Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Grand Island Levee Seepage Cutoff Wall Project State Clearinghouse No
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PUBLIC DRAFT ◦ JULY 2019 Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Grand Island Levee Seepage Cutoff Wall Project State Clearinghouse No. 2019XXXXXX PREPARED FOR PREPARED BY Reclamation District No. 3 Stillwater Sciences P.O. BOX 1011 2855 Telegraph Avenue, Suite 400 Walnut Grove, CA 95690 Berkeley, CA 94705 and MBK Engineers 455 University Avenue, Suite 100 Sacramento, CA 95825 Stillwater Sciences PUBLIC DRAFT Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration Grand Island Levee Seepage Cutoff Wall Project Suggested citation: Stillwater Sciences and MBK Engineers. 2019. Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Grand Island Levee Seepage Cutoff Wall Project, Sacramento County, California. Public Draft. Prepared by Stillwater Sciences, Berkeley, California and MBK Engineers, Sacramento, California for Reclamation District No. 3, Walnut Grove, California. Cover photo: Grand Island’s Project levee. July 2019 Stillwater Sciences i PUBLIC DRAFT Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration Grand Island Levee Seepage Cutoff Wall Project PROJECT SUMMARY Grand Island Levee Seepage Cutoff Wall Project Reclamation District No. 3 CEQA lead agency name and P.O. BOX 1011 address Walnut Grove, CA 95690 • California Department of Water Resources CEQA responsible agencies • California Department of Fish and Wildlife Mike Kynett Project Engineer, or Tina Anderson Project Manager Contact person and phone MBK Engineers number 455 University Avenue, Suite 100 Sacramento, CA 95825 Office: (916) 456-4400 Fax: (916) 456-0253 Project location Grand Island, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, Sacramento County Reclamation District No. 3 Project sponsor’s name and P.O. BOX 1011 address Walnut Grove, CA 95690 (916) 776-1945 Zoning Agriculture Repair approximately 1,250 feet of Grand Island’s levee system by Description of Project constructing a seepage cutoff wall. Surrounding land uses and The Project is on land zoned for agriculture and is adjacent to Steamboat setting Slough to the west. • California Department of Water Resources, funded under the Flood System Other public agencies whose Repair Project approval may be required (e.g., • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Section 408 Permit) permits, financing approval, or • participation agreement) California Department of Fish and Wildlife (Lake and Streambed Alteration Agreement) July 2019 Stillwater Sciences ii PUBLIC DRAFT Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration Grand Island Levee Seepage Cutoff Wall Project PROPOSED MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION Project: Grand Island Levee Seepage Cutoff Wall Project Lead Agency: Reclamation District No. 3 Project Location: Grand Island is located in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, between the cities of Walnut Grove, Rio Vista, and Courtland in Sacramento County, California. The Project is located on the western border of Grand Island along the left bank of Steamboat Slough between stations 245+00 and 265+00. Project Description: Reclamation District No. 3 plans to repair approximately 1,250 linear feet of levee on the west side of Grand Island, along the left river bank of Steamboat Slough, to address critical seepage problems by constructing a cutoff wall. Findings: An Initial Study has been prepared to assess the Project’s potential effects on the environment and the significance of those effects. Based on the Initial Study, Reclamation District No. 3 has determined that the Project, including mitigation measures included in the Project design, will not have significant effects on the environment. This conclusion is supported by the following findings: • The Project will have no impacts on the following: agricultural resources, cultural resources, land use and planning, mineral resources, population and housing, public services, recreation, and utilities/service systems. • The Project will result in less than significant impacts on the following: aesthetics, air quality, energy, geology and soils, greenhouse gas emissions, noise, and transportation. • Mitigation is included in the Project design to reduce potentially significant impacts to less than significant levels for: biological resources, hazards/hazardous materials, and hydrology/water quality. Mandatory Findings of Significance: • The Project will not substantially degrade the quality of the environment, substantially reduce the habitat of a fish or wildlife species, cause a fish or wildlife population to drop below self-sustaining levels, threaten to eliminate a plant or animal community, reduce the number or restrict the range of a rare or endangered plant or animal, or eliminate important examples of the major periods of California history or prehistory. • The Project will not have environmental effects that are individually limited, but cumulatively considerable. • The Project will not have environmental effects which would cause substantial adverse effects on human beings, either directly or indirectly. • The Project will not achieve short-term environmental goals to the disadvantage of long- term environmental goals. • No substantial evidence exists that the Project will have a negative or adverse effect on the environment. July 2019 Stillwater Sciences iii PUBLIC DRAFT Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration Grand Island Levee Seepage Cutoff Wall Project TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Project Location ........................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Project Area ................................................................................................................. 1 1.3 Project Purpose and Need ............................................................................................ 3 1.4 Project Description ...................................................................................................... 3 1.4.1 Site preparation and road closure .......................................................................... 6 1.4.2 Cutoff wall construction methods ......................................................................... 6 1.4.3 Imported materials ................................................................................................. 7 1.4.4 Site maintenance, clean-up, and seeding ............................................................... 7 1.4.5 Equipment, personnel, and staging ........................................................................ 7 1.4.6 Construction schedule and timing ......................................................................... 8 1.4.7 Conservation measures .......................................................................................... 8 2 ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING AND IMPACTS ............................................................ 13 2.1 Aesthetics ................................................................................................................... 14 2.1.1 Environmental setting.......................................................................................... 14 2.1.2 Findings ............................................................................................................... 14 2.2 Agricultural Resources .............................................................................................. 16 2.2.1 Environmental setting.......................................................................................... 16 2.2.2 Findings ............................................................................................................... 17 2.3 Air Quality ................................................................................................................. 18 2.3.1 Environmental setting.......................................................................................... 18 2.3.2 Findings ............................................................................................................... 20 2.4 Biological Resources ................................................................................................. 22 2.4.1 Environmental setting.......................................................................................... 23 2.4.2 Findings ............................................................................................................... 29 2.5 Cultural Resources ..................................................................................................... 31 2.5.1 Environmental setting.......................................................................................... 31 2.5.2 Findings ............................................................................................................... 35 2.6 Energy ........................................................................................................................ 36 2.6.1 Environmental setting.......................................................................................... 36 2.6.2 Findings ............................................................................................................... 36 2.7 Geology and Soils ...................................................................................................... 37 2.7.1 Environmental setting.......................................................................................... 38 2.7.2 Findings ............................................................................................................... 39 2.8 Greenhouse Gas Emissions .......................................................................................