City of San Bernardino Municipal Water Department, 397 Chandler Place, San Bernardino, CA 92408 NOTICE OF INTENT TO ADOPT A MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION Vincent Well Foundation Stabilization Project The City of San Bernardino Municipal Water Department (Department) is proposing fortify the area surrounding the Vincent Well infrastructure with gabion baskets within the subsurface adjacent to the well, in a horseshoe shape encompassing approximately 0.38 acre. The well is located within the Cajon Wash, an approximately 1,000 foot-wide braided channel that originates out of the San Gabriel mountains to the north and is a tributary to Lytle Creek to the south. Over the past several years, the well infrastructure has undergone several emergency repairs due to damage from storm flows within Cajon Creek. The Project will protect the well from storm events so that it can be maintained as a viable source for City drinking water. The Vincent Well is one of the Department’s highly productive water production wells that provides water to the City. Originally constructed in the Cajon Wash in 1929 by the Muscoy Water Company, it was acquired by the Department in 1949, and redeveloped in the same location in 1968 and 1982. The current Project construction will occur at the well site and within approximately 20 feet of the existing well infrastructure. Access to the proposed Project site will be via an existing graded, unimproved access road that provides access from the west side of Cajon Boulevard through the wash, to the Vincent Well. The stockpile location is an approximate 2-acre upland area located approximately 1,700 feet northeast of the well construction site The Department has prepared a Draft Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to detail the proposed project; evaluate and describe the potential environmental impacts associated with the construction and operation of the proposed project; identify those impacts that could be significant; and present mitigation measures, which avoid, minimize or mitigate these impacts. As provided for by CEQA Section 21064.5, an MND may be prepared for a project subject to CEQA when the project will not result in significant environmental impacts that cannot be mitigated to a level below significance. The draft MND is available for public review on the Department’s website: https://www.sbmwd.org/196/Engineering-Reports-and-Plans In accordance with CEQA, a good faith effort has been made during the preparation of this draft MND to contact affected agencies, organizations, and individuals who may have an interest in this project. In reviewing the MND and initial study, affected public agencies and the interested public should focus on the sufficiency of the document in identifying and analyzing the possible impacts on the environment and ways in which the significant effects on the project area are proposed to be avoided or mitigated. Comments may be made on the draft MND in writing before the end of the comment period. Following the close of the public comment period, the San Bernardino Municipal Water Department Board of Directors will consider this MND and comments thereto in determining whether to certify the environmental document. Written comments on the draft MND should be sent to the following address no later than December 11, 2020: Miguel J. Guerrero, P.E., General Manager City of San Bernardino Municipal Water Department 397 Chandler Place, San Bernardino, CA 92408 [email protected] / (909) 384-5091 The City of San Bernardino Municipal Water Department Water Board will consider this document for approval and certification during a future public hearing. Initial Study Vincent Well Foundation Stabilization Project City of San Bernardino Municipal Water Department Prepared for: City of San Bernardino Municipal Water Department 397 Chandler Place San Bernardino, CA 92408 Prepared by: Jericho Systems, Inc. 47 N. 1st Street, Suite 1 Redlands, CA 92373 November 2020 City of San Bernardino Municipal Water Department 1682 Vincent Well Foundation Stabilization Project INITIAL STUDY [This page intentionally left blank] November 2020 Page ii City of San Bernardino Municipal Water Department 1682 Vincent Well Foundation Stabilization Project INITIAL STUDY TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Background ............................................................................................................................... 1 2 PROJECT LOCATION AND SETTING ............................................................................................ 2 3 PROJECT COMPONENTS ................................................................................................................. 2 3.1 Construction Scenario ............................................................................................................... 3 3.2 Potential Construction Equipment ............................................................................................ 3 3.3 Right-of-Way Acquisition ........................................................................................................ 4 3.4 Utility Relocation ...................................................................................................................... 4 3.5 Construction Staging and Access .............................................................................................. 4 3.6 Alternatives ............................................................................................................................... 5 4 ENVIRONMENTAL CHECKLIST FORM ...................................................................................... 11 5 SUMMARY OF MITIGATION MEASURES .................................................................................. 89 6 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................... 94 November 2020 Page iii City of San Bernardino Municipal Water Department 1682 Vincent Well Foundation Stabilization Project INITIAL STUDY TABLES Table 1 - Potential Equipment for Vincent Well Stabilization Project Table 2 – South Coast Air Basin Attainment Status Table 3 – Construction Emissions Table 4 – Greenhouse Gas Construction Emissions Table 5 - Land Use Compatibility for Community Noise Exposure Table 6 - Interior and Exterior Noise Standards Table 7 - Vibration Source Levels for Typical Construction Equipment Table 8 – Public Services FIGURES Figure 1 Regional Overview and Site Vicinity ..........................................................................................................6 Figure 2a Site Location - Aerial .................................................................................................................................7 Figure 2b Site Location - Topographic ......................................................................................................................8 Figure 3 Site Elevation ...............................................................................................................................................9 Figure 4 Construction Plan Overview ...................................................................................................................... 10 Section Figure X-1 FEMA 100-Year Floodplain ..................................................................................................... 62 APPENDICES Appendix A – Project Engineering Plans Appendix B – Air Quality Analysis Appendix C – Biological Resources Assessment Appendix D – Cultural Resources Assessment Appendix E – Design Technical Memo November 2020 Page iv City of San Bernardino Municipal Water Department 1682 Vincent Well Foundation Stabilization Project INITIAL STUDY 1 INTRODUCTION The City of San Bernardino Municipal Water Department’s Vincent Well provides drinking water mainly to the City of San Bernardino. The well is located within the Cajon Wash, an approximately 1,000 foot-wide braided channel that originates out of the San Gabriel mountains to the north and is a tributary to Lytle Creek to the south. Over the past several years, the well infrastructure has undergone several emergency repairs due to damage from storm flows within Cajon Creek. The City of San Bernardino Municipal Water Department (Department) is proposing fortify the area surrounding the Vincent Well infrastructure (Project). The Project consists of installing gabion baskets within the subsurface adjacent to the well, in a horseshoe shape encompassing approximately 0.38 acres. This permanent repair will require permits from the Corps of Engineers, the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board (SARWQCB) and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). The SARWQCB and CDFW will also require compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) prior to submittal of the permit applications. 1.1 Background The Department was created in 1905 as a municipal utility of the City of San Bernardino Charter and is governed by a Board of Water Commissioners. The Department obtains 100 percent of its water from pumping wells located in the Bunker Hill Groundwater Basin, a sub-basin of the San Bernardino Basin Area (SBBA). Management of this groundwater basin is coordinated through the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District (SBVMWD). The Department’s service area has