Whistlestop Levee Repair and Public Access Improvement Project

Whistlestop Levee Repair and Public Access Improvement Project

Note: Extended Review This IS/MND evaluates the environmental effects of replacing up to three failed culverts in the Whistlestop levee with a 15- to 20-foot long bridge. The new bridge would be located on the western side of the levee, outside of the primary deep-water channel connecting Whistlestop Lagoon to Parsons Slough to minimize the potential for tidal erosion during ebb tides. To install the bridge, an approximately 20-foot section of the existing levee would be breached, and earth fill removed. The gap would be spanned with either a bridge constructed out of a concrete box culvert, or fabricated out of steel piles, beams and wood decking. The remaining levee edges under the bridge and resulting open channel surface would be armored with rock to protect against tidal scour and erosion. The opening of tidal exchange under the bridge would improve water quality in Whistlestop Lagoon by increasing nutrient and energy exchange with the rest of the estuary. This opening in the levee would also improve passage for fish and wildlife between Whistlestop Lagoon and the adjacent estuarine habitat (Parsons Complex). Rock placed under the bridge would provide additional hard substrate habitat to support native oysters, and would minimize the potential for tidal scour and erosion. Placement of a bridge at this location would improve safety of Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve (ESNERR) staff and the public when accessing Hummingbird Island on the west side of the levee.

Monterey

California Coastal Commission (CCC), California Department of Parks and Recreation, California Department of State Parks, Division of Boating and Waterways, California Department of Transportation, District 5 (DOT), California Highway Patrol, California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC), California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Central Coast Region 3 (RWQCB), Department of Water Resources, Office of Historic Preservation, Resources Agency

Recreational (Bridge), Water Facilities (Type Dock)

Coastal Permit, DFG Approval

Air Quality, Biological Resources, Coastal Zone, Cultural Resources, Cumulative Effects, Flood Plain/Flooding, Geology/Soils, Hydrology/Water Quality, Noise, Recreation, Vegetation, Wetland/Riparian