Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS ES EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ES.1 PROJECT BACKGROUND.........................................................................................ES-1 ES.2 PROJECT PURPOSE, NEED AND OBJECTIVES.....................................................ES-1 ES.3 PROJECT DESCRIPTION SUMMARY.......................................................................ES-2 ES.4 PURPOSE AND USE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT.....................ES-5 ES.5 SCOPE OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT ...................................................ES-5 ES.6 POTENTIAL IMPACTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES ...........................................ES-6 ES-7 PROJECT BENEFITS .................................................................................................ES-7 ES-8 ALTERNATIVES ANALYZED IN THIS DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT......................................................................................................................ES-8 ES-9 ENVIRONMENTALLY SUPERIOR ALTERNATIVE ...................................................ES-10 ES-10 AREAS OF KNOWN CONTROVERSY / ISSUES TO BE RESOLVED......................ES-12 ES-11 IMPACT SUMMARY....................................................................................................ES-13 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 PROJECT BACKGROUND -------------------------------------------------------------------------1-1 1.2 PURPOSE OF THE EIR -----------------------------------------------------------------------------1-1 1.3 CEQA REQUIREMENTS ----------------------------------------------------------------------------1-1 1.3.1 Public Scoping................................................................................................1-2 1.3.2 Previous Rail Planning Studies ......................................................................1-2 1.3.3 Technical Studies of the Project.....................................................................1-2 1.4 ORGANIZATION OF THE DEIR -------------------------------------------------------------------1-3 1.5 DEIR REVIEW AND PUBLIC COMMENT-------------------------------------------------------1-3 2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION 2.1 PROJECT OBJECTIVES, PURPOSE AND NEED.....................................................2-1 2.2 PROJECT LOCATION ................................................................................................2-2 2.3 CORRIDOR TRANSPORTATION CHARACTERISTICS ...........................................2-2 2.3.1 Population and Employment Growth..............................................................2-2 2.3.2 Travel Patterns ...............................................................................................2-4 2.3.3 Existing Transportation Systems....................................................................2-5 2.4 HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT..........................2-7 2.4.1 Formation of the SMART District....................................................................2-7 2.4.2 Initial Rail Planning Studies............................................................................2-8 2.4.3 The Sonoma-Marin Multimodal Transportation and Land Use Study ............2-9 2.4.4 SMART Commuter Rail Implementation Plan................................................2-9 Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit TOC-1 DEIR November 2005 Table of Contents 2.4.5 Rail/Ferry Connection .....................................................................................2-10 2.4.6 Rail Station Selection and Planning ...............................................................2-10 2.4.7 Maintenance Facility Planning........................................................................2-11 2.4.8 Bicycle/Pedestrian Pathway ...........................................................................2-12 2.5 PROPOSED PROJECT COMPONENTS....................................................................2-12 2.5.1 Rail Operations ...............................................................................................2-12 2.5.2 Bicycle/Pedestrian Pathway ...........................................................................2-14 2.5.3 Rail Corridor Description.................................................................................2-18 2.5.4 Rail Stations....................................................................................................2-32 2.5.5 Shuttle System................................................................................................2-52 2.5.6 Railway Improvements ...................................................................................2-53 2.5.7 Maintenance Facility .......................................................................................2-59 2.5.8 Security ...........................................................................................................2-62 2.6 SOUNDWALL REALIGNMENT–CALTRANS HIGWAY 101 WIDENING PROJECT .2-62 2.7 CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES ...................................................................................2-63 2.7.1 Construction Staging ......................................................................................2-63 2.7.2 Construction....................................................................................................2-64 2.8 PROJECT COST .........................................................................................................2-66 2.9 ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE MEASURES........................................................2-66 2.10 PROJECT REVIEW AND APPROVALS .....................................................................2-70 3. ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING, IMPACTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES 3.1 INTRODUCTION-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3-1 3.1.1 Assessment Methodology...............................................................................3-1 3.1.2 Key Assumptions ............................................................................................3-4 3.2 GEOLOGY, SOILS AND SEISMICITY----------------------------------------------------------- 3-6 3.2.1 Regulatory Setting ..........................................................................................3-6 3.2.2 Environmental Setting.....................................................................................3-6 3.2.3 Significance Criteria........................................................................................3-15 3.2.4 Impact Assessment Methodology...................................................................3-15 3.2.5 Impact Summary.............................................................................................3-16 3.2.6 Impacts and Mitigation Measures...................................................................3-16 3.3 WATER RESOURCES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3-21 3.3.1 Regulatory Setting ..........................................................................................3-21 3.3.2 Environmental Setting.....................................................................................3-24 3.3.3 Significance Criteria........................................................................................3-30 3.3.4 Impact Assessment Methodology...................................................................3-30 3.3.5 Impact Summary.............................................................................................3-30 3.3.6 Impacts and Mitigation Measures...................................................................3-31 3.4 HAZARDOUS MATERIALS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3-35 3.4.1 Regulatory Setting ..........................................................................................3-35 3.4.2 Environmental Setting.....................................................................................3-36 3.4.3 Significance Criteria........................................................................................3-39 Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit TOC-2 DEIR November 2005 Table of Contents 3.4.4 Impact Assessment Methodology ..................................................................3-39 3.4.5 Impact Summary ............................................................................................3-40 3.4.6 Impacts and Mitigation Measures...................................................................3-48 3.5 AIR QUALITY-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3-51 3.5.1 Regulatory Setting..........................................................................................3-51 3.5.2 Environmental Setting ....................................................................................3-56 3.5.3 Significance Criteria........................................................................................3-63 3.5.4 Impact Assessment Methodology ..................................................................3-63 3.5.5 Impact Summary ............................................................................................3-67 3.5.6 Impacts and Mitigation Measures...................................................................3-68 3.6 TRANSPORTATION----------------------------------------------------------------------------------3-76 3.6.1 Regulatory Setting..........................................................................................3-76 3.6.2 Environmental Setting ....................................................................................3-82