Draft Construction and Operations Plan Volume III Text Vineyard Wind Project June 3, 2020 Submitted by Vineyard Wind LLC 700 Pleasant Street, Suite 510 New Bedford, Massachusetts 02740 Submitted to Prepared by Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Epsilon Associates, Inc. 45600 Woodland Road 3 Mill & Main Place, Suite 250 Sterling, Virginia 20166 Maynard, Massachusetts 01754 Draft Construction and Operations Plan Volume III Text Vineyard Wind Project Submitted to: BUREAU OF OCEAN ENERGY MANAGEMENT 45600 Woodland Rd Sterling, VA 20166 Submitted by: VINEYARD WIND LLC 700 Pleasant Street, Suite 510 New Bedford, MA 02740 Prepared by: EPSILON ASSOCIATES, INC. 3 Mill & Main Place, Suite 250 Maynard, MA 01754 In Association with: Baird & Associates JASCO Applied Sciences Biodiversity Research Institute Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP C2Wind Public Archaeology Laboratory, Inc. Capitol Air Space Group RPS Clarendon Hill Consulting Saratoga Associates Ecology and Environment Swanson Environmental Associates Foley Hoag Wood Thilsted Partners Ltd Geo SubSea LLC WSP Gray & Pape June 3, 2020 Section 6.0 Biological Resources 6.0 BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES 6.1 Terrestrial Fauna Including Inland Birds This section addresses impacts to terrestrial wildlife species, including inland birds, associated with the Project’s onshore facilities. These facilities, which include a duct bank, splice vaults, and an onshore substation, are described in detail in Section 2.2.1 and are located between the potential Landfall Sites in Barnstable or Yarmouth and the Project’s utility interconnection point in Barnstable. Coastal and marine birds are discussed in Section 6.2 and bats are discussed in Section 6.3. Coastal habitats are discussed in Section 6.4. 6.1.1 Description of the Affected Environment The terrestrial areas impacted by the Project include those along the Onshore Export Cable Route, the Project’s onshore substation, and utility interconnection point at the Barnstable Switching Station or West Barnstable Substation. Coastal areas and habitat impacted by the Project’s horizontal directional drilling (“HDD”) Landfall Site are discussed in Section 6.4, below. 6.1.1.1 Terrestrial Habitats Onshore Export Cable Route As described in Section 3.0 of Volume I and as shown on Figure 2.2-1 in Volume I, the Project Envelope includes two main Onshore Export Cable Routes: one from the Covell’s Beach Landfall Site to the onshore substation (the Western Onshore Export Cable Route) and a second from either the New Hampshire Avenue to the onshore substation (the Eastern Onshore Export Cable Route). For both Onshore Export Cable Routes, the majority of each route is located beneath paved roadways that pass through residential and commercial areas and have sufficiently wide shoulders to avoid impacts to terrestrial wildlife habitat. The segments of the Onshore Export Cable Routes that are not located beneath paved roadways follow other previously disturbed corridors, such as railroad and electric transmission rights-of-way (“ROW”), thereby minimizing potential impacts to terrestrial wildlife. A description of the two potential Onshore Export Cable Routes is included below. Western Onshore Export Cable Route from Covell’s Beach Landfall Site ♦ Approximately 2.6 kilometers (“km”) (1.6 miles [“mi”]) of the Western Onshore Export Cable Route is located off-road and along a utility ROW. This route crosses active sand and gravel mining and processing facility, several commercial 4903/COP Volume III 6-1 Biological Resources Site Characterization and Impact Assessment Epsilon Associates, Inc. properties, and an area controlled by the Town of Barnstable and subject to a conservation restriction. Outside of the active industrial and commercial areas, the ROW is managed by the utility to exclude incompatible vegetation, including most trees and all tall-growing plant species. As a result of these management practices, the habitat within the utility ROW is predominantly grass and scrubland. Eastern Onshore Export Cable Route from New Hampshire Avenue ♦ Approximately 0.8 km (0.5 mi) of the Eastern Onshore Export Cable Route is located along a railroad corridor owned and operated by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Within this segment, the duct bank would be installed beneath the existing rail bed, requiring temporary removal of the rails and ties. This work would take place during the winter months when the railroad is not in service. The rail bed would then be restored to preconstruction condition. The duct bank installation for this segment can be completed entirely within a previously disturbed area thereby minimizing direct disturbance to any adjacent wildlife habitat. ♦ Approximately 1.9 km (1.2 mi) of the Eastern Onshore Export Cable Route is located off-road and along a utility ROW. This route traverses a rolling landscape that is actively managed by the utility to exclude incompatible vegetation, including most trees and all tall-growing plant species. As a result of these management practices, the habitat within the utility ROW is predominantly grass and scrubland with graminoids, goldenrods (Solidago spp.), asters (Asteraceae), and various forbs. Low- growing shrubs include Scrub Oak (Quercus ilicifolia), Sweet Fern (Comptonia peregrina), Bayberry (Morella pensylvanica), Southern Arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum), Northern Arrowwood (V. recognitum), Green Briar (Smilax rotundifolia), Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinum corymbosum), Lowbush Blueberry (V. angustifolium), and Huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata). The Project is also evaluating a route variant that would follow a proposed bike path approximately 2.1 km (1.3 mi) through the Hyannis Ponds Wildlife Management Area (“HPWMA”) as an alternative to the preferred routing within the utility ROW. The HPWMA is predominately a Pine-Oak forest community. Vegetation is comprised primarily of Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida) and Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea) in the tree layer with Black Huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata) and Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) dominant in the understory. Bracken Fern (Pteridium aquilinum) and Teaberry (Gaultheria procumbens) are common ground covers. The HPWMA is managed by the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (“MassDFW”) for both hunting and passive recreation purposes. 4903/COP Volume III 6-2 Biological Resources Site Characterization and Impact Assessment Epsilon Associates, Inc. Approximately 0.6 km (0.4 mi) of the Eastern Onshore Export Cable Route is located along an unimproved dirt access road that leads from Mary Dunn Road to the utility ROW and Barnstable Switching Station. This access road varies in width from 3.7 to 6.1 meters (“m”) (12 to 20 feet [“ft”]) and is located directly south of the Route 6 highway layout. Duct bank installation in this segment would require clearing of approximately 740 square meters (“m2”) (8,000 square feet [“ft2”]) of vegetation, primarily Pitch Pine and Oak saplings, along the more narrow sections of the access road. Along the portion of either Onshore Export Cable Route, no areas of rare species habitats have been mapped by the MassDFW, Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (“NHESP”). Coastal rare species habitat associated with the Landfall Sites are discussed in Section 6.4. Additionally, no segment of any Onshore Export Cable Route crosses wetlands. However, the Onshore Export Cable Route from the New Hampshire Avenue Landfall Sites crosses over a culvert that carries Thornton Brook beneath Higgins Crowell Road in Yarmouth (see Figure 6.1-1). For this route, there are also two wetland areas adjacent to the utility ROW: one on the north side of the corridor just west of the railroad in Yarmouth (see Figure 6.1-1) and another along the south side of the corridor and just west of Mary Dunn Road (see Figure 6.1-2). At both of these locations, the Onshore Export Cable Route is more than 30 m (100 ft) from these wetland areas and they will not be impacted by the Project. There are no other wetland areas within 30 m (100 ft) of the Project’s onshore facilities. Onshore Substation Site The Project’s onshore substation is located on the eastern portion of a previously developed site within the Independence Park commercial/industrial area in Barnstable, as shown in Figures 6.1-1 and 6.1-2. The site consists of approximately 0.03 km2 (8.55 acres) of mostly wooded land, but the site also includes previously disturbed land, portions of an existing building (the Cape Cod Times Production Center), a small building on the northern portion of the site, paved circulation roads, landscaped dividers, and parking lots for the former Cape Cod Times Production Center. The topography of the site is moderately hilly with elevations ranging from a low of approximately 18 m (60 ft) (NAVD88) in the southern portion to approximately 30 m (100 ft) along the northern boundary (Town of Barnstable GIS). The site vegetation is comprised primarily of Pitch Pine and Scarlet Oak in the tree layer with Black Huckleberry and Lowbush Blueberry dominant in the understory. Bracken Fern and Teaberry are present as ground covers. These types of Pitch Pine-Oak forests are very common on Cape Cod, often developing in sandy areas that have been subjected to repeated burnings (DeGraaf and Yamasaki, 2001). 4903/COP Volume III 6-3 Biological Resources Site Characterization and Impact Assessment Epsilon Associates, Inc. G:\Projects2\MA\MA\4903\2020\Task_1\MXD\wetlands_PR_20200528.mxd Data Source: Office of Geographic Information (MassGIS), Commonwealth of Massachusetts,