Salsipuedes Creek Bridge Scour Mitigation Approximately 3.5 miles south of the City of Lompoc on Highway 1 in Santa Barbara County 05-SB-1-PM 15.6 Project ID# 05-0000-0007 EA# 05-0A050 SCH # 2014071009 Initial Study with Mitigated Negative Declaration Prepared by the State of California Department of Transportation October 2015 General Information About This Document What’s in this document: This document contains a Mitigated Negative Declaration, which examines the environmental effects of a proposed project on State Route 1 in Santa Barbara County. The Initial Study with proposed Mitigated Negative Declaration was circulated for public review from July 7, 2014 to August 7, 2014. Three comment letters were received on the draft document. The letters and the responses to them are included in the Comments and Responses section of this document (refer to Appendix D), which has been added since the draft. Throughout this document, a line in the left margin indicates changes made since the draft document circulation. What happens after this: The proposed project has completed environmental compliance with circulation of this document. When funding is approved, the California Department of Transportation can design and build all or part of the project. Printing this document: To save paper, this document has been set up for two-sided printing (to print the front and back of a page). Blank pages occur where needed throughout the document to maintain proper layout of the chapters and appendices. This document can also be accessed electronically at the following website: http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist05/projects For individuals with sensory disabilities, this document can be made available in Braille, in large print, on audiocassette, or on computer disk. To obtain a copy in one of these alternate formats, please call or write to Caltrans, Attn: Cecilia Boudreau, Central Coast Environmental Analysis Branch, 50 Higuera Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401, (805) 549-3376 (Voice) , or use the California Relay Service 1 (800) 735-2929 (TTY), 1 (800) 735-2929 (Voice), or 711 SCH# 2014071009 05-SB- 1-PM 15.6 Project ID 05-0000-0007 Bridge Replacement to address bridge scour, Highway 1, at post mile 15.6 in Santa Barbara County INITIAL STUDY with Mitigated Negative Declaration Submitted Pursuant to: Division 13, California Public Resources Code THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA Department of Transportation Responsible Agencies: California Department of Fish and Wildlife Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board California Transportation Commission The following person may be contacted for additional information concerning this document: Cecilia Boudreau, 50 Higuera Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401. (805) 549-3376 Salsipuedes Creek Bridge Scour Mitigation • ii Mitigated Negative Declaration Pursuant to: Division 13, Public Resources Code Project Description The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) proposes to replace the existing Salsipuedes Creek Bridge (Br. No. 51-95) on Highway 1 in Santa Barbara County. Highway 1 through the project area consists of a rural two-lane road passing through agricultural land. The Salsipuedes Creek Bridge is located at post mile 15.6, approximately 3.5 miles southeast of the City of Lompoc. Determination Caltrans has prepared an Initial Study for this project and, following public review, has determined from this study that the project would not have a significant effect on the environment for the following reasons. The proposed project would have no effect on: land use, growth, farmland/timberland, the local community, traffic and transportation, cultural resources, hydrology and floodplains, paleontology, or air quality. The proposed project would not create any impacts due to noise, vibration, hazardous waste or materials; the proposed project would not be vulnerable to seismic activity. In addition, the proposed project would have no significant effects on: Visual resources, utilities or emergency services, water quality, or storm water runoff. In addition, the proposed project would not have a significant adverse effect on any special status plant or animal species because the following mitigation measures would reduce potential effects to less than significant: • Existing vegetation and tree canopy adjacent to areas that require clearing to construct the new bridge would be protected through the use of environmentally sensitive area fencing. • Tree trimming would be limited to that required in order to provide a clear work area. If overhanging branches must be removed for construction equipment access, the branches are to be cut with a saw rather than mechanically removed or knocked down by construction equipment. • Existing trees to be removed would be marked in the field and approved for removal by the engineer prior to any removal. • Impacts to native riparian vegetation would be offset by replacement planting within the project limits. Replacement planting will be achieved using a 3:1 ratio for native riparian trees and shrubs. The number and species of trees removed or trimmed will be recorded in order to accurately restore the habitat back to pre-construction conditions. • Removal of all existing manmade concrete elements inside the channel and replacement of the three-span bridge with a single-span bridge. • Construction of National Marine Fisheries Service approved rock ramp (roughened channel design) at a 2% slope to improve steelhead passage conditions within the project limits per the August 24, 2015 Biological Opinion (refer to Appendix F). • All work in the creek channel is to occur between June 1 and October 31. • No work is to occur in a wetted stream channel. • To prepare for construction in dry conditions, the work area will be temporality isolated from surface water and any steelhead, California red-legged frog, southwestern pond turtle, and any other special status species that may occur within the area of impact will be relocated. A coffer dam will be constructed across the channel immediately upstream of the proposed bridge and remain in place for the duration of each construction season. Surface flows will travel through the work area in a diversion comprised of a 36-inch diameter pipe and return to the creek approximately 450-feet downstream. • Prior to dewatering activity, surveys will be conducted up and down stream by National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approved biologists to identify and evaluate suitability of appropriate habitat sites for relocation of special status animal species. • The names and credentials of personnel requested to conduct special status animal relocation activities as well as the relocation plan for steelhead and California red-legged frog shall be supplied to the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, as appropriate, for review and approval at least 30 days prior to the onset of construction activities. The approved biologist(s) will monitor the biological study area during all phases of construction within the wetted channel that have the potential to affect special status species. • If any life stage of the California red-legged frog is detected in the project area during construction, work will cease immediately and the resident engineer, authorized biologist, or biological monitor will notify the Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office. If Caltrans and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determine that adverse effects to California red-legged frog cannot be avoided, construction activities will remain suspended until Caltrans and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service complete the appropriate level of consultation. • Non-native species, such as bullfrogs, signal and red swamp crayfish and centrachid fishes will be removed from the project area to the extent feasible. • Caltrans shall retain at least two biologists with expertise in the areas of resident or anadromous salmonid biology and ecology, fish/habitat relationships, biological monitoring and handling, collecting, and retaining salmonid species. • Prior to any construction activity, agency approved biologists will conduct a training session for all construction personnel. At a minimum, the training will include a description of individual special status species that have the potential to occur within the project limits, each species habitat requirements, specific measures that are being implemented to conserve these species and the boundaries in which the project may be accomplished. • Prior to the actual diversion of surface water, National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S Fish and Wildlife Service approved biologists will survey the entire work area for steelhead, California red-legged frog, southwestern pond turtle, and all other special status species that may occur within the area of impact. These species will be captured, then relocated to predetermined areas. Once relocations are complete, streamflow will be diverted slowly and in stages to ensure the creek does not dewater suddenly. As flows are diverted, continual surveys of the dewatered area will be conducted and all steelhead, California red-legged frog, southwestern pond turtle and other special status species in the dewatered area will be captured and relocated from residual wetted areas. Detailed records of all captured species will be kept and reported to the appropriate resource agency. • Following the diversion, dewatering will be required to maintain a dry work area. As the work area is de-watered, remaining pools shall be inspected for California red-legged