Department of Water and Power City of Los Angeles DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT Yellow-billed Cuckoo Habitat Enhancement Plans at Baker Creek and Hogback Creek in Inyo County VOLUME 1 January 2006 SCH No. 2005102126 DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT Yellow-billed Cuckoo Habitat Enhancement Plans at Baker Creek and Hogback Creek in Inyo County VOLUME 1 January 2006 State Clearinghouse No. 2005102126 Prepared by: Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Table of Contents VOLUME 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................. vii 1.0 INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................1-1 1.1 Environmental Review Process .......................................................................1-1 1.2 Draft EIR Content and Organization ...............................................................1-2 2.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION..................................................................................2-1 2.1 Project Background..........................................................................................2-1 2.2 Project Objectives............................................................................................2-1 2.3 Project Location...............................................................................................2-1 2.4 MOU Consultant Project..................................................................................2-3 2.4.1 Environmental Protection Measures............................................................2-3 2.4.2 Reviewing Public Agencies and Project Approval......................................2-6 3.0 AESTHETIC RESOURCES................................................................................3-1 3.1 Existing Conditions..........................................................................................3-1 3.1.1 Applicable Plans and Policies......................................................................3-1 3.1.2 Visual Conditions........................................................................................3-2 3.2 Impacts and Mitigation ....................................................................................3-8 3.2.1 Thresholds of Significance..........................................................................3-8 3.2.2 Impact Assessment.......................................................................................3-8 3.2.3 Significance After Mitigation ......................................................................3-9 4.0 AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES......................................................................4-1 4.1 Existing Conditions..........................................................................................4-1 4.1.1 Applicable Plans and Policies......................................................................4-1 4.1.2 Regional Agricultural Economy ..................................................................4-2 4.1.3 Agricultural Resources within the Project Area ..........................................4-4 4.2 Impacts and Mitigation ....................................................................................4-7 4.2.1 Thresholds of Significance..........................................................................4-7 4.2.2 Impact Assessment.......................................................................................4-8 4.2.3 Significance After Mitigation ....................................................................4-10 5.0 AIR QUALITY....................................................................................................5-1 5.1 Existing Conditions..........................................................................................5-1 5.1.1 Applicable Standards, Rules, and Regulations ............................................5-1 5.1.2 Existing Air Quality of Project Areas..........................................................5-2 5.1.3 Meteorology/Climate ...................................................................................5-5 5.1.4 Sensitive Receptors......................................................................................5-6 5.2 Impacts and Mitigation ....................................................................................5-6 5.2.1 Thresholds of Significance..........................................................................5-6 5.2.2 Impact Assessment Methodology................................................................5-8 5.2.3 Impact Analysis Results...............................................................................5-9 5.2.4 Significance of Impacts..............................................................................5-14 5.2.5 Significance After Mitigation ....................................................................5-15 6.0 BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES.............................................................................6-1 6.1 Existing Conditions..........................................................................................6-1 6.1.1 Special Land Designations...........................................................................6-1 Yellow-billed Cuckoo Enhancement Introduction Projects in Inyo County i 6.1.2 Plant and Wildlife Communities..................................................................6-1 6.1.3 Jurisdictional Waters....................................................................................6-6 6.1.4 Special-Status Species.................................................................................6-6 6.1.5 Wildlife Movement Corridors....................................................................6-16 6.2 Impacts and Mitigation ..................................................................................6-16 6.2.1 Thresholds of Significance........................................................................6-16 6.2.2 Impact Assessment.....................................................................................6-17 6.2.3 Significance After Mitigation ....................................................................6-22 7.0 CULTURAL RESOURCES................................................................................7-1 7.1 Existing Conditions..........................................................................................7-1 7.1.1 Prehistory Background.................................................................................7-1 7.1.2 Ethnography Background............................................................................7-2 7.1.3 History Background.....................................................................................7-2 7.1.4 Affected Environment of the Project Sites ..................................................7-3 7.1.5 State Regulations.........................................................................................7-5 7.2 Impacts and Mitigation ....................................................................................7-7 7.2.1 Thresholds of Significance..........................................................................7-7 7.2.2 Impact Evaluation Methods .........................................................................7-7 7.2.3 Impact Assessment.......................................................................................7-9 7.2.4 Significance After Mitigation ....................................................................7-11 8.0 GEOLOGY AND SOILS ....................................................................................8-1 8.1 Existing Conditions..........................................................................................8-1 8.1.1 Geology........................................................................................................8-1 8.1.2 Soils..............................................................................................................8-2 8.2 Impacts and Mitigation ..................................................................................8-10 8.2.1 Thresholds of Significance........................................................................8-10 8.2.2 Impact Assessment.....................................................................................8-11 8.2.3 Significance After Mitigation ....................................................................8-15 9.0 HAZARDS...........................................................................................................9-1 9.1 Existing Conditions..........................................................................................9-1 9.1.1 Hazardous Materials....................................................................................9-1 9.1.2 Fire Protection and Fuels .............................................................................9-2 9.2 Impacts and Mitigation ....................................................................................9-4 9.2.1 Thresholds of Significance..........................................................................9-4 9.2.2 Impact Assessment.......................................................................................9-4 9.2.3 Significance After Mitigation ......................................................................9-7 10.0 NOISE................................................................................................................10-1 10.1 Existing Conditions........................................................................................10-1