San Antonio Water System Micron Pipeline and Water Resources Integration Program Habitat Conservation Plan Prepared for San Antonio Water System Prepared by SWCA Environmental Consultants SWCA Project Number 26461-AUS FINAL November 2017 SAN ANTONIO WATER SYSTEM MICRON PIPELINE AND WATER RESOURCES INTEGRATION PROGRAM HABITAT CONSERVATION PLAN Prepared for San Antonio Water System 2800 U.S. Hwy 281 North San Antonio, Texas 78212 Attn: John Reynolds (210) 233-3299 Prepared by Amanda Aurora, C.W.B., Regional Scientist and Project Manager Jenna Cantwell, Environmental Specialist Marli Claytor, Environmental Specialist SWCA Environmental Consultants 4407 Monterey Oaks Boulevard Building 1, Suite 110 Austin, Texas 78749 (512) 476-0891 www.swca.com SWCA Project No. 26461 FINAL November 2017 CONTENTS 1.0 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 8 1.1 Description of the Proposed Projects ............................................................................. 8 Water Resources Integration Program .................................................................... 8 Micron Pipeline ................................................................................................. 10 1.2 Purpose and Need for the Proposed Projects ............................................................... 13 1.3 Regulatory Context ................................................................................................... 13 1.4 Karst Invertebrate Discoveries at State Highway 151 and Loop 1604 .............................. 15 2.0 Plan Area ....................................................................................................................... 18 2.1 Topography and Geology ......................................................................................... 21 2.2 Karst Zones and Karst Fauna Regions ......................................................................... 25 Known Karst Features ........................................................................................ 26 2.2.1.1 WRIP Project Area .......................................................................................... 26 2.2.1.2 Micron Project Area........................................................................................ 26 2.2.1.3 Anderson Pump Station Karst Preserve .............................................................. 27 2.3 Surface Conditions and Land Uses ............................................................................. 27 2.4 Climate ................................................................................................................... 29 3.0 Covered Activities ........................................................................................................... 30 4.0 Covered Species ............................................................................................................. 33 4.1 Evaluation Species ................................................................................................... 33 4.2 Covered Species ...................................................................................................... 35 5.0 Incidental Take and Impacts ............................................................................................. 39 5.1 Effects of the Covered Activities .................................................................................. 39 Effects of Surface Activities .................................................................................. 39 Effects of Subsurface Activities ............................................................................. 41 5.2 Incidental Take ........................................................................................................ 42 Establishing a Surrogate Measure for Take ........................................................... 42 5.2.1.1 Impractical To Determine “Number of Animals” by Species ................................. 43 5.2.1.2 Ecological Surrogate is Rationally Linked to Actual Take ..................................... 47 5.2.1.3 Surrogate Metric Can Measure When Take Has Been Exceeded .......................... 48 Requested Amount of Take ................................................................................. 49 Impacts of the Requested Taking ......................................................................... 49 6.0 Conservation Program ..................................................................................................... 50 6.1 Biological Goals and Objectives ................................................................................ 50 6.2 Avoidance Measures ................................................................................................ 50 6.3 Minimization Measures ............................................................................................. 50 6.4 Mitigation Measures – Anderson Pump Station Karst Preserve ........................................ 51 Context and Setting ........................................................................................... 53 Karst Habitat Assessment .................................................................................... 55 San Antonio Water System Micron and WRIP Habitat Conservation Plan Karst Fauna Surveys ........................................................................................... 55 APS Karst Preserve Design .................................................................................. 56 6.4.4.1 Size and Configuration ................................................................................... 56 Protection Mechanism ........................................................................................ 60 Adaptive Management and Monitoring ................................................................ 60 7.0 Funding Plan .................................................................................................................. 62 8.0 Reporting and Administration ........................................................................................... 64 8.1 Notification to the USFWS ......................................................................................... 64 8.2 Annual Reporting ..................................................................................................... 64 8.3 Permit Amendments and Renewals ............................................................................. 64 Minor Amendment ............................................................................................. 64 Major Amendment ............................................................................................. 65 8.4 Permit Renewals ....................................................................................................... 65 9.0 No Surprises Assurances .................................................................................................. 66 9.1 Changed Circumstances ........................................................................................... 66 Taxonomic Revisions .......................................................................................... 66 Discovery of a Significant Void ............................................................................ 67 Catastrophic Natural Events................................................................................ 67 10.0 Alternatives Considered ................................................................................................... 69 11.0 Literature Cited ............................................................................................................... 70 FIGURES Figure 1. Location of the WRIP Project Area. ............................................................................ 9 Figure 2. Location of the Micron Project. ............................................................................... 12 Figure 3. TxDOT SH 151/Loop 1604 project site with construction-phase karst feature discoveries (modified from Zara 2013). ................................................................... 15 Figure 4. TxDOT SH 151/Loop 1604 project site with pre-construction karst feature discoveries (modified from Zara 2011). ................................................................... 16 Figure 5. SAWS Karst Invertebrate HCP Plan Area. ................................................................. 19 Figure 6. Surface geology of the Plan Area. ........................................................................... 23 Figure 7. Karst zones and Karst Fauna Regions of the Plan Area. .............................................. 24 Figure 8. Land use and land cover in the vicinity of the Plan Area (NLCD 2011). ........................ 28 Figure 9. Blind Cicurina spider (a) and slender-bodied Rhadine exilis (b). .................................. 37 Figure 10. SAWS Anderson Pump Station and the proposed APS Karst Preserve. .......................... 52 Figure 11. Karst features observed on the proposed APS Karst Preserve. ...................................... 54 Figure 12. Drainage basins and cricket foraging areas around important karst features. ............... 58 6 San Antonio Water System Micron and WRIP Habitat Conservation Plan TABLES Table 1. Approximate Quantities and Dimensions for Key Elements of the WRIP Project. ............ 10 Table 2. Approximate Quantities and Dimensions for Key Elements of the Micron Project. .......... 11 Table 3. Taxonomic