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3.0 ENVIRONMENTAL CHECKLIST
<br />1388 Bancroft Avenue Project City of San Leandro
<br />Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration November 2018
<br />3.0-48
<br />boundaries of the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board and the San Francisco Bay Area Integrated Regional Water Management Plan. The hydrologic region is a complex network of watersheds, marshes, rivers, creeks, reservoirs, and bays, mostly draining into the San
<br />Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean (San Leandro 2016b).
<br />The project site is in the San Leandro Creek Watershed. San Leandro Creek is 22 miles long and is the main creek/water body in the city, extending from the eastern slopes of the Oakland Hills to San Leandro Bay. San Leandro Creek is a natural channel with steep banks between Lake Chabot
<br />and the BART tracks. From the BART tracks to the Nimitz Freeway (also known as Interstate 80), the
<br />creek is culverted with slanted concrete walls and a concrete bottom. Below the freeway, the creek enters an engineered flood control channel with vertical sides and a concrete bottom (San
<br />Leandro 2016b).
<br />The City of San Leandro Department of Public Works owns and maintains 175 miles of storm drain
<br />conduits throughout the city. The City’s storm drain system feeds into a larger system owned and operated by the Alameda County Flood Control and Water Conservation District (ACFCD). This
<br />system includes the lower reaches of San Leandro and San Lorenzo creeks, as well as a number
<br />of channels extending into San Leandro neighborhoods west of Interstate 880. The district’s
<br />drainage facilities include levees, pump stations, erosion control devices, and culverts (San Leandro 2016b).
<br />Stormwater runoff pollutants vary with land use, topography, and the amount of impervious
<br />surface, as well as the amount and frequency of rainfall and irrigation practices. Runoff in developed areas typically contains oil, grease, litter, and metals accumulated in streets, driveways, parking lots, and rooftops, as well as pesticides, herbicides, particulate matter,
<br />nutrients, animal waste, and other oxygen-demanding substances from landscaped areas. The
<br />highest pollutant concentrations usually occur at the beginning of the wet season during the “first flush” (San Leandro 2016b).
<br />All stormwater runoff from the project would ultimately discharge into San Francisco Bay. The San
<br />Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board monitors surface water quality through
<br />implementation of the Water Quality Control Plan (Basin Plan) and designates beneficial uses for surface water bodies and groundwater. The beneficial uses for San Francisco Bay include industrial
<br />service supply, commercial and sport fishing, shellfish harvesting, estuarine habitat, fish migration,
<br />preservation of rare and endangered species, fish spawning, wildlife habitat, water contact
<br />recreation, water non-contact recreation, and navigation (San Leandro 2016b).
<br />CHECKLIST DISCUSSION
<br />a, f) Less Than Significant Impact.
<br />Construction Impacts
<br />During project construction, the existing buildings, asphalt materials, and undocumented fill would be removed from the site. Grading of the site would also occur. During these
<br />activities, there is the potential for soil erosion that could transport sediments into local
<br />stormwater drainages. Also, accidental spills of fluids or fuels from construction vehicles and equipment, or miscellaneous construction materials and debris, could potentially degrade the water quality of receiving water bodies (i.e., San Francisco Bay), potentially
<br />resulting in a violation of water quality standards.
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