SFPUC 2001 Alameda Watershed Management Plan

III. ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING AND IMPACTSD. HYDROLOGY AND WATER QUALITYactivities, and other land use issues in order to maintain and improve water quality. Thesepolicies aim to minimize or reduce water quality problems through the control of erosion,sedimentation, stormwater runoff, the introduction of undesired constituents into the watersupply, and land ownership and activities. Implementation of these policies and associatedmanagement actions would result in direct beneficial effects to water quality in the Watershed.As stated in the Management Plan, “[i]n management of the primary Watershed, the primary goalmust be met first, even if an intended action is focused on a secondary goal.” Thus, for theprimary Watershed, policies under the six supporting secondary goals and associatedmanagement actions, while not directly supporting the primary goal, are still intended to beconsistent with the overriding, primary goal of improving and maintaining water quality.The policies and management actions identified in the Management Plan cover a diverse range ofland uses and management activities that have the potential to affect water quality either directlyor indirectly. These activities have historically resulted (or have been suspected to result) indirect or indirect impacts to water quality and include public access and use, construction of newfacilities, watershed operation and maintenance activities (including management of hazardousmaterials, stormwater drainage, vegetation and pest management, etc.), gravel mining operations,grazing, nursery operations, and golf course use. Unless proper precautions are employed, thesevarious activities individually or in combination could result in significant effects on hydrologyand water quality. The Management Plan is designed so that policies and/or management actionspertaining to these activities would reduce or mitigate the potential effects on water quality,thereby achieving the primary goal of maintaining and improving water quality. Table III.D-1summarizes policies and Table II-1 summarizes the actions that are related to maintenance andprotection of water quality.For all potential water quality impacts, the 31 Water Quality Policies (WQ1 to WQ31) presentedin the Management Plan would address water quality protection in the Watershed and, inconjunction with a wide array of other policies and management actions, would reduce waterquality impacts to a less than significant level when considered on a program-level. In addition,as stated previously, there are numerous interrelated water quality policies and managementactions throughout the Management Plan, including actions for review, staffing, training, andfunding, that collectively would serve to reduce potential water quality impacts associated withManagement Plan implementation through collaborative efforts.Six general categories of Management Plan actions that could result in water quality impacts arediscussed below: increased public access and use, development of new facilities, Watershedoperations and maintenance activities, mining operations, nursery operations, and golf courseuse. One category of actions, livestock grazing, would result in a beneficial impact to waterquality and is discussed separately.Improved Water Quality due to Grazing Management ActionsGrazing is currently allowed on the Alameda Watershed and has occurred on these lands for over200 years. Under the Management Plan, grazing would be continued, but at a reduced levelNOP 96.223E: Alameda Watershed Management Plan III.D-9 ESA / 930385January 2001