Draft Environmental Impact Report - East Bay Municipal Utility District

3.4 Biological Resources3.4.1 Approach to AnalysisEstates Reservoir Replacement Draft Environmental Impact ReportBiological ResourcesThis section describes the existing biological resources at or around the Project site andpotential impacts to these resources from the Project. Sources of information used toprepare this report include: reconnaissance-level and focused biological field surveys, aquery of the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) California NaturalDiversity Database (CNDDB) and biological literature (see the references cited at the endof this section).3.4.2 Setting/Regulatory FrameworkThe 6.7 acre Estates Reservoir site is located at 6317 Estates Drive in Oakland nearHighway 13. The reservoir site is set within a residential community and is completelyencircled by homes. The reservoir site consists of a covered earthen reservoir and a smallpumping plant on the downhill side. The perimeter of the reservoir is bordered by a 20-footwide access road. A landscaped strip of approximately 50 feet is present between the accessroad and Estates Drive, which surrounds more than half of the facility perimeter. Thelandscaped strip consists mostly of ornamental shrubs and a mix of trees including nativespecies. Trees and shrubs are pruned annually in response to the City of Oakland FireDepartment’s Fire Abatement Program. Additional pruning may be required duringconstruction to establish or maintain a defined staging area. Approximately 55 percent ofthe total site area is covered with vegetation, as shown in Figure 3.2-2.The proposed Project is comprised of two 3.3-million gallon (MG) tanks that will beconstructed entirely within the boundaries of the current reservoir structure (open-cutbowl). The tanks will be buried so that they will be at a lower height than the currentcovered reservoir. Most Project impacts will be limited to the footprint of the existingreservoir structure. Grading will be required on the landscaped slope on the south side ofthe reservoir, between the current reservoir access road and the maintenance road to thepump house below. Material cut from this area will be used as fill around the new tanks.A detailed description of the proposed Project is contained in Chapter 2 of this EIR (ProjectDescription).Field Survey of Site BiologyOn August 5, 2008, Bert Mulchaey, East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) Fisheriesand Wildlife Biologist II, and Thomas Newcomb, EBMUD Fisheries Aide, participated in afield survey to examine the proposed Estates Reservoir rebuild. An additional site survey wasperformed by Bert Mulchaey on August 19, 2008. Botanist Dianne Lake surveyed the site onAugust 21, 2008 and produced a comprehensive list of plants observed (Table 3.4-1).Wildlife Biologist/Raptor Specialist Gary Beeman surveyed the site for raptor nests onAugust 29, 2008. Surveys included identification of species present, and an evaluation ofpotential presence of special status species habitat within the Project site.sb09_001.doc 3-4.1 7/22/2009