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

2.0 Project Description
Management Area is located to the east and the DFG Shooting Range is south of the site
(Figure 2‐2).
The nearest population centers include the city of Oroville (15,000 population), approximately
3 miles east of Clay Pit SRVA, and the city of Gridley (6,500 population), approximately 9 miles
southwest. The largest city in the region is Chico (88,000 population), approximately 30 miles to
the northwest. Sacramento (447,000 population) is approximately 70 miles to the south. The
population within unincorporated Butte County includes approximately 84,000 people (DOF
2010).
The clay pit basin (a large, shallow, excavated depression) was formed when clay was mined and
used to construct the Oroville Dam in the 1960s. This mining intensely altered the natural
topography of the project site. A terrace surrounding the excavated pit contains the only
remaining natural topography and vegetation. A central drainage canal transects the site from the
northwest to the southeast. During the rainy season, runoff from the airport property to the north
is conveyed through a culvert under Larkin Road and into this canal. This water is then discharged
off‐site to a remnant oxbow lake within the DFG Oroville Wildlife Management Area, adjacent to
the Feather River.
Plant communities in Clay Pit SVRA consist of degraded annual grassland and wetlands. Wetland
communities include vernal pools, an intermittent drainage, the drainage canal, and an emergent
marsh. Degraded annual grasslands occur primarily along the bluffs and elevated rim along the
northern and western perimeter of the SVRA, but also are located throughout the SVRA basin floor
where slight elevations in microtopography occur.
Clay Pit SVRA is considered a destination for beginner and intermediate riders and offers hills to
climb, an open OHV recreation area, and informal trails. The SVRA contains a limited number of
developed facilities, including a paved parking lot, an interpretive sign, two shade ramadas, two
picnic tables, and a vault toilet. Estimates of visitation range from 8,900 to 13,800 passenger
vehicles per year. Using a ratio of 2.5 people per vehicle generates an estimated range of 22,250–
34,500 visitors per year (Appendix C in the Clay Pit SVRA General Plan).
2.2 Project Background
SVRAs are OHV parks that are operated by the OHMVR Division of State Parks. OHVs are land
vehicles mostly used for recreation purposes, such as all‐terrain vehicles (ATVs), motorcycles, and
4‐wheel‐drive trucks. The OHMVR Division is mandated to ensure that SVRAs are managed for
long‐term environmental sustainability and to comply with applicable environmental laws,
guidelines, and regulations.
Clay Pit State Vehicular Recreation Area
February 2012 2-2 Draft EIR