......................................................................................1-1 1.3 Report Organization........................................................................................................1-2 CHAPTER 2. COMMENTS AND RESPONSES ..........................................................................2-1 2.1 Master Responses ...........................................................................................................2-1 2.2 Individual Comments and Responses...........................................................................2-15 2.2.1 Solar Utilities Company...................................................................................2-16 2.2.2 Santa Cruz County ...........................................................................................2-22 2.2.3 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service ..............................................................................................2-25 2.2.4 Soquel Creek Water District ............................................................................2-29 2.2.5 Sierra Club .......................................................................................................2-41 2.2.6 Department of Health Services ........................................................................2-51 2.2.7 Department of Fish and Game .........................................................................2-68 2.2.8 University of California, Santa Cruz................................................................2-74 2.2.9 Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District .....................................2-78 2.2.10 Joshua P. Assink...............................................................................................2-81 2.2.11 Andrew Schiffrin..............................................................................................2-84 2.2.12 Andrew Schiffrin............................................................................................2-100 2.2.13 Kristi Bittner...................................................................................................2-103 2.2.14 Coalition on Responsible Desalination ..........................................................2-106 2.2.15 Andrew Schiffrin............................................................................................2-137 2.2.16 Jim Warner .....................................................................................................2-139 2.3 Comments from Meetings and Responses..................................................................2-141 2.3.1 SCWD IWP DEIR Public Meeting (June 30, 2005) ......................................2-142 2.3.2 Water Commission Meeting (July 11, 2005) .................................................2-152 2.3.3 Integrated Water Plan PEIR Advisory Committee Meeting (July 21, 2005).2-156 2.3.4 Integrated Water Plan Draft PEIR Public Hearing (July 26, 2005) ...............2-161 2.4 Comments Received After the End of the Comment Period and Responses .............2-163 2.4.1 California Coastal Commission .....................................................................2-164 2.4.2 Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.....................................................2-177 CHAPTER 3. TEXT REVISIONS ..................................................................................................3-1 3.1 Introduction.....................................................................................................................3-1 3.2 Text Revisions................................................................................................................3-1 Chapter 1. Summary ......................................................................................................3-1 Chapter 4. Program Description ....................................................................................3-4 Chapter 5. Environmental Evaluation............................................................................3-6 Chapter 6. Growth Inducement and Secondary Effects of Growth .............................3-10 Chapter 7. Cumulative Impacts ...................................................................................3-11 Chapter 8. Alternatives ................................................................................................3-17 Santa Cruz Water Department Integrated Water Plan Final EIR i EDAW, Inc. Chapter 1. Introduction 1.1 PURPOSE OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT This report has been prepared to accompany the Draft Program EIR for the Santa Cruz Water Department Integrated Water Plan. The Draft Program EIR identified the environmental consequences associated with construction and operation of the potential Program, and recommended mitigation measures to reduce significant and potentially significant impacts. This document responds to the comments on the Draft Program EIR and makes revisions to the Draft Program EIR, as necessary, in response to these comments. Together with the Draft Program EIR, this document constitutes the Final EIR for the proposed Program. The Final EIR is an informational document prepared by the lead agency that must be considered by decision-makers before approving or denying a proposed program. California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines (Section 15132) specify the following: The Final EIR shall consist of: (a) The Draft Program EIR or a revision of the draft. (b) Comments and recommendation received on the Draft Program EIR, either verbatim or in summary. (c) A list of persons, organizations, and public agencies commenting on the Draft Program EIR. (d) The response of the lead agency to significant environmental points raised in the review and consultation process. (e) Any other information added by the lead agency. 1.2 ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW PROCESS On June 10, 2005, the City of Santa Cruz (lead agency) released the Integrated Water Plan Draft Program EIR for public review (State Clearinghouse No. 2003102140). The public review and comment period on the Draft Program EIR began on June 10, 2005 and closed on July 29, 2005. The City of Santa Cruz City Council is scheduled to consider certifying the Final EIR (a finding that the EIR complies with the requirements of CEQA) at a regularly scheduled Council meeting on November 8, 2005. Following EIR certification, the City Council may proceed with consideration of Program approval actions. In accordance with CEQA Guidelines Section 15087, the City provided a Notice of Availability notifying the public of the publication of the Draft EIR. This notice was mailed to the individuals and organizations who previously requested such notice in writing. Additional notification was provided through the publication of a notice in the Santa Cruz Sentinel on June, 10, 2005. Santa Cruz Water Department Integrated Water Plan Final EIR 1-1 EDAW, Inc. 1. INTRODUCTION During the 45-day public comment period, four meetings were held to discuss the proposed Program and receive comments on the Draft Program EIR. The dates, time, and place of these meetings were initially identified in the publicly-circulated Notice of Availability of the Program EIR, and subsequently identified at the beginning of each meeting. The meetings were as follows: Integrated Water Plan (IWP) Public Meeting – June 30, 2005 IWP Water Commission Meeting – July 11, 2005 IWP pEIR Advisory Committee Meeting – July 21, 2005 IWP Public Hearing – July 26, 2005 1.3 REPORT ORGANIZATION Chapter 2 of this Response to Comments on the Draft Program EIR document contains copies of comments (letters and meeting notes) received during the comment period followed by the City’s responses to those comments. Each comment is alphanumerically coded in the margin of the comment letter, based on the initials assigned for each letter (see Table 1-2 below) and the order of the comments. For example, the first comment in the letter from the California Coastal Commission is CCC-1. Where a response includes a change to the text of the Draft Program EIR, a reference is made to Chapter 3, which contains corrections and clarifications made to the Draft Program EIR text. A number of comments were received on issues ranging from relationship of the proposed Program to the City’s existing water supplies to alternatives evaluation. Four master responses have been prepared in response to issues that elicited numerous comments. These master responses are shown in Table 1-1, below, and presented in Section 2.1. Table 1-1 Master Responses Included In This EIR Master Comments # Issue 1 Existing Water Supply Conditions and Other Ongoing Water Supply Planning Issues 2 Growth 3 Alternatives 4 Cost Table 1-2 is a list of all persons and organizations that submitted comments on the Draft Program EIR during the comment period, the date of the letters, and the initials used to identify each letter. It should be noted that two agency letters (California Coastal Commission and MBNMS) were received after the close of the comment period; however, as the proposed Program would be within the jurisdictions of these agencies, their comments have been included and responses have been prepared. Santa Cruz Water Department Integrated Water