Final FONSI and EA for hot cargo pad on Kirtland AFB - Kirtland Air ...

<strong>Final</strong> <strong>EA</strong> Addressing Construction, Operation, <strong>and</strong> Maintenance of a Hot Cargo Pad
Storm water runoff on Kirtl<strong>and</strong> AFB predominantly flows through the drainage patterns created by
natural terrain <strong>and</strong> paved surfaces. In some areas, runoff is directed through ditches <strong>and</strong> piping, with
direct discharges into a receiving stream or surface water body. Kirtl<strong>and</strong> AFB has a Storm Water
Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4), which collects <strong>and</strong> conveys storm water from storm
drains, pipes, <strong>and</strong> ditches, <strong>and</strong> discharges storm water into Tijeras Arroyo <strong>and</strong> the City of Albuquerque’s
MS4. Storm water in the developed area of Kirtl<strong>and</strong> AFB drains into small culverts. There are also four
storm water detention ponds within the cantonment area. Storm water in the industrial/laboratory areas of
Kirtl<strong>and</strong> AFB discharges via surface runoff or three large culverts that drain toward Tijeras Arroyo.
Kirtl<strong>and</strong> AFB has an NPDES General Storm Water Permit <strong>for</strong> industrial activities <strong>and</strong> an active program
<strong>for</strong> construction projects that require an NPDES permit. Kirtl<strong>and</strong> AFB must also comply with MS4
permit requirements <strong>and</strong> has developed a Storm Water Management Plan as required by the MS4 permit
(KAFB 2002).
Floodplains. A 100-year floodplain encompasses Tijeras Arroyo <strong>and</strong> Arroyo del Coyote (see
Figure 3-7). These are the only two arroyos with a floodplain on the installation. Vegetation can
encroach on the Tijeras Arroyo channel <strong>and</strong> obstruct the flow of water, which can cause flooding,
especially during high-intensity thunderstorms between May <strong>and</strong> October. Tijeras Arroyo <strong>and</strong> Arroyo del
Coyote floods occur infrequently <strong>and</strong> are characterized by high peak flows, small volumes, <strong>and</strong> short
durations (KAFB 2007).
3.7 Biological Resources
3.7.1 Definition of the Resource
Biological resources include native or naturalized plants <strong>and</strong> animals <strong>and</strong> the habitats in which they occur,
<strong>and</strong> native or introduced species found in l<strong>and</strong>scaped or disturbed areas. Protected species are defined as
those listed as threatened, endangered, or proposed or c<strong>and</strong>idate <strong>for</strong> listing by the U.S. Fish <strong>and</strong> Wildlife
Service (USFWS); New Mexico Energy, Minerals, <strong>and</strong> Natural Resources Department; or NMDGF.
Federal species of concern are not protected by law; however, these species could become listed, <strong>and</strong>
there<strong>for</strong>e are given consideration when addressing biological resource impacts of an action.
Sensitive habitats include those areas designated by the USFWS as critical habitat protected by the
Endangered Species Act (ESA) <strong>and</strong> sensitive ecological areas as designated by state or Federal rulings.
Sensitive habitats also include wetl<strong>and</strong>s, plant communities that are unusual or of limited distribution, <strong>and</strong>
important seasonal use areas <strong>for</strong> wildlife (e.g., migration routes, breeding areas, crucial summer/winter
habitats).
Wetl<strong>and</strong>s are an important natural system <strong>and</strong> habitat because of the diverse biologic <strong>and</strong> hydrologic
functions they per<strong>for</strong>m. These functions include water quality improvement, groundwater recharge <strong>and</strong>
discharge, pollution mitigation, nutrient cycling, wildlife habitat provision, <strong>and</strong> erosion protection.
Wetl<strong>and</strong>s have been defined as areas that are “inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at a
frequency <strong>and</strong> duration sufficient to support, <strong>and</strong> under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of
vegetation typically adapted <strong>for</strong> life in saturated soil conditions” (USACE 1987). Wetl<strong>and</strong>s are protected
as a subset of the “waters of the United States” under Section 404 of the CWA. The term “waters of the
United States” has a broad meaning under the CWA <strong>and</strong> incorporates deepwater aquatic habitats <strong>and</strong>
special aquatic habitats, including wetl<strong>and</strong>s. For regulatory purposes, wetl<strong>and</strong>s are defined by three
factors: vegetation, hydrologic regime, <strong>and</strong> soil characteristics. In addition, many states have local
regulations governing wetl<strong>and</strong>s <strong>and</strong> their buffer areas.
In 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court addressed the jurisdictional scope of Section 404 of the CWA,
specifically the term “the waters of the United States,” in Rapanos v. United States <strong>and</strong> in Carabell v.
Kirtl<strong>and</strong> AFB, NM January 2011
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