Ventura River Ventura River Multi- -Species HCP Species HCP - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Ventura River Ventura River Multi Multi-

• Species HCP

Species HCP

Presentation to: Ventura River Watershed Council Presentation to: Ventura River Watershed Council

Laura Laura Riege Riege, , Entrix Entrix, Inc. , Inc. March 13, 2007 March 13, 2007

What is an HCP? What is an HCP?

Legal agreement to permit activities under

Section 10 of the ESA

Covers actions by non-federal parties Asks: Will proposed action result in take of a

listed species or its habitat?

Formal consultation in form of a Habitat

Conservation Plan (HCP)

What is an HCP? What is an HCP?

• Focuses on activities of Cooperating Agencies

Focuses on activities of Cooperating Agencies

• Includes public involvement

Includes public involvement

• Results in long

Results in long-

• term

term conservation & conservation & mitigation measures; mitigation measures; implementation agreements implementation agreements

What an HCP isn What an HCP isn’ ’t t

• Comprehensive watershed analysis

Comprehensive watershed analysis

• Water quality assessment

Water quality assessment

• Land use analysis

Land use analysis

• These are included in

These are included in environmental setting & environmental setting & resources resources

Ventura River MSHCP Ventura River MSHCP Regional Approach Regional Approach

• Regional, multi

Regional, multi-

• agency, multi

agency, multi-

• species Habitat

species Habitat Conservation Plan Conservation Plan

• Allow the Cooperating Agencies to provide vital

Allow the Cooperating Agencies to provide vital services to their customers and citizens of services to their customers and citizens of western Ventura County western Ventura County

• Protect listed species and their habitat

Protect listed species and their habitat

• verall net positive benefit to listed species
• verall net positive benefit to listed species

Cooperating Agencies Cooperating Agencies

• Casitas Municipal Water

Casitas Municipal Water District District

• City of Ventura

City of Ventura

• Golden State Water

Golden State Water Company Company

• Meiners Oaks County

Meiners Oaks County Water District Water District

• Ojai Valley Sanitary

Ojai Valley Sanitary District

• Ventura County Parks

Ventura County Parks Department Department

• Ventura County

Ventura County Watershed Protection Watershed Protection District District

• Ventura River County

Ventura River County Water District Water District District

Covered Area Covered Area

Covered Species Covered Species

Southern California Steelhead Southern California Steelhead

Covered Species Covered Species

Tidewater Goby Tidewater Goby

Covered Species Covered Species

California Red California Red-

• legged Frog

legged Frog

Covered Species Covered Species

Least Bell Least Bell’ ’s Vireo s Vireo

Operations & Maintenance HCP Operations & Maintenance HCP

• O&M of existing facilities

O&M of existing facilities

• provide essential services to communities

provide essential services to communities within the Ventura River watershed within the Ventura River watershed

• Actions are currently underway

Actions are currently underway

• No new land development activities

No new land development activities

Covered Activities Covered Activities

• Water Supply and Use

Water Supply and Use

• water diversions

water diversions

• groundwater pumping

groundwater pumping

• water treatment plants

water treatment plants

• water/wastewater

water/wastewater pipelines pipelines

• tertiary treated wastewater

tertiary treated wastewater discharge discharge

Covered Activities Covered Activities

• Flood Control Facilities

Flood Control Facilities

• levees

levees

• flood control channels bridges

flood control channels bridges and culverts and culverts

• debris basins

debris basins

• instream vegetation removal

instream vegetation removal

• Parks

Parks

• OVSD WWTP

OVSD WWTP

Covered Activities Covered Activities

• Recreational Facilities

Recreational Facilities

• Lake Casitas

Lake Casitas

• Foster Park

Foster Park

• Soule Park and Golf Course

Soule Park and Golf Course

• Camp Comfort

Camp Comfort

Covered Activities Covered Activities

• Future projects

Future projects

• Upgrade Nye Well Field and water

Upgrade Nye Well Field and water diversion facilities at Foster Park diversion facilities at Foster Park

• Repair Bridges in Soule Park

Repair Bridges in Soule Park

• Upgrade Ojai Valley Trail Arizona

Upgrade Ojai Valley Trail Arizona Crossing Crossing

• New & replacement wells and

New & replacement wells and pipelines pipelines

• Flood Protection at WWTP

Flood Protection at WWTP

Quantifying Impacts to Species Quantifying Impacts to Species

• Habitat Based HCP

Habitat Based HCP

• Consistent with Matilija Dam Removal

Consistent with Matilija Dam Removal assessment approach assessment approach

• Potential Effects Model

Potential Effects Model

• Science

Science-

• based approach for assessing habitat

based approach for assessing habitat

• Method to quantify professional judgment

Method to quantify professional judgment

• Transparent approach

Transparent approach

Proposed Mitigation Measures Proposed Mitigation Measures

• Range of opportunities for improving habitat

Range of opportunities for improving habitat and/or access to habitat and/or access to habitat

• Focus on long

Focus on long-

• term solutions and projects

term solutions and projects

• Based on recommendations in the species

Based on recommendations in the species Recovery Plans and the Ventura River Steelhead Recovery Plans and the Ventura River Steelhead Restoration and Recovery Plan Restoration and Recovery Plan

• Goal to improve recovery potential for each of

Goal to improve recovery potential for each of the four Covered Species the four Covered Species

Next Steps Next Steps

• Pre

Pre-

• application Review

application Review

• NEPA Review

NEPA Review

• Public Notification and meetings

Public Notification and meetings

• Implementation Agreements

Implementation Agreements

• Incidental Take Permits

Incidental Take Permits

Watershed Planning Resources Watershed Planning Resources

• Technical appendices: hydrology &

Technical appendices: hydrology & groundwater, species distributions, habitat groundwater, species distributions, habitat assessments, migration passage barriers assessments, migration passage barriers

• Extensive Bibliography of relevant studies

Extensive Bibliography of relevant studies

• Coordinate opportunities

Coordinate opportunities

• Public Participation

Public Participation

Questions? Questions?