BEsT MANAGEMENT PRACTICEs HANDbooK - Tahoe BMP

Noise pollution from dredging or other activities may also be a major concernwhen in the proximity of bird nesting sites 96 . However, breeding activities areseasonal, and disturbance can be avoided by scheduling the operations duringnon-usage periods.8.14.3.2 BIOLOGICAL IMPACT ASSESSMENTThe assessment of biological impacts must begin very early in the planning andpermitting process. Some types of biological studies are time consuming andoften require data collection over an extended period of time. Earlyidentification of specific biological issues is critical to successful permitting.Often a key issue is the possible siting of a project in a valuable or rarebiological area (e.g. Tahoe yellow cress habitat). If the ecosystem can be locatedand mapped early, it might be possible to move the project elsewhere to avoidthe impacts or redesign the project to minimize or reduce the potentialimpacts. 978.14.3.3 HABITAT MODIFICATIONAll shorezone protection projects result in some modification of shorezonehabitats. Beach nourishment or replenishment may result in smothered benthiccommunities, although the recovery of these communities followingnourishment is reported to be generally rapid. 98 Shorezone protectivestructures provide a permanent alteration of the foreshore substrate or bottom.In some cases, the tradeoff made in replacing soft bottom habitat (mud or sand)with hard bottom habitat (rock, at least in rubble mound structures) hasgenerally been viewed as a beneficial impact associated with lake shorezoneprotective structures where diversity is desired. 99 Such habitat modification istypically not a major biological impact issue except when highly productivehabitats such as spawning and nesting areas are involved. 1008.14.3.4 FISH MIGRATIONThe impact of shorezone protective structures on fish and larval migration hasbeen raised as a biological issue. Early life history stages of many importantcommercial and sport fishes are almost entirely dependent on open, highquality waterways for transportation between nearshore and estuarine96Buckley, P. A. and F. G. Buckley, 1977, Auk 94:36-43, Hexagonal packing of Royal Tern nests97USACE, 1989, EM 1110-2 -5025, Environmental Engineering for Coastal Shore Protectionand USACE, 2008, Coastal Engineering Manual - Parts I-698Naqvi, Syed M; Pullen, Edward J, 1982, Coastal Engineering Research Center Technical Bulletin, FortBelvoir VA99Hyland, J. L., L. Balthis, C. T. Hackney, G. McRae, A. H. Ringwood, T. R. Snoots, R. F. VanDolah, and T. L. Wade. 1998, NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS ORCA 123. NOAA/NOS,Office of Ocean Resources Conservation and Assessment, Silver Spring, MD, Environmental qualityof estuaries of the Carolinian Province: 1995. Annual statistical summary for the 1995 EMAP-EstuariesDemonstration Project in the Carolinian Province.100USACE, 1989, EM 1110-2 -5025, Environmental Engineering for Coastal Shore ProtectionCHAPTER 8: Shorezone Protective Structures and BMPsTRPA BMP HandbookPage 8-92 2012