Notice of Preparation of an Environmental Impact Report & Notice of Scoping Meeting

Transcription

1 Planning and Delopmen Deparmen Curren Planning Division Noice of Preparaion of an Environmenal Impac Repor & Noice of Scoping Meeing DATE: Ocober 19, 2011 TO: FROM: RE: Responsible Agencies, Agencies wih Jurisdicion by Law, Trusee Agencies, Invold Federal Agencies, and Agencies/People Requesing Noice Ciy of Berkeley Deparmen of Parks, Recreaion & Waerfron ATTN: Deborah Chernin 21 Milvia Sree Berkeley, CA Fax: (510) Recirculaed Noice of Preparaion (NOP) of an Environmenal Impac Repor (EIR) and Noice of Scoping Meeing for he Berkeley Aquaic Park Impromen Program (APIP) The Ciy of Berkeley (Lead Agency) will prepare an EIR for he proposed Berkeley Aquaic Park Impromen Program (proposed projec). The Ciy requess your commens as o he scope and conen of he Draf EIR. The Ciy of Berkeley previously issued an NOP for he proposed projec on June 24, The purpose of recirculaing he NOP is o solici addiional commens ha m ha arisen during he ime ha has lapsed since he original NOP was circulaed. The scope of he proposed projec and he alernais has no subsanially changed since he original NOP was circulaed. The NOP is being recirculaed o faciliae public disclosure and paricipaion. This revised and recirculaed NOP will be redisribued o all he public agencies, individuals, and organizaions ha were sen he original NOP on June 24, Projec Descripion: The projec sie consiss of Aquaic Park (Park), locaed on he wesern edge of he Ciy of Berkeley, adjacen o Inersae beween Ashby and Unirsiy Anues. Aquaic Park encompasses 99 acres and includes hree separae lagoons, oaling 68 acres, which suppor a variey of wildlife, including fish, inrebraes, and birds. The Park consiss of 68 acres of aquaic habia in he hree lagoons, 0.7 acres of sal/brackish weland, 1.1 acres of freshwaer weland, 11 acres of lawn, 7 acres of roads and rails, and 14 acres of buildings and uplands. The Park is also used for aci recreaion such as waerskiing, rowing, kaking, bicycling, hiking, and bird waching. There is a disc NOP for he Berkeley Aquaic Park Impromen Program EIR Page 1 of 3

2 Ciy of Berkeley Ocober 19, 2011 golf course as well as a children s plground wihin he Park. The hree lagoons consis of he, he Model Yach Basin, and he Radio Tower Pond, from he norh o he souh, respecily. The Aquaic Park Naural Resource Managemen Sudy (NRMS) was prepared in The NRMS recommended improving waer qualiy in he hree lagoons by increasing waer circulaion, primarily hrough beer idal exchange, and improving weland habia areas. In 2006, he Ciy prepared he Aquaic Park Impromen Program, which included concep-lel designs for he major recommendaions in he NRMS. The APIP analyzed and modeled 14 poenial scenarios for achieving he goals idenified in he NRMS. Based on he daa collecion, concep design, consrains and opporuniies analysis, and model analysis, APIP Alernai 4B (No Addiional Sormwaer) was seleced as he preferred alernai for he hydrologic componen of he APIP. As discussed below, his scenario will be evaluaed in he Draf EIR as an alernai o he proposed projec. Subsequen o he release of he APIP, he Ciy's Parks and Recreaion Commission (P&RC) adoped he recommendaions conained in he APIP bu, in doing so, modified he hydrologic componen o eliminae all curren sormwaer inflow o he lagoon sysem from he Srawberry and Poer Sree sorm drain connecions. The Draf EIR will analyze his P&RC Plan as he proposed projec and is referred o as he No Sormwaer Projec and he Preferred Projec. Boh he Preferred Projec and APIP Alernai 4B are described below. The EIR m also consider addiional alernais such as addiional ranges of idal and sormwaer flows or phased implemenaion of he Preferred Projec. The alernais analysis in he Draf EIR will be complian wih Secion of he CEQA Guidelines and will also include an evaluaion of a No Projec Alernai. Addiional informaion regarding he APIP projec can be found online a: hp:// ConenDispl.aspx?id= Preferred Projec: The Preferred Projec would include rehabiliaion of he exising ide ubes connecing he lagoons o Francisco B in order o increase idal exchange beween he lagoons and B waers, hereby increasing he lels of dissold oxygen and lowering he waer emperaure in he lagoons. The Preferred Projec would also eliminae he inflow of sormwaer runoff o he lagoons from he Poer Sree and Srawberry sorm drains locaed a he souh and norh ends of he Park, respecily. Oher componens of he Preferred Projec would include consrucing a 20-foo wide channel beween he Model Yach Basin and he ; modifying he Srawberry and Poer sorm drains o allow greaer idal inflow and ouflow o he and Model Yach Basin, respecily; and he poenial insallaion of waer qualiy bes managemen pracices (BMPs) in he waershed area ha is direcly ribuary o he Aquaic Park lagoons. These BMPs m also include consrucion of creaed welands a Bird Island. The Preferred Projec was deloped afer he compleion of he APIP and, hus, was no evaluaed a he same lel of deail as APIP Alernai 4B. APIP Alernai 4B: The No Addiional Sormwaer Alernai was idenified as being he approach ha, of he 14 scenarios presened in he APIP, could offer he greaes amoun of idal exchange beween he lagoons and B waers, hereby increasing he lels of dissold oxygen and lowering he waer emperaure in he lagoons. APIP Alernai 4B would allow no addiional sormwaer ino he lagoons han under curren condiions. Unlike he Preferred Projec, APIP Alernai 4B would no eliminae NOP for he Berkeley Aquaic Park Impromen Program EIR Page 2 of 3

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4 ree on S Orflow From Srawberry Sorm Drain Addis Pablo on W Alls ue An Dri Banc s W ning Chan ad ree 8h S o Railr e Sre 10h ic Pacif Wes ree 5h S n Unio Ea ar Dri Boliv ree 7h S rof W ree 9h S P1 ree 6h S ree 4h S r liva Bo Norh Culr P2 h W Dwig e r Sre Par ke Bird Island Inle/Oule Tide Tubes Car e re n S leo P3 a Fron oad ge R e Sre son Gr ee z Sr Hein Culrs beween and Model Yach Basin Legend Projec Boundary Model Yach Basin Tide Tube Poer Sree Sorm Drain i ar Dr Boliv Connecion o Poer S. Sorm Drain Model Yach Basin Radio Tower Pond Tide Tube Radio Tower Pond ee 720 Sr 360 Sree ue B 0 r Poe n ya A nue r A Folge b sh Fee Source: Aquaic Park Impromen Program, 2008 and Google Earh Pro, FIGURE 2 Aerial Phoograph Source: Aquaic Park Impromen Program, 2008 and Google Earh Pro, Figure 2 Aerial Phoograph Figure 2 Aerial Phoograph Berkeley Aquaic Park Impromen Program Page _ Figure_ Figure Tile

5 Creaed using Precision Mapping Srees and Traler 8 RAILROAD FRONTAGE RD 5TH S 123 HEARST AVE Pealuma 116 Sonoma Church of he G Good 12od Shepherd 121 Napa American Canyon Fairfield Suisun Ciy eley Novao SOLANO COUNTY UNIVERSITY AVE ADDISON ST 5TH ST ALLSTON WY 6TH ST Marin Couny MARIN COUNTY Larkspur Rafael Sausalio 131 Hercules Pinole 8 Benicia 7 Marinez Pablo CONTRA COSTA El COUNTY Richmond Cerrio PROJECT LOCATION Lafee Albany 123 Orinda Berkeley 13 Emeryville 24 Moraga 4 Pisburg Concord Walnu Creek Danville 3RD ST 4TH ST Francisco Alameda Oakland 61 Pacific Ocean BANCROFT WY 35 Colma 2 ALAMEDA COUNTY Pacifica 101 Union 238 Ciy SP RAILROAD Half Moon B SAN MATEO COUNTY 92 Maeo Redwood Ciy Fremon 6 Newark 10TH ST Sunnyvale Woodside SANTA CLARA COUNTY Palo Alo Miles BLAKE BERKLEY AQUATIC PARK CUTTER WY PARKER ST 9TH ST 123 BOLIVAR DR CARLETON ST 8TH ST PARDEE ST Francisco B GRAYSON ST HEINZ AVE ANTHONY ST BOLIVAR DR Legend Projec Sie POTTER ST 13 FOLGER AVE 67TH ST ASHBY AVE HOLLIS ST ST 66TH ST Fee 65TH ST Source: Precision Mapping Sree and Traler 8 and Chrisopher A. Joseph & Associaes, FIGURE 1 Regional and Projec Viciniy FRONTAGE RD 5 COSTE ST CHRISTIE AVE Source: Precision Mapping Sree and Traler 8, Figure 1 Regional and Projec Viciniy Map SHELLMOUND ST OVERLAND AVE Berkeley Aquaic Park Impromen Program 2000 f ST