The Placer County Conservation Plan

1. The Placer County Conservation Plan Placer County Conservation Plan County Aquatic Resources Program Program Overview November 16, 2010

2. Placer County Conservation Plan (PCCP) The PCCP Boundary is defined by political borders with Sutter, Sacramento, Nevada, Yuba and Eldorado Counties, and the easternmost extent of any watershed that has the potential to support salmonids.

3. The Scope of Regulatory Coverage The Placer County Conservation Plan will provide 50-year permit coverage for the following permits: • Incidental Take Permit – FESA • Incidental Take Permit – CESA • Master Streambed Alteration Agreement The PCCP would provide incremental 5-year permit coverage for the following permits: • Programmatic Water Quality Certification • Issuance of Programmatic General Permit and Letter of Permission Procedures • “Regional LEDPA”

4. Covered Species The PCCP will cover 50 years of “take” (impact) to 33 species, including: • Bogg’s Lake hedge hyssop • Vernal pool fairy shrimp • Vernal pool tadpole shrimp • Valley elderberry longhorn beetle • Central Valley steelhead • Bald eagle (wintering) • Swainson’s hawk • American peregrine falcon • California black rail • Western pond turtle • Bank swallow • Late fall-run chinook salmon • California tiger salamander • Burrowing owl • California red-legged frog • Giant garter snake • Legenere • Cooper’s hawk • Loggerhead shrike • Tricolored blackbird • Yellow-legged frog • Western yellow-billed cuckoo

5. PCCP – A Cooperative Effort Regulatory Coverage for: Potential Participating Agencies: • Placer Parkway indirect effects • Conservation Activities • Conveyance, distribution of water and construction and maintenance of facilities • Placer County • PCWA • City of Lincoln • Land Development in Unincorporated Western Placer County and City of Lincoln

6. 2060 Growth Scenario – Land Conversion Projected Land Conversion 2007 –2060 (Measured in Acres) Analysis Zone Acres Percent of total Development Transition Area—County 4,900 7% Development Transition Area—Lincoln 8,800 13% Existing and Planned Urban—County 27,400 40% Existing and Planned Urban—Lincoln 3,400 5% Rural Residential—County 12,200 18% PCCP area excluding56,700 83% non-participating cities Non Participating Cities 11,300 17% Total PCCP Area 68,000 100% Geographically, the County accounts for 65% of the conversion and the City of Lincoln accounts for 35%. About 90% of the County’s portion of the impact is predicted on areas already covered by the General Plan.

7. PCCP Reserve Area 40,000-50,000 acres of land that can be permanently protected in a dedicated conservation reserve area

8. PCCP Core Areas Emphasis on watershed-scale conservation and restoration along the Bear River and Coon Creek

9. PCCP - Salmonids Dry Creek, Coon Creek and Auburn Ravine are salmon-bearing streams with federally-listed salmon and steelhead present. The Bear River has salmon and steelhead up to the Camp Far West Dam.

10. PCCP – CARP Area CARP Conservation Strategy

11. CARP – The PCCP Proposal The CARP authorizes work in “waters of the County” for a variety of activities, including discharges of fill material; alterations to the bed, bank, shoreline, or channel of County streams, lakes, and ponds; and removal of riparian and wetland vegetation. The CARP will consist of a local ordinance that addresses impacts currently regulated or evaluated by the Corps of Engineers and Department of Fish and Game. The CARP will rely up on a “regional LEDPA” for implementation.

12. CARP Definitions – Buffer Area • CARP – County Aquatic Resources Program – the program through which the County will seek to regulate impacts associated with Federal Clean Water Act regulations (Sections 404/401) and State Streambed Alteration Agreements (Fish and Game Code Section 1602) • Stream System – The area, measured from centerline of the stream to the edge of the 100-year floodplain or the edge of the setback, whichever is greater. • Stream Zone – consists of the stream channel, stream bank and outer edge of riparian, if present. • Stream Setback Area – measured from the edge of the stream zone to the edge of the 100 year floodplain or setback from centerline, whichever is greater. • Waters of Placer County – those aquatic resources that may be present within the Stream Buffer Area.

13. CARP Categories – Permit Types Category 1 – Projects with Very Small Aquatic Resource Impacts (less than 4,300 sq. ft.) Category 2 – Projects with Small Aquatic Resource Impacts (4,300-10,000 sq. ft.) Category 3 - Projects with Small to Medium Aquatic Resource Impacts (10,000 sq. ft. to 10 acres – wetland fills only) Category 4 - Projects with Small to Medium Aquatic Resources and Other Impacts on the Environment (10,000 sq. ft. to 10 acres – wetland fills and other environmental effects) Category 5 – Projects with Large Scale Aquatic Resource Impacts (greater than 10 acres of fill) Category 6 – Projects Not Covered by the PCCP Wetland fills only Wetland fills and other impacts on the environment

14. CARP - Regional LEDPA If the PCCP conservation strategy can integrate: Landscape Scale Avoidance of wetlands within the Reserve Area and the stream system, Low Impact Development Standards within urban/suburban projects AND Onsite avoidance within Stream Environment Zones and/or Floodplains (CARP Buffer) The PCCP can be considered the “regional” LEDPA determination for 404 impacts. This avoids having to make a LEDPA determination on a case-by-case basis. A separate offsite alternatives analysis will not be required for projects covered by the PCCP’s programmatic permitting.

15. CARP - Key Elements Key Element #1 - PCCP Conservation Strategy Reserve Area

16. Ad Hoc Committee Map

17. CARP - Key Elements Key Element #2 - Low Impact Development Requirements

18. Low Impact Development Requirements Low Impact Development (LID) Standards These measures are intended to offset the water quality benefits that will be lost when avoidance/minimization measures are transferred to the landscape scale. The water quality benefits associated with avoided wetland and stream resources remaining in urban/suburban settings will be replaced by a range LID measures. LID will also provide benefits to covered species, in particular chinook salmon and steelhead. LID will provide water quality improvements for salmon-bearing streams (e.g., Auburn Ravine, Doty Ravine, Dry Creek and Coon Creek). The watersheds for these 4 streams covers the majority of the potential growth area. LID also provides flood control benefits, water conservation, and community design elements that emphasize open space.

19. Conventional Development Centralized Storm Drain and Detention Pond

20. Multiple Systems LID Development Conservation Minimization Soil Amendments Open Drainage Rain Gardens Rain Barrels Pollution Prevention Disconnected Decentralized Distributed Multi-functional Water Use Keeping Water Where it Falls

21. Low Impact Development Requirements Flood control benefits

22. CARP - Key Elements Key Element #3 – Stream Buffers

23. Stream Zone Buffers and Setbacks The CARP stream zone setback is a land use buffer and a structural/impervious surface setback that is intended to separate incompatible land uses in order to avoid direct and indirect impacts along stream corridors. • Bear River – 600’ from centerline or the floodplain, whichever is greater • Major Streams – 300’ from centerline or the floodplain, whichever is greater • Major Tributary – 100’ from centerline or the floodplain, whichever is greater • Minor Tributary – 50’ from centerline • Intermittent Streams – Structural setbacks 50’ from centerline

24. The Placer County Conservation Plan - PCCP The CARP focuses on waters within the “stream system” and waters outside the stream system. Proximity to the stream system and/or size of an avoided reserve area defines avoidance minimization measures.

25. Conclusion – Improving on Status Quo Onsite avoidance and minimization South Placer Growth - avoided stream resources South Placer – avoided vernal pool preserve

26. Conclusion – Improving on Status Quo Onsite avoidance and minimization South Placer – Stream zone avoidance Created vernal pool preserve

27. Conclusion – Improving on Status Quo Aitken Ranch Conservation Easement Auburn Ravine Landscape-scale avoidance and minimization combined with restoration and use of mitigation banks for no net loss. Coon Creek Watershed Conservation

28. Conclusion – Improving on Status Quo Orchard Creek Conservation Bank Landscape-scale avoidance and minimization combined with restoration and use of mitigation banks for no net loss. Bruin Ranch Watershed-level Conservation

29. Conservation Objectives • Improved conservation and monitoring of conservation activities • Elimination of governmental redundancy and inefficiency • Integration into local land use and CEQA decision-making • In-house expertise – County will propose to hire a biologist trained to COE standards for wetland verifications, enforcement and local assistance.

30. Conservation Objectives • Establishment of a large, integrated conservation reserve area • In perpetuity funding for ongoing conservation activities • Consideration of wetlands as a habitat; not a resource that is managed through a number of regulatory schemes. • Coordination and integration with DFG 1600, FESA and CESA – there’s 1 conservation strategy

31. For information on this presentation, please contact Loren Clark at lclark@placer.ca.gov or 530 745-3016. Placer County Planning Department 3091 County Center Drive Auburn CA 95603