Environmental Impact Statement - Sonoma Land Trust

California Department of Fish and Game
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Chapter 1. Introduction, Purpose, and Need
- modification of estimates of soil quantities for levee and berm
construction,
- modification of the design for the access road and selection of the
Bay Trail alignment,
- modification of the pre-vegetation approach
- modification of levee breach phasing and dredging
- modifications to the trail design
The changes described below generally apply to both the Proposed Project and
Full-Tidal Alternative, unless noted otherwise.
The proposed power pole alignment was modified to also include an alignment
which would avoid the need to cross Tolay Creek, and would connect to existing
power lines along Highway 37, based on a site visit by PG&E.
Further detail has been provided regarding the proposed changes to the
stormwater management system and associated habitat enhancement activities.
The description of the stormwater management system changes was also clarified
(text was moved between sections) to clearly distinguish between activities that
would happen north and south of the rail line. The number of pump stations that
will be included in the final design has been reduced from 3 to 2 following
discussions with the neighboring vineyard owner.
The proposed 40-acre seasonal wetland enhancement area north of Highway 37
has been removed from the proposed project because of concerns from
neighboring landowners regarding flooding.
Soil quantities associated with various construction elements were updated based
on improved design information, and the low berm between the seasonal wetland
priority area and the agricultural priority area was eliminated because it is not
deemed necessary.
The pre-vegetation process has been modified because the process described in
the draft EIR/EIS was determined to be physically and financially infeasible due
to the large amount of infrastructure that would be required to conduct cyclic
raising and lowering of water levels within the site.
The design for the access road has been refined. A portion of the proposed access
road has been moved further to the west, and the entire access road would be
wider than described in the Draft EIR/EIS. In addition, this Final EIR/EIS
evaluates potential impacts associated with constructing all trail segments that
would potentially be constructed for each alternative rather than evaluating
specific Bay Trail options (combinations of potential trail segments). The
description of the Full-Tidal Alternative was further modified to delete Bay Trail
Segments 1 and 5, because placing these trail segments on the same levee as the
SMART rail line would have required the levee to be more than 60 feet wide at
the crest, and more than 120 feet wide at the crest for those sections that have
both Bay Trail Segments 1 and 5. Dimensions for all trail segments potentially
included in the project have been modified to be consistent with the Questa
Sears Point Wetland and Watershed Restoration
Project Final Environmental Impact
Report/Environmental Impact Statement
1-16
April 2012