SFPUC 2001 Alameda Watershed Management Plan

III. ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING AND IMPACTSF. AIR QUALITYPrescribed burning is associated with smoke production. However, implementation of prescribedburning under Policy F11, Fuel Management Projects and Action wil7, would involvedevelopment and approval of a prescription burn plan that includes measures to control smokeproduction and spread. These measures require selection of burn days based on air quality,weather conditions, and wind patterns. Therefore, implementation of prescribed burns under theManagement Plan would not result in significant air quality impacts.Construction equipment, haul truck trips, and construction-worker commute vehicles would alsogenerate criteria air pollutant emissions. Emissions from construction-worker commute tripswould be minor compared to the emissions generated by construction equipment. Criteria airpollutant emissions of ROG and NO x from these emissions sources would incrementally add toregional atmospheric loading of ozone precursors during project construction.The BAAQMD Guidelines recognize that construction equipment emits ozone precursors, butindicate that such emissions are included in the emissions inventory that is the basis for regionalair quality plans, and that construction emissions are not expected to impede attainment ormaintenance of ozone standards in the Bay Area (BAAQMD, 1996). Therefore, air pollutantemissions from construction equipment would not be a significant impact of implementation ofthe Management Plan.While the Management Plan proposes certain management actions that could bring aboutphysical effects, the Management Plan also includes actions that would reduce these potentialeffects. Table III.F-3 is provided to link, at a program level, those actions that could result inpotential impacts (column 1) with the full range of actions that could be required to reduce thepotential impacts (column 2). The table highlights in bold text those actions that may beessential to reduce significant impacts column 1 actions, depending on the specific nature of themanagement action, such as design, siting, or implementation schedule. These essential actions,as well as the other actions (in non-bold text) that would further reduce potential physical effects,are discussed below. The table also indicates the level of impact significance that would remainif the actions discussed were implemented. Not every bolded action would be necessary tomitigate the effects of the associated potential impact-causing management action. For example,a very minor structure such as a kiosk located in an environmentally non-sensitive area may notrequire any of the bolded actions to avoid a significant effect. Because implementationinformation, such as locations of specific facilities, is not yet known, the table indicates aprogram-level maximum number of measures that could possibly be required to avoid significantimpacts. Management actions would be reviewed at the time they are proposed forimplementation to determine the potential for project-specific impacts and to identify appropriatemitigation measures (see Section II.E.5.0, Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting).Under the Management Plan, the most important means of reducing potential air quality impactsassociated with Watershed construction activities is implementation of dust control bestmanagement practices (BMPs). Action des9 requires a dust abatement program that incorporatesBAAQMD recommended BMPs be implemented as part of all construction projects. TheseBMP’s include such measures as watering active construction areas, revegetating disturbed areasNOP 96.223E: Alameda Watershed Management Plan III.F-10 ESA / 930385January 2001