HWY101 Water Main Abandonment Project

2024100084

City of Santa Barbara

NOE - Notice of Exemption

10/2/2024

10/2/2024

Kaitlin Mamulski

City of Santa Barbara

Project Planner

Lead/Public Agency

PO Box 1990
Santa Barbara, CA 93102-1990

(805) 897-2685

kmamulski@santabarbaraca.gov

Los Patos and Old Coast Highway

The Project is located on both sides of Highway 101 at the Los Patos exit and directly across on Old Coast Highway

Categorical Exemption

Section 15301 (b)

CEQA Guidelines Section 15301 Existing Facilities. This Project meets Section 15301 Existing Facilities Class 1 categorical exemption which consists of the operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing facilities, because the abandonment of 0.1 miles of existing potable water main pipe is a minor alteration of the water system and is necessary to allow for the implementation of CalTrans Highway 101 High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Widening Project (HOV Project). Direct and indirect impacts were analyzed in the South Coast 101 HOV Lanes Project Final Revised EIR. The water main abandonment and relocation will not result in an increase or decrease in use or capacity. Archaeology. The Project is located in the Prehistoric Watercourse Buffer Area. A Phase I Archaeological Resources Report is on file for the site in the City’s database. The Phase I findings noted no known archaeological resources are located within the project site and no archaeological materials were identified during the Phase 1 survey of the project site. Furthermore, the project site has been subject to substantial previous disturbances. Given these findings and the minor ground disturbance associated with the water main abandonment to previously disturbed depths, the effect on archaeological resources is less than significant. Biology. The Project is within 200 feet of biological resources at the Andree Clark Bird Refuge which includes sensitive species, special wildlife areas, coastal zone resources (brackish water marsh), creek and wetland habitats (brackish water marsh), upland habitat (ruderal, ornamental trees, riparian and wetland, and urban). The Project itself is located in urban and ruderal upland habitat. Construction will not take place during nesting bird season. Given the temporary short-term construction, the effect on biological resources is less than significant. Creeks. The Project site is adjacent to a drainage south of Old Coast Highway, however, there will be no construction within the drainage, construction crews and equipment will avoid the drainage. Therefore, the effect on creeks is less than significant. Coastal Zone. The Project is located in the Non-Appealable Jurisdiction of the Coastal Zone and will receive a Coastal Exemption under the “Other Construction Exemption”. Therefore, given the minor nature of the pipe abandonment, the effect on coastal resources is considered less than significant. Floodway. The Project is located primarily in the X flood zone with a portion in the AE flood zone. Given the minor nature of the pipe abandonment, the Project will have a less than significant impact on the floodway. Geology. The Project site contains shallow groundwater; therefore, the Project may require pumping trucks to remove water during excavation, which is typical for construction in shallow groundwater areas. The effect on geological resources is considered less than significant. Historic Structures. The Project is within 50 feet of the Johnson Residence, which is included in the City’s Historic Resource Inventory. The construction on the Los Patos side of the Project is within East Cabrillo Boulevard, a historic parkway. The abandonment work will occur within the existing facilities (no aboveground features) and will therefore have a less than significant effect on historic resources. Noise. The site is located in an area with ambient noise levels greater than 65 dBA. The area in particular has ambient noise levels greater than 70 dBA. Construction activities will include subsurface excavation; however, no pile driving is necessary. The temporary short-term construction related noise impacts will adhere to the noise control requirements and construction is anticipated to be completed within a week. The Contractor must comply with the Noise Control requirements stated under General Conditions §7.20 (Noise Control) and the Noise Ordinance (Chapter 9.16 of the SBMC) which governs short-term or periodic noise, such as construction noise, operation of motorized equipment or amplified sound, or other sources of nuisance noise. The ordinance establishes limitations on hours of construction (7AM to 5PM) and motorized equipment operations and provides criteria for defining nuisance noise in general. Adhering to the noise control requirements will ensure the short-term construction related noise effects are considered less than significant. In conclusion, the Project will abandon of 0.1 miles of existing potable water main pipe, a minor alteration of the water system is a to allow for highway expansion associated with the HOV Project. The Project is not anticipated to result in any significant impacts towards the environmental resources, therefore, the Public Works Department recommends that the Case Planner consider this Project as exempt, as defined in the CEQA review process classified under the Class 1, 15301 (b) Existing Facilities categorical exemption of the CEQA Guidelines.