Draft Environmental Impact Report - California Off Highway Vehicle ...

3.10 Hazards and Hazardous Materials
would minimize the potential for hazardous material related accidents and spills, potential risks
associated with the use and transport of hazardous materials resulting from implementation of
the General Plan would be less than significant.
Mitigation Measures: No mitigation is required.
IMPACT
3.10-2
Potential Risks to People Residing or Working Near an Airport
Clay Pit SVRA is located south and east of the Oroville Municipal Airport across Larkin Road.
Implementation of the General Plan would not result in the construction of any new residences
near the airport, and would result in typically no more than five employees on‐site. Visitors to the
SVRA would remain only temporarily, thus reducing their exposure to airport‐related hazards (in
comparison to people working or living at a location near an airport).
The majority of the 220‐acre SVRA site is located in the Airport Traffic Pattern Zone (Zone C),
described in Section 3.10.2 of the ALUCP. Approximately 45 acres of the western portion of the
site is within the Extended Approach/Departure Zone (Zone B2). Objects located in Zone B2 must
be no more than 70 feet tall, and objects in Zone C must be no more than 100 feet tall. Because all
facilities proposed or envisioned in the General Plan would be single story they would comply
with these height restrictions.
Within Zone B2, the density of people in Clay Pit SVRA is limited to a maximum of 50 people/acre
averaged over the 45 acres, with no single acre to exceed 100 people. Within Zone C, the maximum
density is 100 people/acre averaged over the site, with no more than 300 people in any 1 acre
(Butte County 2000). Visitation projections indicate that implementation of the General Plan
would result in an estimated 350 visitors to the SVRA on a peak weekend day (General Plan
Appendix C). These estimates do not represent the number of visitors present at one time, since
visitors would arrive and leave at different times. In addition, visitors are usually scattered over
the 220‐acre site. Therefore, it is not expected that people would typically congregate in densities
that would exceed maximum density limitations in the ALUCP.
Although special events are anticipated to attract a similar number of visitors per day, they may
draw more visitors at one time, and participants and spectators likely would be concentrated in
and near the event areas. Therefore, depending upon the location of event areas and spectator
viewing areas, it is possible that special events could attract concentrations of people that would
exceed Zone B2 maximum density limitations. However, OM Guideline 5.1 requires event areas
and spectator viewing areas to be located to avoid exceeding the ALUCP land use compatibility
criteria. In addition, OM Guideline 4.7 requires that measures to limit such concentrations of
people be implemented as a requirement of Special Event permits. Such measures could include
closing access to a special event area if the number of visitors approaches density limits.
Clay Pit State Vehicular Recreation Area
February 2012 3.10-8 Draft EIR