To: Board of Supervisors
From: Warren Lai, Public Works Director/Chief Engineer
Report Title: APPROVE the Lower Wildcat Creek Restoration Project and take related actions under CEQA, North Richmond area.
Recommendation: Choose an item.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE the Lower Wildcat Creek Restoration Project (Project) and AUTHORIZE the Chief Engineer, or designee, to advertise the Project, North Richmond area. [Project No. 7505-6F8104] DCD-CP# 25-31 (District I), and
FIND, on the basis of the whole record, including the proposed Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration and any comments received and staff responses thereto, that there is no substantial evidence the Project may have significant effect on the environment, and that the Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) reflects the independent judgment and analysis of the lead agency, Contra Costa County (County).
ADOPT the MND and Mitigation and Monitoring Reporting Program (MMRP) for the Project.
SPECIFY that the Contra Costa County Public Works Department is the custodian of the documents and other material that constitute the record of proceedings upon which the Board’s decision is based, and that the record of proceedings is located at 255 Glacier Drive, Martinez, CA.
DIRECT the Director of Department of Conservation and Development (DCD), or designee, to cause a CEQA Notice of Determination (NOD) to be filed with the County Clerk and State Clearinghouse, and
AUTHORIZE the Chief Engineer, or designee, to arrange for payment of $3,043.75 for California Department of Fish and Wildlife fees, and a $50 fee to the County Clerk for filing the NOD.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Estimated Project cost: $5,679,917. The project will be funded with 75% Flood Control Funds, 25% U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Grant Funds.
BACKGROUND:
The purpose of the Project is to restore flood conveyance capacity of an approximately 4,500-foot stretch of lower Wildcat Creek to restore fish passage within that reach, and to enhance the vegetated riparian habitat. This will be accomplished by removing excess sediment and vegetation so that water can move more freely through the low-flow channel and adjacent high-flow floodplain of the creek.
A CEQA Initial Study and MND was prepared indicating that, with mitigations, no significant environmental impacts would be created by the Project. The Project may affect the quality of the environment; however, the impacts would be reduced to less than significant levels with the adoption of the recommended mitigation measures as specified in the MMRP (Attachment A). Mitigation measures in the environmental areas of biological resources, cultural resources, geology/soils, and tribal cultural resources have been added as conditions of approval for the project and will be implemented to reduce project impacts to less-than-significant levels.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
Delay in approving the project may result in a delay of design, construction, and may jeopardize funding.