Salton Sea Species Conservation Habitat Project Paleontological Resources Monitoring and Mitigation Plan Prepared for July 2019 California Department of Water Resources 1416 Ninth Street, Room 452-1 Sacramento, CA 95814 Salton Sea Species Conservation Habitat Project Paleontological Resources Monitoring and Mitigation Plan Prepared for July 2019 California Department of Water Resources 1416 Ninth Street, Room 452-1 Sacramento, CA 95814 ESA Task Order Manager: Candace Ehringer, M.A., RPA Principal Investigator/Author: Joe Stewart, Ph.D. 626 Wilshire Boulevard Suite 1100 Los Angeles, CA 90017 r ESA 213.599.4300 www.esassoc.com ~ Irvine Sacramento Los Angeles San Diego Oakland San Francisco Orlando Santa Monica Pasadena Seattle Petaluma Tampa Portland Woodland Hills 170020.15 OUR COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY | ESA helps a variety of public and private sector clients plan and prepare for climate change and emerging regulations that limit GHG emissions. 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TABLE OF CONTENTS Salton Sea Species Conservation Habitat Project – Paleontological Resources Monitoring and Mitigation Plan Page 1.0 Introduction..................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Personnel ................................................................................................................... 2 1.2 Project Location ......................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Project Description ..................................................................................................... 4 2.0 Regulatory Framework .................................................................................................. 5 2.1 Federal ....................................................................................................................... 5 2.2 State ........................................................................................................................... 5 2.3 Local ........................................................................................................................... 6 2.4 Professional Standards .............................................................................................. 6 3.0 Project Impacts ............................................................................................................... 9 3.1 Construction Methods ............................................................................................... 9 3.2 Paleontological Resource Potential ......................................................................... 12 4.0 Mitigation and Monitoring Plan .................................................................................. 14 4.1 Qualified Personnel .................................................................................................. 14 4.2 Preconstruction Survey ............................................................................................ 16 4.3 Construction Worker Training .................................................................................. 16 4.4 Monitoring Requirements ......................................................................................... 17 4.5 Inadvertent Discoveries ............................................................................................ 17 4.6 Laboratory Procedures ............................................................................................. 18 4.7 Reporting .................................................................................................................. 19 4.8 Curation .................................................................................................................... 19 5.0 Notification Procedures ............................................................................................... 20 5.1 Chain of Command .................................................................................................. 20 5.2 Contact Information .................................................................................................. 20 References .............................................................................................................................. 21 List of Figures Figure 1 Project Location ......................................................................................................... 3 Figure 2 Geology .................................................................................................................... 13 Figure 3 Project Vicinity Fossil Sites ...................................................................................... 15 Salton Sea Species Conservation Habitat Plan Project i ESA / 170020.15 Paleontological Resources Monitoring and Mitigation Plan July 2019 SALTON SEA SPECIES CONSERVATION HABITAT PLAN PROJECT Paleontological Resources Monitoring and Mitigation Plan 1.0 Introduction Environmental Science Associates (ESA) has been retained by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) to prepare a Paleontological Resources Monitoring and Mitigation Plan (PRMMP) for the Salton Sea Species Conservation Habitat Plan Project (SCH Project or Project). The Project would restore shallow water habitat lost due to the Salton Sea’s ever-increasing salinity and reduced area as the sea recedes. This is a design/build project, so plans have been evolving, and specific plans are not available at this time. DWR and the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFW) prepared the Final Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) on behalf of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (federal lead agency) and California Natural Resource Agency (state lead agency). It was certified on August 5, 2013. This PRMMP provides guidance for the monitoring and protection of paleontological resources during ground-disturbing activities for the SCH Project and has been prepared in compliance with Mitigation Measures PALEO-1, PALEO-2, and PALEO-3 listed in the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP) of the FEIS/EIR. Mitigation Measure PALEO-1: Prepare and implement a survey plan and a paleontological monitoring plan. A plan for the survey of SCH Project areas will be prepared to facilitate identification of paleontological resources prior to initiation of ground-disturbing activities. Additionally, prior to construction, a certified paleontologist retained by the lead agencies will supervise monitoring of construction excavations and produce a Paleontological Resource Management Recovery Plan. Paleontological monitoring will include inspection of exposed rock units and microscopic examination of matrix to determine if fossils are present. The monitor will have authority to temporarily divert grading away from exposed fossils to recover the fossil specimens. Monitoring will take place on a full-time basis when construction occurs at depths greater than 5 feet, part-time (4 hours a day) when excavations exceed 2 feet, and on a spotcheck basis on excavations less than 2 feet. The paleontologist will document interim results of the construction monitoring program with monthly progress reports. Additionally, at each fossil locality, field data forms will record that locality, stratigraphic columns will be measured, and appropriate scientific samples will be submitted for analysis. Salton Sea Species Conservation Habitat Plan Project 1 ESA / 170020.15 Paleontological Resources Monitoring and Mitigation Plan July 2019 Paleontological Resources Monitoring and Mitigation Plan Mitigation Measure PALEO -2: Conduct worker training. Construction supervisors and crew will receive training by a certified paleontologist in the procedures for identifying and protecting paleontological resources, as well as procedures to be implemented in the event fossil remains are encountered during ground-disturbing activities. Mitigation Measure PALEO -3: Prepare and implement a paleontological resource data recovery plan. If fossils are encountered during construction, construction activities will be temporarily diverted from the discovery, and the monitor will notify all concerned parties and collect matrix for testing and processing as directed by the Project paleontologist. To expedite removal of fossil-bearing matrix, the monitor will be empowered to request heavy machinery to assist in moving large quantities of matrix out of the path of construction to designated stockpile areas. Construction will resume at the discovery location once all the necessary matrix is stockpiled, as determined by the paleontological monitor. Testing of stockpiles will consist of screen washing small samples to determine if important fossils are present. If such fossils are present, the additional matrix from the stockpiles will be water screened to ensure recovery of a scientifically significant sample. Samples collected will be limited to a maximum of 6,000 pounds per locality. The Project paleontologist will direct identification, laboratory processing, cataloguing, analysis, and documentation of the fossil collections. When appropriate,