Los Peñasquitos Lagoon Enhancement Plan

Los Peñasquitos Lagoon Enhancement Plan

This Program Environmental Impact Report (EIR) evaluates potential environmental effects associated with implementation of the programmatic actions described in the Los Peñasquitos Lagoon Enhancement Plan (Enhancement Plan). Beginning in 2013, an updated Enhancement Plan was developed to provide guidance on restoring and enhancing the Los Peñasquitos Lagoon’s (Lagoon) habitats, protecting listed species, reducing threats to public health, and involving stakeholder groups with regard to coastal resource stewardship. Lagoon improvements for restoring and enhancing the Lagoon’s native habitats were developed as part of the process and are identified in the updated Enhancement Plan. In general, the improvements in the Enhancement Plan focused on restoring and enhancing native salt marsh and transition habitats in areas currently dominated by invasive grass and providing long-term resiliency to sea level rise using various strategies. Restoration and enhancement would occur through activities that include focused grading and reconfiguration of the channel network in the Lagoon to provide better freshwater management and enhanced tidal exchange/influence. This element of the proposed project is intended to guide project-level design and CEQA analysis that will occur separately, tiering off this program-level EIR where appropriate. The Enhancement Plan also identified vector and trails management and improvement activities. The proposed project as outlined in the Program EIR represents a series of improvements developed in the Enhancement Plan for a program-level approach to restore and enhance salt marsh and other habitats historically present in the Lagoon, improve public access and public safety around the Lagoon’s perimeter, and present a “natural system approach” for more effective vector management of Culex tarsalis, a freshwater mosquito that can transmit West Nile virus and other forms of brain encephalitis to human hosts. The proposed project has three primary elements: • Lagoon Restoration and Enhancement – focused grading and modifications to the lagoon channel network to restore and enhance areas of historic salt marsh (i.e., Freshwater Management, Channel Improvements [referred to as Lagoon Concept 2 in the Enhancement Plan]). These areas of historic salt marsh have converted to a brackish system caused primarily by sedimentation and nuisance flows of freshwater from the watershed that have facilitated the establishment of invasive grass and other non-native species. Focused grading and channel improvements would provide features in areas to promote the recovery of salt marsh and facilitate the resiliency and potential expansion of this valued habitat type over time in response to sea level rise. Freshwater management measures would include decreases of input through watershed runoff reduction, potential diversion, and beneficial use of these flows where feasible. • Public Access Improvements – proposed improvements/enhancements to existing trails, identification of trails that are anticipated to become inundated with sea level rise and proposed realignment strategies, and opportunities to create linkages to regional trail networks and public transit centers. • Vector Management – vector management would focus on freshwater management and improved tidal mixing, which would improve vector management of Culex tarsalis in a manner that also supports the protection of existing salt marsh along with future restoration and enhancement efforts of this habitat type. Measures such as structural improvements to reduce stagnant water within storm drain systems, channel modifications to improve tidal circulation, and channel creation to connect areas of inundation to reduce residence time would be implemented.

San Diego

San Diego

California Air Resources Board (ARB), California Coastal Commission (CCC), California Department of Conservation (DOC), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Marin Region 7 (CDFW), California Department of Parks and Recreation, California Department of Transportation, Division of Transportation Planning (DOT), California Department of Water Resources (DWR), California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES), California Highway Patrol (CHP), California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC), California Natural Resources Agency, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), California Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Diego Region 9 (RWQCB), California San Diego River Conservancy (SDRC), California State Lands Commission (SLC), Department of General Services (DGS), Department of Toxic Substances Control, Office of Historic Preservation, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Water Quality, California Department of Transportation, District 11 (DOT), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, South Coast Region 5 (CDFW)

California Department of Transportation, District 11 (DOT), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, South Coast Region 5 (CDFW)

Other (Enhancement Plan)

Other

Air Quality, Biological Resources, Coastal Zone, Cultural Resources, Cumulative Effects, Drainage/Absorption, Flood Plain/Flooding, Geology/Soils, Growth Inducement, Hazards & Hazardous Materials, Hydrology/Water Quality, Land Use/Planning, Public Services, Recreation, Transportation, Tribal Cultural Resources, Vegetation, Wetland/Riparian, Wildlife