LOS GATOS CREEK BRIDGE REPLACEMENT / SOUTH TERMINAL PHASE III PROJECT Biological Resource Evaluation Santa Clara County, California Prepared for Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board 1250 San Carlos Avenue P.O. Box 3006 San Carlos, California 94070-1306 Prepared by HDR Engineering, Inc. 2379 Gateway Oaks Drive Suite 200 Sacramento, California 95833 November 2013 LOS GATOS CREEK BRIDGE REPLACEMENT / SOUTH TERMINAL PHASE III PROJECT Biological Resource Evaluation Santa Clara County, California Prepared for Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board 1250 San Carlos Avenue P.O. Box 3006 San Carlos, California 94070-1306 Prepared by HDR Engineering, Inc. 2379 Gateway Oaks Drive, Suite 200 Sacramento, California 95833 Contact: Todd Wong November 2013 This page left blank intentionally. Summary The Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board (JPB) which operates the San Francisco Bay Area’s Caltrain passenger rail service proposes to replace the two-track railroad bridge that crosses Los Gatos Creek, in the City of San Jose, Santa Clara County, California. The Proposed Action is needed to address the structural deficiencies and safety issues of the Caltrain Los Gatos Creek railroad bridge to be consistent with the standards of safety and reliability required for public transit, to ensure that the bridge will continue to safely carry commuter rail service well into the future, and to improve operations at nearby San Jose Diridon Station and along the Caltrain rail line. This Biological Resources Evaluation (BRE) has been prepared to provide a summary of existing biological conditions, the potential presence of special status species and resources, an initial evaluation of impacts of the project on biological resources, and feasible avoidance and minimization measures to reduced potential impacts to a level typically considered less than significant under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). This report is useful for the preparation of the proposed project’s CEQA Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration and the categorical Exclusion document in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). As discussed herein, the BRE determines to what extent the proposed project may potentially impact biological resources which are subject to provisions of CEQA and NEPA. Based on existing conditions and characteristics of the study area, western pond turtle (Actinemys marmorata), pallid bat (Antrozous pallidus), hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus), tricolored blackbird (Agelaius tricolor), Cooper’s hawk (Accipiter cooperi), and other nesting raptors and migratory birds are known to occur or have the potential to occur in the study area; therefore these species are evaluated for potential impacts. In addition, Los Gatos Creek and its associated willow riparian forest and scrub habitats meet the criteria of sensitive natural communities as defined by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). Los Gatos Creek is also a Water of the U.S. subject to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB), and CDFW jurisdiction. Potential impacts to these sensitive natural communities are also evaluated in this BRE. Potential impacts to the California red-legged frog, Central Valley fall/late fall-run Chinook salmon, Central California Coast steelhead are not discussed in the BRE. Impacts to these three species are discussed in a biological assessment (BA) that has been prepared for the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to ensure compliance with Section 7 of the Federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). The BRE concludes that the proposed project will potentially impact sensitive natural communities/Waters of the U.S., special-status species (i.e., western pond turtle, pallid bat and hoary bat, tricolored blackbird, nesting raptors and other migratory birds, and trees); however, implementation of the recommended avoidance and minimization measures will reduce the potential impacts to a less than significant level. Los Gatos Creek Bridge Replacement / South Terminal Phase III November 2013 Biological Resource Evaluation Page i This page left blank intentionally Los Gatos Creek Bridge Replacement / South Terminal Phase III November 2013 Biological Resource Evaluation Page ii Table of Contents Summary .................................................................................................................................................... i 1.0 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1-1 1.1 Project Location ............................................................................................................... 1-1 1.2 Regulatory Requirements ................................................................................................ 1-1 1.2.1 Federal Requirements for Species Protection .................................................... 1-4 1.2.2 State Requirements for Species Protection ........................................................ 1-5 1.2.3 Protection of Wetlands and Other Waters of the United States ......................... 1-6 1.2.4 Local Policies ...................................................................................................... 1-7 2.0 Description of the Proposed Project ......................................................................................... 2-1 2.1 Purpose and Need of Proposed Project .......................................................................... 2-1 2.1.1 Existing Safety Concerns .................................................................................... 2-1 2.1.2 Need for a Tail Track .......................................................................................... 2-2 2.1.3 Purpose of the Proposed Project ........................................................................ 2-3 2.2 Project Elements .............................................................................................................. 2-3 2.3 Construction Staging ........................................................................................................ 2-5 3.0 Methodology ................................................................................................................................ 3-1 4.0 Biological Resources Potentially Occurring in Project Area ................................................. 4-1 4.1 Environmental Setting ...................................................................................................... 4-1 4.2 Habitat Types ................................................................................................................... 4-1 4.2.1 Terrestrial Habitat Types/Vegetation Communities ............................................ 4-1 4.2.2 Aquatic Habitat Types/Vegetation Communities ................................................ 4-3 4.2.3 Sensitive Natural Communities/Waters of the U.S. ............................................ 4-4 4.3 Special-Status Species .................................................................................................... 4-4 4.3.1 Special-Status Fish Species and Essential Fish Habitat .................................... 4-5 4.3.2 Special-Status Wildlife Species .......................................................................... 4-5 4.4 Trees ................................................................................................................................ 4-8 4.5 Invasive Species .............................................................................................................. 4-8 5.0 Impacts and Recommended Avoidance and Minimization Measures ................................... 5-1 5.1 Significance Criteria ......................................................................................................... 5-1 5.2 Effects of the Proposed Project ....................................................................................... 5-2 5.3 Impact Assessment and Recommended Avoidance and Minimization Measures .......... 5-5 5.3.1 Sensitive Natural Communities/Waters of the U.S. ............................................ 5-5 5.3.2 Special-Status Species ....................................................................................... 5-7 5.3.3 Trees ................................................................................................................. 5-11 Los Gatos Creek Bridge Replacement / South Terminal Phase III November 2013 Biological Resource Evaluation Page iii 5.3.4 Santa Clara Valley Habitat Conservation Plan/Natural Communities Conservation Plan ............................................................................................. 5-11 5.3.5 Invasive Species ............................................................................................... 5-12 6.0 Summary ...................................................................................................................................... 6-1 7.0 References ................................................................................................................................... 7-1 Appendix A Regionally Occurring Special-Status Species Lists .................................................. A-1 Appendix B Listed, Proposed Species, and Critical Habitat Potentially Occurring or Known to Occur in the Project Region ......................................................................................... B-1 Appendix