State Route 58 Widening Project - Bakersfield Freeways

Chapter 3.
Results: Environmental
Setting
3.1. Description of Existing Biological and Physical
Conditions
3.1.1. Study Area
The BSA is located along SR-58 in the City of Bakersfield, in Kern County,
California. The BSA includes the current highway pavement and shoulders, ROW,
and a buffer zone extending 500 feet north and south of it (Figures 3A–3C). The BSA
is located in the western portion of the MBHCP on the USGS’s 7.5-minute Rosedale
and Oildale quadrangles (Figure 4).
Several watercourses are located within, or in proximity to, the BSA. The Kern River
is located southeast of the BSA boundary, the Friant-Kern Canal crosses the BSA just
east of Coffee Road, the Calloway Canal crosses the BSA at multiple locations in the
eastern portion of the BSA, and Emery Ditch occurs north of SR-58 just east of the
Calloway Canal.
Land uses in the BSA include commercial, industrial, and residential development as
well as some undeveloped lots interspersed with the developed areas.
3.1.2. Physical Conditions
The BSA is located in the southern San Joaquin Valley, which is in the southernmost
basin of the Great Central Valley of California. Topography in the BSA is generally
flat with elevation ranges from approximately 365 to 400 feet above mean sea level.
The SJVR crosses SR-58 west of SR-99 at Landco Drive and again east of Allen
Road.
The following soil types are located within the BSA: Cajon loamy sand, Cajon sandy
loam and Wasco sandy loam. None of these soils are considered to be hydric
(Reed 1988).
State Route 58 Widening Project Biological Assessment 21