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4. Environmental Impact Analysis 4.4 – Biological Resources

boundaries. Sand Canyon Road to the west and Soledad Canyon Road to the south are heavily
traveled roadways that create significant barriers to wildlife movement, particularly larger species
such as deer, coyote, and bobcat. There is undeveloped property immediately north of the
property, but that is also bordered by residential land uses that continue to the north and east.
There is currently no linkage to nearby natural habitat areas, or corridors to facilitate movement
between such areas and the subject property.

4. Jurisdictional Waters, Streambeds and Riparian Resources

Work within the bed, bank, or channel of streams, wetlands, and certain water is regulated by
federal and state laws. One jurisdictional area is subject to federal and state regulations, the
ephemeral wash parallel to Sand Canyon Road (Figure 4.4-2, Federal and State Jurisdiction). This
wash traverses the western edge of the subject property and terminates in a storm drain inlet at the
north boundary of the existing mobile home development. Flow is then conveyed via
underground culvert to an open ditch, and then to another buried culvert to daylight in the Santa
Clara River.

Federal Jurisdiction

Federal jurisdictional areas are restricted to the ephemeral wash, as noted above. Soils sampled in
a reach in the north part of wash dominated by arroyo willows (Salix lasiolepis – FACW) consisted
of gravel and sand with no wetland indicators. Downstream sections are dominated by upland
vegetation. Therefore, this reach, and the rest of the wash downstream to the edge of the mobile
home development, were determined to be non-wetland waters.

A narrow-maintained drainage swale between Sand Canyon Road and a drain inlet was also
determined to be non-wetland waters. While it exhibited no characteristics of a streambed, this
appeared due to the highly maintained condition of the swale.

Flows are conveyed through the above-mentioned features to grated inlets adjacent to the north
edge of the mobile home park. From these points, flows are conveyed through buried culverts to
an open ditch on the west side of the mobile home park. The upper section, totaling about 0.09 acre
was determined to be a wetland due to the presence of both hydric soil and the dominance of
obligate wetland vegetation. Below this section, the soil substrate transitions to well-drained
alluvium sparsely occupied by upland non-native vegetation. This lower section was concluded to
be non-wetland waters.

Tebo Environmental Consulting, Inc. Sand Canyon Plaza Mixed-Use Project Draft EIR
March 2017 4.4-13