DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE City of Rancho Palos Verdes Natural Community Conservation Plan and Habitat Conservation Plan U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office Carlsbad, California May 26, 2018 This page intentionally left blank TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS Section 1 PURPOSE AND NEED .....................................................................................1-1 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 1-1 1.2 Purpose And Need For The Federal Action ........................................................... 1-4 1.3 Regulatory Background ......................................................................................... 1-5 1.4 Developing the NCCP/HCP .................................................................................. 1-6 1.4.1 Permitting Process upon Approval of NCCP/HCP ................................... 1-6 1.4.2 Decisions to be Made ................................................................................ 1-7 1.5 Scoping and Public Review ................................................................................... 1-8 SECTION 2 ALTERNATIVES INCLUDING THE PROPOSED ACTION ..............................2-1 2.1 Introduction............................................................................................................ 2-1 2.2 Features Common to all Action Alternatives ........................................................ 2-1 2.3 Detailed Description of the Alternatives ............................................................... 2-3 SECTION 3 DESCRIPTION OF AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT .............................................3-1 3.1 Project Setting ........................................................................................................ 3-1 3.2 Biological Resources ............................................................................................. 3-1 3.2.1 Vegetation Communities ........................................................................... 3-1 3.2.2 Sensitive Habitats ...................................................................................... 3-5 3.2.3 Wildlife ..................................................................................................... 3-5 3.2.4 Sensitive Species ....................................................................................... 3-5 3.2.5 Wetlands ................................................................................................. 3-16 3.3 Geology and Soils ................................................................................................ 3-17 3.4 Air Quality ........................................................................................................... 3-18 3.5 Land Use .............................................................................................................. 3-18 3.6 Water Resources and Water Quality .................................................................... 3-21 3.7 Cultural Resources ............................................................................................... 3-21 SECTION 4 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES ............................................................4-1 4.1 Introduction............................................................................................................ 4-1 4.2 Biological Resources ............................................................................................. 4-1 4.2.1 Vegetation Communities ........................................................................... 4-1 4.2.2 Sensitive Habitats ......................................................................................... 4-5 4.2.3 Wildlife ....................................................................................................... 4-11 4.2.4 Sensitive Species ........................................................................................ 4-11 4.2.5 Wetlands ................................................................................................. 4-26 Draft Environmental Assessment for the Rancho Palos Verdes NCCP/HCP i TABLE OF CONTENTS 4.3 Geology/Soils ...................................................................................................... 4-26 4.4 Air Quality ........................................................................................................... 4-27 4.5 Land Use .............................................................................................................. 4-27 4.6 Water Resources and Water Quality .................................................................... 4-28 4.7 Cultural Resources ............................................................................................... 4-29 4.8 Cumulative Impacts ............................................................................................. 4-30 SECTION 5 CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION ........................................................5-1 SECTION 6 LIST OF DOCUMENT PREPARERS ................................................................6-1 SECTION 7 REFERENCES CITED ......................................................................................7-1 APPENDIX A DISTRIBUTION LIST ....................................................................................... A-1 APPENDIX B SENSITIVE HABITATS PRESENT WITHIN THE PLANNING AREA .............. B-1 ii Draft Environmental Assessment for the Rancho Palos Verdes NCCP/HCP TABLE OF CONTENTS FIGURES Figure 1. Vicinity Map 1-2 Figure 2. Location Map 1-3 Figure 3. Preserve Design Proposed under Action Alternative A 2-5 Figure 4. Preserve Design Proposed under Action Alternative B 2-10 Figure 5. Preserve Design Proposed under Action Alternative C 2-12 Figure 6. Preserve Design Proposed under Action Alternative D 2-14 Figure 7. Vegetation Map 3-2 Figure 8. Neutral Lands 3-4 Figure 9. Sensitive Plant Species Locations 3-7 Figure 10. Existing Land Use 3-20 Figure 11. Sensitive Species and Habitats Not Included in the Alternative A Preserve Design 4-16 Figure 12. Sensitive Species and Habitats Not Included in the Alternative B Preserve Design 4-17 Figure 13. Sensitive Species and Habitats Not Included in the Alternative C Preserve Design 4-18 Figure 14. Sensitive Species and Habitats Not Included in the Alternative D Preserve Design 4-19 TABLES Table 1. Summary of the Proposed Preserve 2-6 Table 2. Total Loss of Habitat by Covered City Projects and Activities under Alternative D 2-16 Table 3. Total Loss of Habitat by Covered Private 2-16 Table 4. Vegetation Communities in Rancho Palos Verdes (Permit Area) 3-3 Table 5. Existing Land Uses within the City of Rancho Palos Verdes 3-19 Table 6. Recorded Archaeological Sites in the Project Vicinity 3-23 Table 7. Vegetation Types Conserved Under Each Action Alternative 4-2 Table 8. Comparison of Sensitive Habitats Conservation under each of the Action Alternatives 4-6 Table 9. Comparison of Covered Species Conservation under each of the Action Alternatives 4-14 Table 10. Comparison of Other Sensitive Species Conservation under each of the Action Alternatives 4-15 Draft Environmental Assessment for the Rancho Palos Verdes NCCP/HCP iii LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ACOE Army Corps of Engineers BMPs Best Management Practices CAAQS California Ambient Air Quality Standards CDFW California Department of Fish and Wildlife CEQ Council on Environmental Quality CEQA California Environmental Quality Act CESA California Endangered Species Act CFR Code of Federal Regulations City City of Rancho Palos Verdes CNDDB California Natural Diversity Database CNPS California Native Plant Society CSP Coastal Specific Plan CSS Coastal Sage Scrub CWA Clean Water Act EA Environmental Assessment EIS Environmental Impact Statement ESA Endangered Species Act ESB El Segundo Blue Butterfly FEIR Final Environmental Impact Report FONSI Finding of No Significant Impact GIS Geographic Information System HCP Habitat Conservation Plan IA Implementing Agreement ITP Incidental Take Permit LAX Los Angeles International Airport LCP Local Coastal Program NAAQS National Ambient Air Quality Standards NCCP Natural Community Conservation Plan NEPA National Environmental Policy Act NPDES National Pollution Discharge Elimination System Peninsula Palos Verdes Peninsula PM Particulate Matter PM 2.5 Fine particulate matter, less than 2.5 micrometers in size PM 10 Particulate matter up to 10 micrometers in size PPM Pacific (Little) Pocket Mouse PTP Preserve Trails Plan PUMP Public Use Master Plan PVB Palos Verdes Blue Butterfly PVPLC Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy RPV Rancho Palos Verdes RWQCB Regional Water Quality Control Board SCAG Southern California Association of Governments SCAQMD South Coast Air Quality Management District SSC State Species of Concern State State of California iv Draft Environmental Assessment for the Rancho Palos Verdes NCCP/HCP LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS SUSMP Standard Urban Stormwater Mitigation Plan SWPPP Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan USC U.S. Code Service or USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wildlife Agencies U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Department of Fish and Wildlife Draft Environmental Assessment for the Rancho Palos Verdes NCCP/HCP v SECTION 1 PURPOSE AND NEED 1.1 Introduction This Environmental Assessment (EA) has been prepared in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4341 et seq.) and the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) NEPA Regulations