Final Environmental Stewardship Plan for the Primary Fence
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COVER SHEET ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP PLAN FOR THE PRIMARY FENCE REPLACEMENT PROJECT IN SAN DIEGO, EL CENTRO, AND YUMA SECTORS U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION SAN DIEGO AND IMPERIAL COUNTIES, CALIFORNIA Responsible Agencies: Department of Homeland Security (DHS), United States (U.S.) Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and U.S. Border Patrol (USBP). Parties Consulted: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)-Los Angeles District, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC). Affected Location: United States/Mexico international border in San Diego and Imperial counties, California. Project Description: CBP proposes to remove and replace approximately 16.2 miles of existing pedestrian fence (legacy fence) with bollard wall in the USBP’s San Diego (SDC), El Centro (ELC), and Yuma (YUM) Sectors located near the Tecate Port of Entry (POE), Calexico POE, and Andrade POE, respectively. The new wall will be 30 feet high and comprised of a P-3 Design Standard style bollard barrier with a steel anti-climb plate. The proposed Project corridor will be 60 feet wide and the majority of the corridor is disturbed from previous fence and road construction projects and daily USBP patrols and enforcement actions associated with border security. A fiber optic communications cable will be installed within the Project corridor approximately 6 to 10 feet north of the U.S./Mexico border. Report Designation: Environmental Stewardship Plan (ESP). Abstract: CBP plans to construct, operate, and maintain approximately 16.2 miles of replacement fence and fiber optic communications cable along the U.S./Mexico border in San Diego and Imperial counties, California. The Project area lies within the USBP SDC, ELC, YUM sectors. With the exception of the staging area, the Project area is entirely under the administrative jurisdiction of CBP. The new bollard wall will be constructed in 11 linear segments that total approximately 16.2 miles in length (Table 1) in San Diego and Imperial counties, California. Two segments in the SDC Sector, SDC26-01 and SDC27A-02, run west and east of the Tecate POE, respectively. Five segments in the ELC Sector run west of the Calexico POE and total 7.8 miles; ELC7-02, ELC8-01, ELC9-01, ELC10-01, and ELC10-02. ELC13-01 and ELC14-01 run east of the Calexico POE and total 3.7 miles. There are two segments in the YUM Sector located west and east of the Adrade POE; YUM2 and YUM1, respectively, and these total 0.90 miles. Table 1. SDC, ELC, and YUM Wall Replacement Project Segments Segment ID Length (miles) SDC26-01 2.2 SDC27A-02 1.6 ELC7-02 0.1 ELC8-01 2.9 ELC9-01 2.64 ELC10-01 2.1 ELC10-02 0.1 ELC13-01 1.1 ELC14-01 2.6 YUM1 0.3 YUM2 0.6 Total Length 16.2 The ESP evaluates potential environmental impacts associated with the Project. Protection and Best Management Practices (BMPs) for factors such as air quality, noise, geological resources, water use and quality, biological resources, cultural resources, and hazardous materials have been incorporated into the Project design. FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP PLAN FOR THE PRIMARY FENCE REPLACEMENT PROJECT IN SAN DIEGO, EL CENTRO, AND YUMA SECTORS U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION SAN DIEGO AND IMPERIAL COUNTIES, CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Customs and Border Protection U.S. Border Patrol October 2020 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY BACKGROUND On May 15, 2019 and March 16, 2020, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), pursuant to Section 102(c) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) of 1996, as amended, issued waivers in order to ensure the expeditious construction of the Project. Although the Secretary’s waivers mean that United States (U.S.) Customs and Border Protection (CBP) no longer has any specific legal obligations under the laws set aside by the waivers, the DHS and CBP recognize the importance of responsible environmental stewardship. To that end, CBP has prepared this Environmental Stewardship Plan (ESP), which analyzes the potential environmental impacts associated with construction of tactical infrastructure in the U.S. Border Patrol’s (USBP’s) San Diego, El Centro, and Yuma Sectors. The ESP also discusses CBP’s plans as to how it can mitigate potential environmental impacts. The ESP will guide CBP’s efforts going forward. This report has been prepared from data collected prior to and during the initial phases of project construction. The data was compiled through field surveys, photo interpretation with ground truthing and use of data from prior surveys and other sources, as referenced. The report is an analysis of potential impacts on the resources discussed based on the initially planned project footprint. This is intended to be viewed as a baseline document and is not intended to capture all impacts during construction. Upon completion of the project, an additional report, called an Environmental Stewardship Summary Report (ESSR), will be prepared summarizing the observed actual impacts. This ESSR will review the baseline information provided in this ESP and be used to compare anticipated to actual impacts, so that a final new baseline of impacts is established for any potential future actions, including maintenance and repair activities. The ESSR will document the success of BMPs and any changes or improvements that could be required for the future. Additionally, the ESSR will summarizes any significant modifications during construction that increased or reduced environmental impacts. As it moves forward with the Project described in this ESP, CBP will continue to work in a collaborative manner with local governments, state and Federal land managers, and the interested public to identify environmentally sensitive resources and develop appropriate best management practices (BMPs) to avoid or minimize adverse impacts resulting from the installation of tactical infrastructure. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT The Project will allow USBP agents to strengthen border security between POEs in the USBP San Diego (SDC), El Centro (ELC), and Yuma (YUM) sectors. The Project will help to deter illegal entries within the USBP SDC, ELC, and YUM sectors by improving enforcement efficiency, thus preventing terrorists and terrorist weapons, cross-border violators (CBVs), drugs, and other contraband from entering the United States, while contributing to a safer environment for USBP agents and the public. SDC, ELC, YUM Primary Fence Replacement Project Environmental Stewardship Plan October 2020 ES-1 Final OUTREACH AND AGENCY COORDINATION CBP notified relevant Federal, state, and local agencies of the Project and requested input on environmental concerns such parties might have regarding the Project. CBP has coordinated with the Department of the Interior (DOI) including the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS); U.S. Section, International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC); U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA); U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE); California Department of Fish and Wildlife; Imperial County; San Diego County; the California State Historic Preservation Office; and various Native American tribes. Although the Secretary issued the waivers, CBP has continued to work in a collaborative manner with Federal, state, and local agencies, Native American tribes, and other stakeholders and has considered and incorporated agency comments into this ESP. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT CBP will remove and replace approximately 16.2 miles of existing pedestrian fence (legacy fence) with bollard wall in the USBP SDC, ELC, and YUM sectors Area of Responsibility (AOR) in San Diego and Imperial counties, California. The new wall will be 30 feet high and be comprised of a P-3 Design Standard style bollard barrier with a steel anti-climb plate. The Project corridor will be 60 feet wide and the majority of the corridor has been disturbed from previous fence and road construction projects and daily USBP patrols and enforcement actions associated with border security. A fiber optic communications cable will be installed within the project corridor approximately 6 to 10 feet north of the U.S./Mexico border. The Project area contains several existing border security infrastructure elements including primary and secondary fences, patrol roads, and lighting and surveillance systems. The existing pedestrian fence, also referred to as the legacy fence, was installed in the 1990s and 2000s and does not meet current operational needs. The Project will include: (1) design, (2) site preparation and material delivery, (3) removal and replacement of the landing mat fence, and (4) construction of all-weather road and lighting improvements. The new bollard wall will be constructed in 11 linear segments that total approximately 16.2 miles in length (Table ES-1). Two segments in the SCD Sector, SDC26-01 and SDC27A-02, run west and east of the Tecate POE, respectively. Five segments in the ELC Sector run west of the Calexico POE and total 7.8 miles; ELC7-02, ELC8-01, ELC9-01, ELC10-01, and ELC10-02. ELC13-01 and ELC14-01 run east of the Calexico POE and total 3.7 miles. There are two segments in the YUM Sector located west and east of the Adrade POE; YUM2 and YUM1, respectively, and these total 0.90 miles. SDC, ELC, YUM Primary Fence Replacement Project Environmental Stewardship Plan October 2020 ES-2 Final Table ES-1. SDC, ELC, and YUM Sectors Fence Replacement Segments Segment ID Length (miles) San Diego Sector (SDC) SDC26-01 2.2 SDC27A-02 1.6 Subtotal SDC 3.8 El Centro Sector (ELC) ELC7-02 0.1 ELC8-01 2.9 ELC9-01 2.6 ELC10-01 2.1 ELC10-02 0.1 ELC13-01 1.1 ELC14-01 2.6 Subtotal ELC 11.5 Yuma Sector (YUM) YUM1 0.3 YUM2 0.6 Subtotal YUM 0.9 Total Length 16.2 The removal of the legacy fence and installation of the bollard wall will be conducted in sections.