4.4 Biological Resources
BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES
4.4
Impacts to biological resources can be direct resulting in loss of habitat or individual species, or they can
be indirect resulting in diminished reproduction, impaired foraging and growth, interruption of wildlife
movement, or reduction in habitat quality. Direct impacts to marine biological resources may occur through
burial, removal, or smothering. Indirect impacts may result from decreases in marine water quality
associated with dredging and beach replenishment activities, sediment transport related to movement of
sands from the fill sites, noise, and contaminant releases associated withsediment disturbance, vesseltraffic,
and/or construction equipment. Indirect noise impacts to sensitive bird species are addressed in Section
4.13.
Direct impacts would be the same whether the project is constructed in late summer or spring. Indirect
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impacts would generally be the same for sedimentation since the analysis considered duration in terms of
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a series of seasons, not dependent upon a specific start date. Construction in spring would result in some
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activity during the nesting season of the federally listed western snowy plover and California least tern. This
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issue is addressed separately in the Final EIR/EA. Finally, construction in spring may provide benefits to
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grunion by establishing sandy beaches where currently there are cobble structures, thereby increasing their
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spawning habitat.
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Significance Criteria
4.4.1
Impacts to marine resources were considered significant if:
an individual or population of a threatened or endangered species is adversely affected as a result of
the project;
fisheries protected under Essential Fish Habitat designation are adversely affected; and/or
long-term adverse impacts fromsediment transport would result inthe irreversible removal, disturbance
or destruction of sensitive resources. Such sensitive resources are defined to include high relief reefs
and vegetated low relief reefs. Indicator species are feather boa kelp (Egregia menziesii), giant kelp
(Macrocystis pyrifera), surfgrass (Phyllospadix spp.), large sea fans (Muricea spp.), and sea palms
(Eisensia arborea).
Regional Beach Sand Project EIR/EA
Page 4.4-1
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