Wildfire Resilience at Spring Lake Regional Park
Summary
SCH Number
2021080305
Public Agency
Sonoma County Water Agency
Document Title
Wildfire Resilience at Spring Lake Regional Park
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
8/17/2021
Document Description
The Wildfire Resilience at Spring Lake Regional Park Project (Project) proposes vegetation management activities and hazardous fuel reduction on high-risk public lands owned by the Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water).
The Project would include vegetation management for fire fuel reduction in accordance with California’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan using funds administered by the California Coastal Conservancy. Work would include grazing by goats and vegetation management by hand crews. Hand crew work would include trimming and removal of overgrown vegetation and dead surface plant materials by cutting, removing, chipping on-site and/or mowing. Equipment would include hand tools and mechanized hand equipment such as string trimmers, chainsaws, pole saws, and/or chippers.
Contact Information
Name
Jessica Martini-Lamb
Agency Name
Sonoma County Water Agency
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Location
Cities
Santa Rosa
Counties
Sonoma
Regions
Citywide, Countywide, Northern California
Zip
95409
Total Acres
72
Other Location Info
Spring Lake Regional Park, 5585 Newanga Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
15301, Existing Facilities; 15304, Minor Alterations to Land
Reasons for Exemption
This project is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to statutory exemption Section 15269(c), Emergency Projects; categorical exemption (Class 1) Section 15301, Existing Facilities; and categorical exemption (Class 4) Section 15304, Minor Alterations to Land. The project includes minor alterations to vegetation through hazardous fuel reduction activities within an existing facility necessary to prevent or mitigate an emergency and no expansion of use would result. The project is located adjacent to areas that burned in the Tubbs and Nuns fires (2017) and the Glass Fire (2020), which combined, resulted in the loss of approximately 6,000 structures. Multiple years of drought conditions locally resulted in Governor Newsom’s proclamation of a state of emergency for Sonoma County on April 21, 2021, and the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors declaring a drought emergency on April 27, 2021, due to drought conditions, indicating that the 2021 fire season could be severe as well. The project is located within a popular regional park in Santa Rosa’s Wildland Urban Interface and in an area for high potential for fire risk to public health, safety and welfare of neighboring residents. There are no facts or circumstances specific to this project that would support an exception to the categorical exemption. No exceptions listed under Section 15300.2 apply. No work would take place within sensitive habitat, including wetlands or within 100 feet of a creek and no ground disturbance, such as excavation, would take place.
County Clerk
Sonoma
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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