F I N A L BERTHS 195-200A, WWL VEHICLE SERVICES AMERICAS, INC. PROJECT M I T I G A T E D N E G A T I V E D E C L A R A T I O N ADP No. 110315-033 SCH# 2012051056 Prepared For: The Los Angeles Harbor Department Environmental Management Division 425 S. Palos Verdes St. San Pedro, CA 90731 August 2012 Berths 195-200A, WWL Vehicle Services Americas, Inc. Project Final Mitigated Negative Declaration ADP No. 110315-033 SCH# 2012051056 Prepared for: Los Angeles City Harbor Department Environmental Management Division 425 S. Palos Verdes St. San Pedro, CA 90731 Prepared by: AECOM 1420 Kettner Boulevard, Suite 500 San Diego, CA 92101 August 2012 FINAL MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (Division 13, Public Resources Code) Proposed Project The City of Los Angeles Harbor Department (LAHD) has prepared and intends to adopt a Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) for the Berths 195-200A WWL (WWL) Vehicle Services Americas, Inc. Project (hereafter “proposed project”). The primary goal of the proposed project is to accommodate current and projected needs of WWL, while accommodating necessary boundary changes resulting from the adjacent Berth 200 Rail Yard Project. The proposed project includes maintenance and improvements to the existing wharf infrastructure, the addition of railroad loading tracks, a lease extension up to 15 years, and adjustments to the facility’s leased area. Determination Based on the analysis provided in this MND, LAHD finds that with the incorporation of described revisions to the project and mitigation measures, the proposed project would not have a significant effect on the environment. FINAL MND ORGANIZATION This Final MND has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) (California Public Resources Code [PRC] 21000 et seq.) and the CEQA Guidelines (California Code of Regulations [CCR] 15000 et seq.). This Final MND includes the following two additional sections compared to the Draft Initial Study (IS)/MND circulated for public review: Response to Comments. This section describes the distribution of the Draft IS/MND for public review, comments on the Draft IS/MND received by LAHD, and LAHD’s responses to these comments. Table RTC-1 provides a list of the agencies, organizations, and individuals who provided comments on the Draft IS/MND. Following the table are the comment letters and LAHD’s responses. Clarifications and Modifications. This section presents the modifications to the Draft IS/MND made in response to comments received during the public review process and/or for the purpose of correcting and clarifying information. The following sections were included in the Draft IS/MND and are included in whole in this Final document: Section 1. Introduction. This section provides an overview of the proposed project and the applicable CEQA process. Section 2. Project Description. This section provides a detailed description of the proposed project objectives and components. Section 3. Initial Study Checklist. This section presents the CEQA checklist for all impact areas and mandatory findings of significance. Section 4. Impacts and Mitigation Measures. This section presents the environmental analysis for each issue area identified on the environmental checklist form. If the proposed project does not have the potential to significantly impact a given issue area, the relevant section provides a brief discussion of the reasons why no impacts are expected. If the proposed project could have a potentially significant impact on a resource, the issue area discussion provides a description of potential impacts, and appropriate mitigation measures and/or permit requirements that would reduce those impacts to a less than significant level. Section 5. Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program. This section includes a checklist to be used during the mitigation monitoring period. The checklist provides a method to verify the name of the monitor, the date of the monitoring activity, and any related remarks for each mitigation measure. Section 6. Proposed Finding. This section provides the proposed finding for the project. Section 7. References. This section provides the references used throughout the IS/MND. Section 8. Preparers and Contributors. This section provides a list of key personnel involved in the preparation of the IS/MND. Section 9. Acronyms and Abbreviations. This section provides a list of acronyms and abbreviations used throughout the IS/MND. Appendix A: Air Quality Calculations – Daily Emissions. This is also provided as it was in the Draft IS/MND. Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS RESPONSE TO COMMENTS ........................................................................................................ RTC-1 CLARIFICATIONS AND MODIFICATIONS ............................................................................... CM-1 1.0 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1-1 1.1 CEQA Process ........................................................................................................................ 1-1 2.0 PROJECT BACKGROUND ......................................................................................................... 2-1 2.1 Project Location ..................................................................................................................... 2-1 2.1.1 Regional Setting ..................................................................................................................... 2-1 2.1.2 Project Setting ........................................................................................................................ 2-3 2.2 Project Background and Objectives ..................................................................................... 2-11 2.2.1 Project Background ................................................................................................. 2-11 2.2.2 Project Goal ......................................................................................................................... 2-11 2.2.3 Project Objectives ................................................................................................................ 2-11 2.3 Project Description ............................................................................................................... 2-12 2.3.1 Project Elements .................................................................................................................. 2-12 Lease Renewal ................................................................................................................................... 2-12 2.4 Construction and Operation .................................................................................................. 2-19 2.4.1 Construction ......................................................................................................................... 2-19 2.4.2 Operation ............................................................................................................................. 2-23 2.5 Potential Responsible Agencies, Trustees, and City of Los Angeles Departments .............. 2-24 2.6 Anticipated Project Permits and Approvals ......................................................................... 2-25 3.0 INITIAL STUDY CHECKLIST ................................................................................................... 3-1 3.1 Environmental Factors Potentially Affected .......................................................................... 3-4 3.2 Determination ......................................................................................................................... 3-4 4.0 IMPACTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES ............................................................................ 4-1 4.1 Aesthetics ............................................................................................................................... 4-1 4.2 Agriculture and Forestry Resources ....................................................................................... 4-5 4.3 Air Quality .............................................................................................................................. 4-7 4.4 Biological Resources ............................................................................................................ 4-24 4.5 Cultural Resources ............................................................................................................... 4-28 4.6 Geology and Soils ................................................................................................................ 4-36 4.7 Greenhouse Gas Emissions .................................................................................................. 4-41 4.8 Hazards and Hazardous Materials ........................................................................................ 4-46 4.9 Hydrology and Water Quality .............................................................................................. 4-56 4.10 Land Use and Planning ......................................................................................................... 4-63 4.11 Mineral Resources ................................................................................................................ 4-65 4.12 Noise ....................................................................................................................................