Environmental Declaration WPCP 20240409

Home

3. Environmental Checklist 3.6. Cultural Resources Would the Project: a) Cause a substantial adverse change in the ❑ ❑ ❑ significance of a historical resource pursuant to § 15064.5? b) Cause a substantial adverse change in the ❑ ® ❑ ❑ significance of an archaeological resource pursuant to § 15064.5? c) Disturb any human remains, including those ❑ ® ❑ U interred outside of dedicated cemeteries? Discussion Cultural resources encompass historic architectural resources, archaeological resources, and human remains, while paleontological resources include the fossilized remains of vertebrate and invertebrate organisms, tracks, trackways, and plant fossils. This section draws from the Cultural Resources Inventory Report prepared for the Proposed Project and assesses potential impacts on cultural and paleontological resources in the Project's vicinity (see Appendix F, Cultural Resources Report). This assessment builds upon a previous cultural resource investigation conducted in 2018 for the adjacent solar array project at the WPCP. Mitigation measures to minimize impacts to less -than -significant levels are identified. A records search at the Northwest Information Center (NWIC) of the California Historical Resources Information System at Sonoma State University was completed by LSA on December 9, 2020 (File No.: 20-0924). This review covered the Area of Potential Effect (APE) and a 0.25-mile radius around the Project, accessing previous surveys, studies, and archaeological site records. Historic Resources for Alameda County from the California State Parks Office of Historic Preservation were also reviewed. This list includes sites of historical significance evaluated for inclusion in various registers and inventories. The records search aimed to 1) ascertain if known cultural resources were recorded within or near the APE, 2) evaluate the likelihood of unrecorded cultural resources based on historical references and nearby sites, and 3) establish a context for identifying and evaluating cultural resources. The records indicated that the Proposed Project site underwent at least two cultural resource surveys in the past. Additionally, eight other cultural studies were conducted within 0.25 mile of the current WPCP Project area, including surveys, monitoring, and SHPO concurrence studies. Moreover, 28 overview studies from the NWIC are listed in Table A of Appendix F, Cultural Resources Report. None of these studies identified any cultural resources, including archaeological sites or historic -period architectural resources. No cultural resources have been previously identified within the current Project area. LSA conducted a survey of the Project area on November 13, 2020, finding no cultural resources. The research and survey results suggest that intact cultural resources are highly unlikely to be present in the Project area. Historical reports and aerial photographs indicate that the Project area was historically an intertidal marsh. San Leandro Treatment Wetland IS/MND February 2024