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Minutes - San Leandro City Council Meeting - April 6, 1992 Page - 16 - PUBLIC HEARINGS (continued) work on the history of the site. In response to questions from Council Member Glaze, he said designing the buffers is a balancing act. He said in areas with the highest values for wildlife the deepest buffers possible were proposed. He said they vary over the project site and other mitigations are provided, in addition to the buffers, such as fencing, a control program for rats and feral cats, and a leash law. He said an integrated program is the most effective program to keep the marsh in a healthy condition for the salt marsh harvest mouse. Council Member Glaze asked if it was better to have 100 feet of buffer or to mitigate. Mr. Foreman said an integrated plan has been proven to be the most effective. Council Member Faria said it appeared the 13.2-acre Fill Plan creates less damage to the wetlands. Mr. Foreman said this was correct; it consolidates development in one area and is better from a biological standpoint. In response to questions he said, if no work is done, the habitat will continue to deteriorate, and there is already a lot of stress on the marsh vegetation; the area is subsiding, drought has an impact, and there has been increased flooding after winter rains. He said this is not conducive to a healthy environment. Council Member Santos asked how feral cats could be controlled or if it would be better to ban cats. Mr. Foreman said feral cats are wild and would be controlled through trapping and removal . He said banning cats has been done in Marin County and seems to be working well . Mr. Foreman said he has walked the entire area, including the shoreline and the golf course, etc. , and has worked with ESA to develop circulation and drainage plans. In response to questions from the City Council , he said the buffers, in addition to fencing and screening, have proven effective in keeping domestic pets out of the wildlife area. Terry McManus, HLA & Associates, spoke regarding hazardous materials. He said HLA was founded in the Bay Area 30 years ago and has 400 employees. He said the firm has reviewed the information related to hazardous-material testing conducted at the site over the last 10 years. He said the lead agency in this matter is the Department of Toxic Substances Control (TSC) . He said an investigation will be conducted in accordance with Preliminary Endangerment Assessment (PEA) process. He said he met with the TSC and received preliminary approval of the sampling plan. He said when final approval is received in four to six weeks he will proceed with the environmental investigation and then will conduct the PEA. He said the PEA process parallels the entitlement process. He said the TSC prefers that the PEA be performed and approved not too far in advance of the Precise Development Plan because site conditions change throughout the course of the project. He said the PEA would be completed by the end of this year.