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City of San Leandro <br />14143-14273 Washington Avenue Warehouse Project <br /> <br />62 <br />Analysis in this section is based in part on the geotechnical investigation prepared for the project by <br />Cornerstone Earth Group in March 2021. The geotechnical investigation is included as Appendix G. <br />Setting <br />Active faults are defined by the State of California to be a fault that has surface displacement within <br />the Holocene time (approximately the last 10,000 years). Potentially active faults as defined by the <br />State of California to be a fault that has shown evidence of surface displacement during the <br />Quaternary (last 1.6 million years). Any fault that is sufficiently active describes a fault that has some <br />evidence of Holocene displacement on one or more of its segments or branches. Associated issues <br />with earthquakes include liquefaction, which is the rapid transformation of sediment to a fluid-like <br />state. It occurs when water-saturated, loose to medium dense, relatively clay-free sands and silts <br />are subjected to earthquake ground motion. <br />The Bay Area contains both active and potentially active faults. Major active faults in the area are <br />the San Andreas, San Gregorio, Hayward, and Calaveras faults. The project site itself is not located <br />within an Earthquake Fault Zone (California Geological Survey [CGS] 2016). <br />Expansive soils are soils that swell in density and volume as they absorb water and contract as they <br />lose water. Associated problems include cracking and deterioration of roadway surface, as they <br />expand and contract during seasonal wet and dry cycles. The surface soils of the site have been <br />mapped as Clear Lake clay by United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources <br />Conservation Service (Natural Resources Conservation Service [NRCS] 2018a), which are not known <br />to be expansive. <br />Regulatory Setting <br />Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zoning Act <br />Following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the Seismic Hazards Mapping Act (SHMA) was passed <br />by the California legislature in 1990. The SHMA (PRC Chapter 7.8, Section 2690-2699.6) directs the <br />Department of Conservation, California Geological Survey to identify and map areas prone to <br />liquefaction, earthquake-induced landslides and amplified ground shaking. It also requires that <br />agencies only approve projects in seismic hazard zones following site-specific geotechnical <br />investigations to determine if the identified hazard is present and the inclusion of appropriate <br />mitigation to reduce earthquake-related hazards. <br />Seismic Hazards Mapping Act <br />The Seismic Hazards Mapping Act of 1990 was enacted, in part, to address seismic hazards not <br />included in the Alquist-Priolo Act, including strong ground shaking, landslides, and liquefaction. <br />Under the Alquist-Priolo Act, the State Geologist is responsible for identifying and mapping seismic <br />hazards. CGS Special Publication 117, adopted in 1997 by the State Mining and Geology Board, <br />constitutes guidelines for evaluating seismic hazards other than surface faulting and for <br />recommending mitigation measures as required by PRC Section 2695(a). In accordance with the <br />mapping criteria, the CGS seismic hazard zone maps identifies areas with the potential for a ground <br />shaking event that corresponds to 10 percent probability of exceedance in 50 years. <br />The purpose of the Seismic Hazards Mapping Act is to reduce the threat to public health and safety <br />and to minimize the loss of life and property by identifying and mitigating seismic hazards. Cities, <br />counties, and state agencies are directed to use seismic hazard zone maps developed by CGS in their