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Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station Ammunition Pier and Turning Basin

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Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station Ammunition Pier and Turning Basin Endangered Species Act (ESA) Section 7(a)(2) Biological Opinion and Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Essential Fish Habitat Response and [Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act Recommendations] Ammunition Pier and Turning Basin Construction Project at Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach NMFS Consultation Number: WCRO-2018-00044 DOI: https://doi.org/10.25923/21am-pm70 Action Agency: U.S. Department of the Navy Affected Species and NMFS’ Determinations: ESA-Listed Status Is Action Is Action Is Action Is Action Species Likely to Likely To Likely to Likely To Adversely Jeopardize Adversely Destroy or Affect the Species? Affect Adversely Species? Critical Modify Critical 1 Habitat? Habitat? Green sea turtle; Threatened Yes No N.A. N.A. East Pacific Distinct Population Segment (DPS) (Chelonia mydas) 1 Critical habitat has not been designated for these species in the action area. Fishery Management Plan Does Action Have an Adverse Are EFH Conservation That Identifies EFH in the Effect on EFH? Recommendations Provided? Project Area Pacific Coast Groundfish Yes Yes Coastal Pelagic Species Yes Yes Consultation Conducted By: National Marine Fisheries Service, West Coast Region Issued By: Barry A. Thom Regional Administrator Date: April 29, 2019 1 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE West Coast Region 501 West Ocean Boulevard, Suite 4200 Long Beach, California 90802-4213 April 30, 2019 Refer to NMFS No: WCR-2018-00044 N. J. Dahlke Captain U. S. Navy Commanding Officer Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach 800 Seal Beach Boulevard Seal Beach, California 90740-5000 Re: Endangered Species Act Section 7(a)(2) Biological Opinion, Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Essential Fish Habitat Response, and Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act Recommendations, for the Ammunition Pier and Turning Basin Construction Project at Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach Dear Captain Dahlke: Thank you for your letter of November 6, 2018, requesting initiation of consultation with NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) pursuant to section 7 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) for the Ammunition Pier and Turning Basin Construction Project. Thank you, also, for your request for consultation pursuant to the essential fish habitat (EFH) provisions in section 305(b) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA)(16 U.S.C. 1855(b)) for this action. The attached biological opinion analyzes the potential impacts of the Navy’s proposed action to build a new ammunition pier and associated improvement within Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach, including modification of the public navigation channel and sole passageway for water and marine life through Anaheim Bay. We determined that the threatened East Pacific DPS of green sea turtles may be adversely affected as a result of sustained disturbance and disruption of normal foraging and behavior patterns over the course of the entire 5.5 year proposed project. Additionally, we conclude that Coastal Pelagic Species EFH would be adversely affected through a number of project related impacts, including permanent alteration of important shallow water habitats that require mitigation. As a result of these consultations, the Navy is required to comply with the Terms and Conditions of the ESA portion of the biological opinion that include development and submission of monitoring plans for assessing the impacts to green sea turtles and their preferred habitats within the action area during the proposed project, along with periodic reporting on the progress of the monitoring and project overall. The Navy must also review the EFH Conservation Recommendations and provide us a detailed response in writing within 30 days after receiving these Conservation Recommendations. The Conservation Recommendations provided include 2 recommendations relevant to mitigation requirements for and monitoring of the impacts from the proposed action. Please contact Dan Lawson at 206-526-4740 or [email protected], or Bryant Chesney at 562-980-4037 or [email protected] if you have any questions concerning the ESA or EFH consultation, respectively, or if you require additional information. Sincerely, Barry A. Thom Regional Administrator Enclosure cc: 151422WCR2019PR00012 Jessica Bredvik at [email protected] Jeffrey Seminoff at [email protected] TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Acronyms CEMP CALIFORNIA EEL GRASS MITIGATION POLICY DPS DISTINCT POPULATION SEGMENT EFH ESSENTIAL FISH HABITAT ESA ENDANGERD SPECIES ACT FMP FISHERIES MANAGEMENT PLAN HAPC HABITAT AREAS OF PARTICULAR CONCERN ITS INCIDENTAL TAKE STATEMENT MLLW MEAN LOWER LOW WATER MSA MAGNUSON-STEVENS FISHERY CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT ACT NMFS NATINAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE PBF PHYSICAL OR BIOLOGICAL FEATURES PCE PRIMARY CONSTITUENT ELEMENT PMFC PACIFIC MARINE FISHERIES COUNCIL SBNWR SEAL BEACH NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SWFSC SOUTH WEST FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER USCG UNITED STATES COAST GUARD 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 3 1.1. Background ...................................................................................................................3 1.2. Consultation History .....................................................................................................4 1.3. Proposed Federal Action ...............................................................................................5 Figure 1. Summary of proposed actions for the changes to Anaheim Bay .............................6 1.3.2. Demolition ...............................................................................................................9 1.3.3. Dredging ..................................................................................................................9 1.3.4. Sediment Disposal ....................................................................................................9 1.4. Minimization and Avoidance Measures ....................................................................... 10 1.4.1. Construction Best Management Practices................................................................ 10 1.4.2. Pile BMPs .............................................................................................................. 11 1.4.3. Dredging and Fill BMP’s ........................................................................................ 11 1.4.4. Mitigation ............................................................................................................... 12 1.4.5. Monitoring ............................................................................................................. 13 1.4.6. Interrelated and/or Interdependent Actions .............................................................. 13 Figure 2. location and size of proposed mitigation and conservation areas. ......................... 15 2. ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT: BIOLOGICAL OPINION AND INCIDENTAL TAKE STATEMENT .................................................................................................................... 16 2.1. Analytical Approach.................................................................................................... 16 2.2. Rangewide Status of the Species and Critical Habitat .................................................. 17 2.2.1. East Pacific DPS Green Sea Turtle.......................................................................... 18 2.2.2. Status in the Action Area .......................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 2.3. Action Area ................................................................................................................. 20 Figure 3. Action area for the proposed activities. ................................................................ 21 2 2.4. Environmental Baseline............................................................................................... 21 2.5. Effects of the Action.................................................................................................... 24 2.5.1. Exposure and Response .......................................................................................... 25 Figure 4. 2017 vessel traffic density for the surrounding waters ......................................... 29 2.5.2. Risk ........................................................................................................................ 39 2.6. Cumulative Effects ...................................................................................................... 41 2.7. Integration and Synthesis............................................................................................. 41 2.8. Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 43 2.9. Incidental Take Statement ........................................................................................... 43 2.9.1. Amount or Extent of Take ...................................................................................... 43 2.9.2. Effect of the Take ................................................................................................... 44 2.9.3. Reasonable and Prudent Measures .......................................................................... 44 2.9.4. Terms and Conditions ............................................................................................
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