JANUARY 2020 (Revised to Incorporate Board-Approved Changes from April 2020) Initial Study/Negative Declaration and Initial Environmental Checklist/Finding of No Significant Effect for the Target Invasive Fish Control Program at Lake Tahoe PREPARED FOR: Initial Study/Negative Declaration and Initial Environmental Checklist/ Finding of No Significant Effect for the Target Invasive Fish Control Program at Lake Tahoe PREPARED FOR Tahoe Resource Conservation District 870 Emerald Bay Road Suite 108 South Lake Tahoe, California 96150 Tahoe Regional Planning Agency P.O. Box 5310 Stateline, Nevada 89449 PREPARED BY Ascent Environmental, Inc. P.O. Box 5022 Stateline, Nevada 89449 January 2020 (Revised to Incorporate Board-Approved Changes from April 2020) 19010052.01 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .......................................................................................................................................................................... III 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................................................ 1-1 1.1 Purpose of this Document ............................................................................................................................................. 1-2 1.2 Public Review Process ...................................................................................................................................................... 1-2 1.3 Summary of Findings ....................................................................................................................................................... 1-3 1.4 Document Organization ................................................................................................................................................. 1-3 2 PROGRAM DESCRIPTION .......................................................................................................................................................2-1 2.1 Program location ............................................................................................................................................................... 2-1 2.2 Background ........................................................................................................................................................................ 2-3 2.3 Project Approvals ........................................................................................................................................................... 2-21 3 CEQA AND TRPA ENVIRONMENTAL CHECKLIST .............................................................................................................3-1 3.1 Aesthetics ............................................................................................................................................................................ 3-6 3.2 Agriculture and Forestry Resources .......................................................................................................................... 3-11 3.3 Air Quality ......................................................................................................................................................................... 3-13 3.4 Biological Resources ...................................................................................................................................................... 3-20 3.5 Cultural Resources ......................................................................................................................................................... 3-36 3.6 Energy................................................................................................................................................................................. 3-41 3.7 Geology and Soils ..........................................................................................................................................................3 -43 3.8 Greenhouse Gas Emissions .........................................................................................................................................3 -49 3.9 Hazards and Hazardous Materials ...........................................................................................................................3 -54 3.10 Hydrology and Water Quality .................................................................................................................................... 3-60 3.11 Land Use and Planning ................................................................................................................................................. 3-67 3.12 Mineral Resources and Natural Resources ............................................................................................................ 3-70 3.13 Noise ................................................................................................................................................................................... 3-72 3.14 Population and Housing .............................................................................................................................................. 3-77 3.15 Public Services ................................................................................................................................................................. 3-80 3.16 Recreation .........................................................................................................................................................................3 -84 3.17 Transportation ................................................................................................................................................................. 3-87 3.18 Tribal Cultural Resources ............................................................................................................................................. 3-93 3.19 Utilities and Service Systems ...................................................................................................................................... 3-95 3.20 Wildfire ............................................................................................................................................................................. 3-100 3.21 Cumulative Impacts and Mandatory Findings of Significance...................................................................... 3-102 4 REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................................................................. 4-1 5 REPORT PREPARERS .................................................................................................................................................................5-1 Appendices A Scoping Letter and Scoping Comments Received Tahoe Resource Conservation District/Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Target Invasive Fish Control Program at Lake Tahoe IS/ND and IEC/FONSE i Table of Contents Ascent Environmental Figures Figure 2-1 Target Invasive Fish Control Program Area............................................................................................................. 2-2 Figure 2-2 Target Invasive Fish Distribution (Presence) in Lake Tahoe ............................................................................... 2-5 Figure 2-3 Photograph of Smallmouth Bass ................................................................................................................................ 2-6 Figure 2-4 Illustration of Largemouth Bass ................................................................................................................................... 2-7 Figure 2-5 Photograph of Bluegill .................................................................................................................................................... 2-8 Figure 2-6 Photograph of Black Crappie ....................................................................................................................................... 2-9 Figure 2-7 Illustration of Brown Bullhead ...................................................................................................................................... 2-9 Figure 2-8 Photograph of a Goldfish in Lake Tahoe ................................................................................................................ 2-11 Figure 2-9 Photograph of Boat-Mounted Electrofishing Apparatus ................................................................................. 2-12 Figure 2-10 Photograph of Backpack Electrofishing in a Shallow Headwater Stream ................................................... 2-13 Figure 2-11 Photographic of Benthic Electrode Array being Prepared for Deployment .............................................. 2-13 Figure 2-12 Photograph of a Gillnet being Deployed ............................................................................................................... 2-14 Figure 2-13 Illustration of a Typical Fyke Net ............................................................................................................................... 2-14 Figure 2-14 Photograph of a Wire Mesh Minnow Trap ............................................................................................................ 2-15 Figure 2-15 Photograph of Seine Deployment in a Shallow Water Shoreline Setting .................................................