Final BALLONA WETLANDS RESTORATION PROJECT Environmental Impact Report State Clearinghouse No. 2012071090 Volume 7: Appendices Prepared for December 2019 California Department of Fish and Wildlife, South Coast Region (Region 5) Final BALLONA WETLANDS RESTORATION PROJECT Environmental Impact Report State Clearinghouse No. 2012071090 Volume 7: Appendices Prepared for December 2019 California Department of Fish and Wildlife, South Coast Region (Region 5) 626 Wilshire Boulevard Suite 1100 Los Angeles, CA 90017 213.599.4300 www.esassoc.com Bend Camarillo Delray Beach Destin Irvine Oakland Orlando Pasadena Petaluma Portland Sacramento San Diego Santa Monica San Francisco Sarasota Seattle Tampa 120367 Final EIR December 2019 TABLE OF CONTENTS Ballona Wetlands Restoration Project Final EIR Volume 7: Appendices Page Chapter 1, Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1-1 1.1 Purpose ......................................................................................................................... 1-1 1.2 Context .......................................................................................................................... 1-1 1.3 Project Overview ............................................................................................................ 1-2 1.4 Agency and Public Involvement ..................................................................................... 1-4 1.4.1 Agency and Public Review of the Draft EIS/EIR ................................................ 1-4 1.4.2 Availability of the Final EIR ................................................................................ 1-6 1.4.3 Additional Agency and Public Input ................................................................... 1-7 Chapter 2, Responses to Comments ............................................................................................ 2-1 2.1 Approach to Comment Responses ................................................................................ 2-1 2.1.1 Input Received ................................................................................................... 2-1 2.1.2 Comment Coding ............................................................................................. 2-16 2.2 General Responses ..................................................................................................... 2-16 2.2.1 General Response 1: Agency and Other Involvement ..................................... 2-17 2.2.2 General Response 2: Proposed Project .......................................................... 2-22 2.2.3 General Response 3: Alternatives ................................................................... 2-35 2.2.4 General Response 4: Drains ........................................................................... 2-46 2.2.5 General Response 5: Biological Resources .................................................... 2-49 2.2.6 General Response 6: Hydrology and Water Quality ........................................ 2-64 2.2.7 General Response 7: Requests for Recirculation ............................................ 2-72 2.2.8 General Response 8: Public Participation ....................................................... 2-74 2.3 Individual Responses ................................................................................................... 2-75 2.3.1 Responses to Federal Agency Comments ...................................................... 2-75 2.3.2 Responses to State Agency Comments ........................................................ 2-121 2.3.3 Responses to Local Agency Comments ........................................................ 2-175 2.3.4 Responses to Native American Community .................................................. 2-213 2.3.5 Responses to Form Comments ..................................................................... 2-306 2.3.6 Responses to Organizations’ Comments....................................................... 2-394 2.3.7 Responses to Individuals’ Comments .......................................................... 2-3509 2.3.8 Responses to Public Hearing Comments .................................................... 2-4559 Chapter 3, Revisions to the Draft EIS/EIR .................................................................................... 3-1 3.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 3-1 3.2 Text Changes to the Draft EIS/EIR ................................................................................ 3-2 3.2.1 Title Page .......................................................................................................... 3-2 3.2.2 Key Definitions and Acronyms ........................................................................... 3-2 3.2.3 Executive Summary ........................................................................................... 3-2 3.2.4 Chapter 1, Introduction .................................................................................... 3-15 3.2.5 Chapter 2, Description of Alternatives ............................................................. 3-19 California Department of Fish and Wildlife i Ballona Wetlands Restoration Project Table of Contents Final EIR December 2019 Page Chapter 3, Revisions to the Draft EIS/EIR (continued) 3.2.6 Chapter 3, Environmental Consequences ....................................................... 3-27 3.2.7 Chapter 4, Other Considerations ..................................................................... 3-45 3.2.8 Chapter 5, List of Preparers and Contributors ................................................. 3-48 3.2.9 Appendices ...................................................................................................... 3-48 Appendices A. Notices ....................................................................................................................................... A-1 B. Commenting Parties ................................................................................................................... B-1 C. Endorsement ............................................................................................................................. C-1 D. Recipients of the Final EIR ........................................................................................................ D-1 E. Revised Figures ......................................................................................................................... E-1 The September 2017 Draft EIS/EIR is provided on a USB drive enclosed inside the back cover of printed versions of this Final EIR. Tables Table 2-1 Responses to Non-substantive Comments .................................................................... 2-3 Table 2-2 Locations of Species’ Descriptions in the Draft EIS/EIR .............................................. 2-51 Table 2-3 Existing and Target Restoration Species by Habitat ................................................ 2-1222 California Department of Fish and Wildlife ii Ballona Wetlands Restoration Project Final EIR December 2019 APPENDIX A Notices California Department of Fish and Wildlife A-1 Ballona Wetlands Restoration Project Appendix A. Notices Final EIR December 2019 This page intentionally left blank California Department of Fish and Wildlife A-2 Ballona Wetlands Restoration Project NOTICE OF AVAi LABILITY OF DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT/ENVIRONMTJ:t tmT REPORT (DRAFT EIS/EIR) ~ .l,.-,.J 1 To: All Interested Agencies. Organizations and Persons OCT 18 20 7 DEAN C. LC'·. c. llJ From: California Department of Fish and Wildlife REGISTRAR-RECORDERICCUNn'CLERI< ~Ei'"IDY-­ Subjcct: Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (Draft EIS/EIR) (State Clearinghouse No. 2012071090) IREVIS ED TO CORRECT COASTAL CONSERVANCY ADDRESS I Pro_ject Title: Ballona Wetlands Restoration Project Project Proponents: The California Department of rish and Wildlife (CDFW) and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works-Flood Control District (LACFCD) Project Location: The project site includes approximately 566 acres within the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve (Ballona Reserve) and approximately 4 acres comprised of seven potential natural gas storage well relocation sites proposed within the Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) Property located adjacent to the Ballona Reserve. The Ballona Reserve is located in southern Californ ia, south of Marina del Rey and cast of Playa del Rey. It extends roughly from the Marina Freeway (State Route 90) to the east, the Westchester bluffs to the south. Playa del Rey to the west, and Fij i Way to the north. It is primarily located in the western portion of the City of Los Angeles and partially within unincorporated Los Angeles County. approximately 1.5 miles west ofthe San Diego Freeway (Interstate 405) and approximately 0.25 mile southeast of Santa Monica Bay. The Ball ona Reserve is bisected by and includes a channelized reach of Ballona Creek, and it is traversed by Culver Boulevard, Jefferson Boulevard, and Lincoln Boulevard. SoCalGas owns in foe, occupies. and operates the Playa del Rey Storage Facility. which is a natural gas storage system located at 8 I 41 Guiana A venue. Los Angeles. The SoCa!Gas Property consists of Site 1through Site 7. which range between 0.19 and 0.99 acre in size and represent potential future locations for SoCa!Gas wells to be relocated from