3.4 Biological Resources
effort was also undertaken at the Surfside/Sunset Beach borrow sites in Orange County that have been
continually used for beach replenishment since the late 1970s. Three existing borrow sites that were used
in 1979, 1990, and 1997 were surveyed so that comparisons could be made between dredge areas that
differed in time from disturbance. Additionally, an unaffected "control" area was sampled in the vicinity.
The surveys were conducted between June 23 through 25, 1999. The proposed borrow sites in San Diego
County (SO-7 and SO-5) and the existing borrow sites in Orange County were surveyed with identical
methods.
Continuous water quality (pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, salinity, transmissivity) measurements were
made from the surface to the bottom at the borrow site locations using a Seabird water quality analyzer.
Fish and benthic macroinvertebrates were collected using a 25-foot headrope otter trawl. Two trawl
samples (10 minute tows) were collected at each study station. Two SCUBA diving biologists swam
transects at each of the stations and recorded observations of fish and benthic macroinvertebrates. Divers
collected samples for infaunal and sediment analysis. Grain size distribution and total organic carbon were
analyzed inthe laboratory using standard methods. Infaunal samples were processed according to standard
protocols for collecting and identifying the small organisms that reside in the sediment.
Literature and Data Review
Several sources of information were used to augment description of existing conditions and to evaluate
potential impacts from the project. Primary data sources for existing conditions included water quality
monitoring data from NPDES wastewater ocean monitoring programs conducted in San Diego County;
physical and chemical characterization of borrow site sediments (Sea Surveyor, Inc. 1999); habitat maps
prepared by the Department of the Navy (1997a, 1997b); input on resource maps by representatives of
commercial fishing organizations (Guth 1999); field surveys conducted by MEC for this project; fishing
catch records obtained from the CDFG; sensitive bird species monitoring data from the USFWS; and
monitoring studies currently being conducted in the project area for the Navy in rocky intertidal, subtidal
reef, and kelp bed habitats.
Regional Overview
3.4.2
The project area is within the larger zoogeographic zone known as the warm temperate or Southern
California Bight, whose boundaries span from Point Conception, California to Punta Eugenia, Baja
California. The distributions of species within the Bight are related to the complex hydrography and
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