Ocean Colony Pump Station and Force Main Project Biological Resources Evaluation HALF MOON BAY, SAN MATEO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA Prepared for: Ben L. Shick Shaaf and Wheeler 411 Russell Avenue Santa Rosa, California, 95403 WRA Contacts: Leslie Lazarotti [email protected] Ellie Knecht [email protected] Date: May 2017 Updated June 2018 WRA Project No. 26325 2169-G East Francisco Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94702 (415) 454-8868 tel [email protected] www.wra-ca.com This page intentionally left blank. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Description of the Study Area ..................................................................................... 1 1.2 Project Description ...................................................................................................... 1 2.0 REGULATORY BACKGROUND .......................................................................................... 3 2.1 Sensitive Biological Communities ............................................................................... 3 2.2 Federal Jurisdiction over Wetlands and “Other Waters” .............................................. 4 2.3 State Jurisdiction over Wetlands and “Other Waters” .................................................. 5 2.3.1 State Water Resources Control Board and Regional Water Quality Control Board ........................................................................................................................ 5 2.3.2 California Department of Fish and Wildlife ...................................................... 6 2.4 California Coastal Commission / Half Moon Bay Local Coastal Program .................... 6 2.4.1 California Coastal Commission/Local Coastal Program Jurisdiction over Wetlands ......................................................................................................... 6 2.4.2 The California Coastal Commission Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Area Definition ......................................................................................................... 7 2.4.3 Half Moon Bay LCP Buffer Zones .................................................................... 7 2.4.4 Coastal Development Permit Exemption .......................................................... 8 2.5 Critical Habitat ............................................................................................................. 8 2.6 Wildlife Movement Corridors ........................................................................................ 9 3.0 METHODS ........................................................................................................................... 9 3.1 Biological Communities ............................................................................................... 9 3.1.1 Non-sensitive Biological Communities .......................................................... 10 3.1.2 Sensitive Biological Communities ................................................................. 10 3.2 Federal Jurisdiction over Wetlands and “Other Waters” ............................................ 10 3.2.1 Potential Section 404 Jurisdictional Wetlands ............................................... 10 3.2.2 Potential Section 404 Jurisdictional “Other Waters” ...................................... 13 3.3 State Jurisdiction over Wetlands and “Other Waters” ................................................ 13 3.3.1 State Water Resources Control Board and Regional Water Quality Control Board ...................................................................................................................... 13 3.3.2 California Department of Fish and Wildlife ..................................................... 14 3.4 California Coastal Commission / Local Coastal Program Jurisdiction ........................ 14 3.4.1 Wetlands ....................................................................................................... 14 3.4.2 Streams ......................................................................................................... 16 i 3.5 Special-Status Species ............................................................................................. 16 3.5.1 Literature Review .......................................................................................... 16 3.5.2 Site Assessment ........................................................................................... 17 4.0 RESULTS .......................................................................................................................... 17 4.1 General Site Conditions ............................................................................................ 18 4.2 Biological Communities ............................................................................................. 20 4.2.1 Non-sensitive Biological Communities .......................................................... 25 4.2.2 Sensitive Biological Communities ................................................................. 26 4.3 Summary of Potentially Jurisdictional Features ......................................................... 27 4.4 Special-Status Species ............................................................................................. 29 4.4.1 Special-Status Plant Species ........................................................................ 29 4.4.2 Special-Status Wildlife Species ..................................................................... 32 4.4.3 Critical Habitat ............................................................................................... 37 4.4.4 Wildlife Corridor Assessment ......................................................................... 37 5.0 POTENTIAL IMPACTS AND PROJECT AVOIDANCE and MINIMIZATION MEASURES . 38 5.1 Biological Communities ............................................................................................. 38 5.2 Special-Status Species ............................................................................................. 38 5.2.1 Special-Status Plant Species ........................................................................ 38 5.2.2 Special-Status Wildlife Species ..................................................................... 39 5.2.3 Wildlife Corridors .......................................................................................... 41 6.0 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION ........................................................................................ 41 7.0 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................. 42 ii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Study Area Location Map ............................................................................................. 2 Figure 2. Soil Types in the Study Area ...................................................................................... 19 Figure 3. Biological Communities and Half Moon Bay LCP Protective Buffers .......................... 22 Figure 4a. Biological Communities and Public Resources Code Buffers ................................... 23 Figure 4b. Biological Communities and Public Resources Code Buffers ................................... 24 Figure 5. CNDDB Special-Status Plants Documented within 5 Miles of the Study Area ............ 30 Figure 6. CNDDB Special-Status Wildlife Documented within 5 Miles of the Study Area ........... 33 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Biological Communities within the Study Area .............................................................. 21 Table 2. Jurisdictional Features within the Study Area ............................................................... 28 LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix A – List of Observed Plant and Wildlife Species within the Study Area Appendix B – Jurisdictional Delineation Data Sheets Appendix C – Preliminary Jurisdictional Determination Map Appendix D – Potential for Special-Status Plant and Wildlife Species to Occur in the Study Area Appendix E – Study Area Photographs Appendix F – Preliminary Construction Drawings (Schaaf & Wheeler) iii LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS BCC USFWS Birds of Conservation Concern BRE Biological Resources Evaluation Cal-IPC California Invasive Plant Council CCC California Coastal Commission CCR California Code of Regulations CDFW California Department of Fish and Wildlife CESA California Endangered Species Act CEQA California Environmental Quality Act CFGC California Fish and Game Code CFR Code of Federal Regulations CNDDB California Natural Diversity Database CNPS California Native Plant Society Corps U.S. Army Corps of Engineers CRLF California red-legged frog EPA Environmental Protection Agency ESHA Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Area FAC Facultative plant species FACU Facultative upland plant species FACW Facultative wetland plant species FESA Federal Endangered Species Act Inventory California Native Plant Society Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants LCP Local Coastal Program NL/UPL Not listed/upland plant species NMFS National Marine Fisheries Service NWPL National Wetland Plant List OBL Obligate wetland plant species OHWM Ordinary High Water Mark PRC Public Resources Code Rank California Rare Plant Rank RPW Relatively permanent water RWQCB Regional Water Quality Control Board SFGS San Francisco garter snake SSC CDFW Species of Special Concern SSI CDFW special-status Invertebrates SWRCB State Water Resources Control Board TOB Top of Bank TNW Traditionally navigable waters USFWS