East Beach Mooring Field Expansion Project

2025011049

City of Santa Barbara

NOE - Notice of Exemption

1/31/2025

1/31/2025

Kaitlin Mamulski

City of Santa Barbara, Public Works Engineering

Project Planner

Lead/Public Agency

PO Box 1990
Santa Barbara, CA 93102-1990

(805) 897-2685

kmamulski@santabarbaraca.gov

017-191-0WF

Pacific Ocean

Categorical Exemption

15307 Actions by Regulatory Agencies for Protection of Natural Resources

CEQA Guidelines Section 15307 Actions by Regulatory Agencies for Protection of Natural Resources. The Project meets the 15307 categorical exemption, because the Project would create an area in which boats would be properly moored and are unlikely to wash up on the beach and abandoned tackle is not left on the ocean floor. Furthermore, the Project would regulate an activity that is already occurring, and the regulations would reduce the impacts of improperly moored boats on City and environmental resources. Air Quality. All vessels used to install and inspect ground-tackle for individually permitted vessels in the designated mooring zone will be subject to the following measures, which will help reduce emissions: 1.Heavy-duty diesel-powered construction equipment manufactured after 1996 (with federally mandated "clean" diesel engines) should be utilized wherever feasible. 2.The engine size of construction equipment should be the minimum practical size. 3.The number of construction equipment operating simultaneously should be minimized through efficient management practices to ensure that the smallest practical number is operating at any one time. 4.Construction equipment should be maintained in tune per the manufacturer’s specifications. 5.Construction equipment operating onsite should be equipped with two-to-four-degree engine timing retard or precombustion chamber engines. 6.Catalytic converters should be installed on gasoline-powered equipment, if feasible. 7.Diesel catalytic converters, diesel oxidation catalysts and diesel particulate filters as certified and/or verified by EPA or California could be installed, if available. 8.Diesel powered equipment should be replaced by electric equipment whenever feasible. 9.Construction worker trips should be minimized by requiring carpooling and by providing lunch onsite. Compliance with these emission reduction measures will ensure that the project’s effect on air quality is less than significant. Archaeological Resources. The project area is outside of the high and moderate sensitivity zones for archaeological resources. It is not expected that any subsurface archaeological features will be uncovered. In the event that archaeological resources are discovered, work shall immediately stop, and the City of Santa Barbara Environmental Analyst will be contacted for recommendation on how to proceed. Because the project area is outside of any archaeological sensitivity zones, the effects on archaeological resources are considered less than significant. Biological Resources. Several state and federal listed species use the harbor on at least a seasonal basis; due to the location and nature of work for this project, however, there should be no significant impact on any species. It is expected that ocean floor conditions within the project area will primarily consist of beach sand. Although it is likely sensitive resources such as rocky substrate, macroalgae, and/or seagrasses will be present at a few locations, it is not anticipated that these sensitive resources will be widespread. As such, the Waterfront Department will deploy divers to survey each location just prior to ground-tackle installation to ensure there are no sensitive resources within a 25-foot radius from the ground-tackle installation location. Survey divers will not be required to be degree-certified biologists or environmental resource specialists; they will, however, be properly trained by a biologist, environmental resource specialist, or City staff to identify sensitive resources listed below. Divers will be Waterfront Department staff or divers contracted by the Waterfront Department capable of performing this type of work. Sensitive resources divers will specifically look to identify include: •Rocky Substrate •Coral Reef •Caulerpa taxifolia •Japanese Kelp (Undria pinnatifida) •Eel Grass (Zostera marina) •Giant Kelp (Macrosystis pyrifera) Should these sensitive resources be present at or within the ground-tackle radius described above, the ground-tackle will be installed at a different location (specified by the Harbor Operations Manager or his designee) within that individual mooring space where conditions permit. If this cannot be accomplished in a manner that safely maintains the project’s goal of 66 mooring sites, individual sites may be excluded. In addition, to surveying each location prior to initial deployment, diver surveys will be required each year as part of the annual permit renewal process. Divers will survey all sites within 45 days prior to the ground-tackle inspection using the same method and procedures described above. Noise. Noise generated by the installation of ground-tackle will be insignificant and temporary, therefore, the noise effects are considered less than significant. In conclusion, the Project will expand the mooring field with 20 additional moorings in the seasonal anchorage area and enforce ground-tackle specifications for moored vessels. The Project is not anticipated to result in any significant impacts towards 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 15307 Actions by Regulatory Agencies for Protection of Natural Resources categorical exemption of the CEQA Guidelines.