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EIR: Section 01 Introduction and Environmental Setting SECTION 1 - INTRODUCTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL SETTE'G S 1.1 Overview/Introduction This Draft Environmental impact Statement/ Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIS;DEIR) describes existing environmental conditions of the marine environment in the nearshore areas off the City of Rancho Palos Verdes, and examines the potential environmental effects associated with a proposal to restore natural reef habitat in the nearshore. The purpose of the feasibility study is to determine the Federal interest in measures to restore the marine environment of Portuguese Bend Cove and adjacent areas. Due to the landslide movement at Portuguese Bend, which has moved material 200-400 feet into Portuguese Bend Cove, the previous marine habitat has been covered over with landslide debris and sediment eroded from the shoreline by waves and tide, and nearshore and offshore areas have been impacted by siltation and turbidity. The feasibility study focus is on controlling the sedimentation and turbidity in the nearshore and offshore zones that result from erosion at the shoreline, which impacts the marine biological community of the area. The proposed restoration alternatives are discussed in detail in Section 3. They all involve the construction of a dike Portuguese Bend to trap landslide-generated sediment and turbidity. This environmental restoration project is proposed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). Los Angeles District, in conjunction with the City of Rancho Palos Verdes. This document was prepared by the Corps, with assistance from the City of Rancho Palos Verdes. pursuant to the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The purpose of this DEIS/DEIR is to identify_ the potentially significant environmental impacts which would result from the construction, operation, and maintenance of the proposed project. As necessary, feasible mitigation measures are identified to avoid or reduce the severity of potentially significant impacts. This DEIS/DEIR includes an evaluation of several alternative actions, the "No Action" alternative, and alternatives considered but rejected as infeasible (see Section 3). The scope of this DEIS/DEIR was developed, to a significant extent, in response to comments received by the general public and by a number of affected federal and state agencies during a public ``scoping process, and from ongoing coordination with affected agencies since then. This included publication of a Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement in the Federal Register, and a public meeting held in Rancho Palos Verdes. ( See Section 7 of the DEIS/EIR for a summary of those environmental issues that are not discussed in this document, because it was determined early on that there would be no significant impacts with respect to those issues.) The DEIS/DEIR also includes the input of several natural resource agencies (i.e., California Department of Fish and Game, National Marine Fisheries Service, and the U,S. Fish and Wildlife Service) obtained from several interagency meetings. 1-1 This DEIS/DEIR has been released for a 45-day public comment period. Members of the public and agencies must provide their comments on the contents of this document by the end of the public comment period. After the end of the comment period, a Final EIS addressing comments received on the DEIS/DEIR will be prepared and released to the public. 1.2 Feasibility Study Authority The general investigation study at the City of Rancho Palos Verdes California Study was authorized by Public Law 99-662, Section 712 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986, reads as follows: the Secretary of the Army is "...authorized to study the feasibility of constructing shoreline erosion mitigation measures along the Rancho Palos Verdes coastline and in the City of Rolling Hills, California for the purpose of providing additional stabilization for the Portuguese Bend landslide area and adjacent landslide areas " Additional fish and wildlife enhancement studies were authorized in the Water Resources Development Act of 1990, Section 116 which reads "...investigative measures to conserve fish and wildlife (as specific in Section 704 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986), including measures to demonstrate the effectiveness of intertidal marine habitat." The reconnaissance study was initiated in October 1988, and completed in 1990 with a recommendation proceed to a feasibility a plan to help stabilize the lapdslide A recommendation to proceed feasibility L�' study based on I.I aLua decision by the Assistant Secretary of the Army stated in a letter dated 28 Oct. 1991, that "Landslide stabilization is outside the purview of the Army Civil Works program." The reconnaissance report was revised to reflect that decision, and no further study was recommended. In 1994 Congress provided funds in Act language for the initiation of a feasibility study at Rancho Palos Verdes, California. The project purpose was restoration of the marine habitat. 1.3 Environmental Sett;"g of the Study Area A brief description of the Environmental Setting of the Study Area is provided below. A more detailed description is provided in Section the existing environment is described in more detail in Section 4. 1.3.1 Study Area Location The Study Area is located along the south central coastline of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, in the City of Rancho Palos Verdes California, approximately 20 miles south of the central downtown area of the City of Los Angeles, California (Fig. 1.1) The boundaries of the Study Area are defined by the coastal zone below Palos Verdes Drive South, encompassing approximately 4.5 miles of coastline extending from Long Point south to the southeastern City boundary, and extending 1200 feet offshore to the 30-foot isobath (Fig. 1.2). 1-2 •' • 111 1` — J— � lJ 1- �l-4 T 1, S 4 747- —.— GLENDALE L — ANGELESI 134PASADENA L_ MA roNAL goPss- 1?0 210 — — — — —i r __— — — . 90 2 I HOLLYWOOD 110 2O lu_ ALHAMBRA 4 1. 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I I 1 I C I __ ___„.4 v. 174e -- - - - ut°wits 1 4'4 4 1 2 5 p00.0 I C., I —_„"L22Li 11', .,,.. ,_,,- •,,',,,,' • re: ‘i''''..;r,1 j: '14,,:lrkY'4.1U •' I 4,, 1 Nwn ff, 1 I ",1 .‘ 1 I II Fig• ..1 •2 Rancho Palos Verdes Feasibility Study Area. (Long Pt. to City of Rancho Palos Verdes Boundary; Palos Verdes Dr. South to 1200' 130 ft. isobathl offshore.) , •- 0 0. 1.3.1.1 Terrestrial Environment Geological and Topographic Conditions. The Palos Verdes Peninsula land mass can be described as a northwest-trending dome located at the southwestern edge of the Los Angeles Basin. Sea level changes have resulted in a series of wave cut beaches eroded into the hills. creating the distinctive topographical profile of the peninsula. The most pronounced geological phenomenon affecting the Study area are the periodic, recurrent landslides that have occurred over the past 120,000 years. The most recent major slide began in 1956, producing shoreline accretion along Portuguese Bend and extending earth movement into the surf zone(Merriam 1960). The Portuguese Bend area was known for its hard rock reef prior to becoming covered by sediment from the Portuguese Bend landslide. Currently, the reef is covered by landslide sediment. Study Area topography above the shoreline consists of coastal bluffs, rolling hills and steep canyons. The shoreline is backed by a steep Holocene sea cliff and is characterized by rocky headlands and narrow beaches of gravel and cobble. Three prominent beaches/coves occur in the Study Area. Abalone Cove, Portuguese Bend and a pocket beach in between known as Smugglers Cove These three coves are separated by two headlands, known as Portuguese Point and Inspiration Point. Surface water in the inland portion of the Study Area occurs primarily as intermittent or ephemeral stream flows toward the ocean, through a network of canyons and associated minor streams and • surfaces depressions. In the eastern portion of the Study Area. however, surface drainage patterns have been extensively disrupted by the contemporary landslide and there is little drainage to the ocean. Given the mostly disturbed nature of vegetative cover and the presence of several developed areas, it is expected that substantial levels of silt and moderate levels of urban runoff contaminants (oils and grease, chlorinated hydrocarbons, heavy metals) are found in local surface waters. Air Quality. The Study Area is located in the southwestern coastal portion of the South Coast Air Basin (SCAB), a 6,600 square mile region encompassing the non-desert portions of Los Angeles. Riverside, and San Bernardino counties and all of Orange County. Currently, the SCAB is in "extreme" non-attainment for the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), relative to ozone concentrations (03), '`serious' non-attainment for the NAAQS for carbon monoxide and particulate matter (PM,,), non-attainment for the NAAQS for nitrogen dioxide (NO ) and in attainment of the NAAQS for sulfur dioxide (SO2). With respect to California Ambient Air Quality Standards (CAAQS), the SCAB is presently in "severe" non-attainment for 0,, NO, and CO, non- attainment for PM,a and in attainment for SO,. At the nearest air quality monitoring station located in north Long Beach, concentrations of photochemical smog (ozone) are generally highest during the summer months and coincide with periods of maximum solar insulation. Inert pollutants (those pollutants other than ozone), tend to be the greatest during the winter months when extended periods of reduced wind conditions and surface-based temperature inversions occur. Plants and Wildlife. Plant and animal surveys conducted for other projects in recent years have 1111 1-5 documented vegetation and wildlife characteristics of the terrestrial portion of the Study Area. In the undeveloped areas, native vegetation is dominated by coastal smtb Within the landslide ' sage scrub. active 1Uiiu Jlluv area, however, vegetation is highly disturbed, allowing weedy, opportunistic plants to invade the area. Natural, undisturbed coastal sage scrub provides suitable habitat for a variety of wildlife species, including several rare, threatened or endangered species that have been observed within Rancho Palos Verdes or elsewhere on the peninsula. Due to the land disturbance caused by the recent landslide and urban development, the Study Area does not posses the wildlife diversity that would be associated with a well-developed, natural coastal sage scrub community. The shoreline area has been highly disturbed by human activities and/or landslide movement, and contains only a sparse cover of ruderal vegetation that does not support sensitive wildlife species. Existing Land Uses and Recreation Activities. Existing land uses consist of public recreation land, undeveloped land and residential development. A mixture of single- and multi-family residential development occurs on the bluff tops in the western end of the Study Area, between Abalone Cove and Long Point. The private Portuguese Bend Club is located on the south side of Palos Verdes Drive South, opposite Narcissa Drive. Immediately west of the club is Abalone Cove Shoreline Park, a City-owned and operated recreation facility, including a small sandy beach area and a larger bluff top recreation area. A compact neighborhood of single-family homes occurs roughly midway between Palos Verdes Drive South and the shoreline in the east/central portion of the Portuguese Bend area. No public vehicular access to the beach is permitted anywhere within the Study Area. _17__ T __1_- L_ L Nevertheless, the entire shoreline is visited by more than 50,000 people a�nivally. Popular beach a ea activities include sunbathing, swimming, snorkeling and some scuba diving. 1.3.1.2 Marine Environment Ocean currents in the Study Area primarily flow in a southeastern direction at the surface, while subsurface flows are in a northwestern direction. Mixed tides occur, with mean tidal elevations ranging from 5.5 feet at Mean Higher Water to 0.0 feet at Mean Lower Low Water. Ocean water column temperatures in the Study Area vary with depth and time of year. Maximum surface temperatures average approximately 19 degrees centigrade between July and September, with minimum temperatures of approximately 14 degrees centigrade during late winter months. The water quality in the Study Area has not been specifically monitored, however, the area is not known to have any site-specific water quality problems other than the turbidity problems in Portuguese Bend. Recent measurements of dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, and salinity conducted for this DEIS!DEIR determined that conditions in the Study Area are consistent with those found under natural, open ocean conditions in the Southern California Bight (see Section 4.2.4). There are two basic marine habitat types found in the Study Area: (1) soft-bottom habitat that consists of sandy beaches and sandy, subtidal areas, and (2) hard-bottom habitat that consists of the rocky intertidal and rocky subtidal reefs. In general, animals and plants that are adapted to or which attach or cling to hard rock characterize rocky shores; animals that burrow into the substrate dominate sandy shores. Marine plants are generally absent on open coast sandy shores. Marine life 110 1-6 • found in the Study area is generally the same as marine life found in similar coastal areas. No rare. threatened or endangered marine species have been identified within the Study Area. (For more details see Sections 4.3.2.1, Section 4.3.2.2, and Section 4.3.2.3.) Erosion within the landslide has resulted in approximately 146,000 cubic yards of sedimentation reaching the ocean water on an annual basis. The Corps has estimated that if current conditions remain unchanged, the Portuguese Bend landslide will contribute more than 7.3 million cubic yards of sedimentation into the ocean, over the next 50 years. Sedimentation. severe erosion of landslide debris and excessive turbidity appear to have smothered and degraded the hard rock reef habitat in the area, and kelp beds and associated invertebrates and fishes are substantially reduced from conditions preceding the recent local landslides. This is in contrast to upcoast areas not affected by landslides, such as Rocky Point, which have a healthy biological community that is typically associated with hard rock reefs of Southern California. L3.1.3 Relevant Planning and Regulatory Programs and Policies Local planning and regulatory programs that govern land use and environmental quality in the Study Area are described below. City of Rancho Palos Verdes General Plan, Zoning and Redevelopment Project Area. From Abalone Cove to Portuguese Bend, the coastal area is planned and zoned for open space/recreation or open space/hazards, reflecting various landslide, erosion, and flooding hazards. and sensitive • ecological resources. Residential development west of Abalone Cove is planned and zoned for residential use, at densities of 2-4 dwelling units per acre. Between Portuguese Bend and Bunker Point, land is planned and zoned for residential use at 2-5 units/acre, and as open space/hazard. Land use along Abalone Cove and Portuguese Bend is restricted by a City-imposed development moratorium that was enacted to prevent further damage to properties affected by the Portuguese Bend and Abalone Cove landslides. Most of the land in the Study Area is also within the boundaries of the Rancho Palos Verdes Redevelopment Project Area, which was foamed around the landslide moratorium area to provide a funding mechanism for landslide abatement projects. Rancho Palos Verdes Natural Communities Conservation Plan (NCCP). The City of Rancho Palos Verdes, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Department of Fish and Game, is preparing a Natural Communities Conservation Plan (NCCP) that is intended to preserve a sustainable framework of coastal sage scrub (CSS) throughout the City. (CSS is a diminishing and increasingly fragile ecosystem in Rancho Palos Verdes and throughout Southern California. CSS supports a number of rare, threatened or endangered species of plants and animals.) The NCCP represents an effort to comply with the federal and state Endangered Species Acts as well as a comprehensive habitat conservation plan that would help reduce impacts to plants and animal species that thrive in that ecosystem, and provide for reasonable economic development opportunities. CSS is found within the study area on the coastal slopes from Abalone Cove to Inspiration Point (See section 4.3.3 and 4.4 for more details about the Rancho Palos verdes NCCP.) • 1-7 Abalone Cove Ecological Reserve. The shoreline and adjacent water and land area, from Abalone Cnve east to Inspiration Point hai;e bee designatby the State Fish and game Conm'issinn as an • at..ed ecological reserve, pursuant to Section 1580 of the California Fish and Game Code. The intent of this legislation is to"...protect threatened or endangered native plants, wildlife, or aquatic organisms or specialized habitat types, both terrestrial arid aquatic, or large heterogeneous natural marine gene pools for the future use of mankind..." Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations defines allowed and prohibited activities within ecological preserves. Federal Plans and Programs. Relevant federal planning and regulatory programs that pertain to the protection of coastal resources and environmental quality are listed below. Coordination and compliance efforts undertaken with respect to these programs are discussed in Section 7 of this DEI S/DEIR. 1.4 Lead, Responsible and Trustee Agencies. The Corps is the Lead Agency for this document under NEPA, and is responsible for ensuring that this DEISiDEIR has fully complied with federal law and regulations and for preparing a final Record of Decision concerning the findings and conclusions of the EIS. Under CEQA, the City is the Lead Agency, and is responsible for ensuring that this document and the environmental review process is in full compliance with State and local law and guidelines pursuant to CEQA. Since costs to 1U1JL1ULt an environmental restoration project WOUId 1uG shared 1UY.1G federal goye111e1t and the City of Rancho Palos Verdes, discretionary approval authority for this project is also shared by the two governmental entities. Under CEQA, the Corps is considered a Responsible Agency, because it has discretionary authority over this project and will be responsible for project implementation, if it is approved. A Trustee Agency is defined in CEQA as a state agency having jurisdiction by law over natural by t. 1 held the of California " resources affected Cl project w1111.11 are in trust for people of the State a11 . (OPR 1998: cJGL.IUn 15386). Based on this project's coastal location cmu potential impacts on coastal resources, there are two Trustee Agencies that may be concerned with this project: the California Coastal Commission and the California Department of Fish and Game. 1.4 Intended uses of this DEIS/DEIR. The information in this DEIS/DEIR is intended to facilitate evaluation of the environmental impacts of potential natural rocky reef restoration alternatives by the following governmental agencies: Agency Areas of Responsibility or Concern U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Certify EIS, approve/disapprove an environmental restoration project and implement the approved project 41Ik 1-S City of Rancho Palos Verdes Certify EIR, approve/disapprove an environmental restoration project and share costs for project Implementation U.S. Coast Guard Comment on Section 10 Permit U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Consult with the Corps during preparation of the EIS relative to protection of rare. threatened or endangered plant and animal species (terrestrial), pursuant to the Endangered Species Act. Coordinate as per the Fish& Wildlife Coordination Act. National Marine Fisheries Service Coordinate as per the Fish& Wildlife Coordination Act. California Department of Fish and Comment on EIS relative to protection and Game (Marine Resources Division) enhancement of marine habitat and associated plants and animals, pursuant to the California Fish and Game Code. Coordinate as per the Fish & Wildlife Coordination Act. California Coastal Commission Review and comment on SIS relative to protection • and enhancement of coastal resources and coastal access/Concurrence with Corps' Coastal Zone Act Consistency Determination. California Regional Water Quality Issue Waiver under Section 401 of the Clean Water Control Board Act • 1-9