4.8 Socioeconomics
to the coastal lagoons so no impacts to the lagoon nursery areas are expected. Some areas of the
nearshore may temporarily be covered by sand moving off the beaches onto the subtidal area. This is not
significant to halibut as their habitat is the sand bottom and they are well adapted to changes in near shore
sand levels. Any dislocation of halibut due to turbidity or sand movement would be localized and
temporary. Any effects from the proposed project on halibut is considered less than significant.
Gear Loss
Vessel traffic and dredge operations have the potential to conflict with traps. To reduce the potential for
trap loss and conflict, and to minimize impacts associated with the incompatibility of dredge operations and
fishing activities, pipeline corridors and vessel traffic lanes have been selected to avoid areas of kelp and
hard bottom. As described in Section 2.4, SANDAG has committed to a protocol of coordination with
commercial fisherman and the dredge operator to minimize, to the extent possible, gear conflict and
disruption of fishing locations. As described in that text, transit corridors and the dredge locations for each
borrow site would be noticed well in advanced of activity and a third party observer would be aboard the
dredge to document any fishing gear in the noticed areas. Such gear, if damaged or destroyed, would not
require compensation. If gear outside the noticed areas is damaged or destroyed, compensation would
be the responsibility of the contractor. Significant potential impacts would be avoided by the process, or
compensation would be provided as appropriate.
Kelp Harvesting
The project has been designed to minimize effects on kelp and kelp habitat. Dredging of the borrow sites
would cause localized turbidity and siltation. However, the borrow sites have been designed to provide
a minimum 500-foot buffer zone from kelp beds and potential kelp habitat (Section 4.4). This buffer zone
is judged to be sufficient as the distances from the dredging will generally be much greater than 500 feet
from these resources, the duration of turbidity will be intermittent and reach potential resources for only a
few days at most. Therefore, the impact is considered less than significant. Turbidity from the beach sites
and subsequent redistribution of the beach sand to the nearshore area could have adverse effects. As
previously discussed, a total of 3.2 acres of reef with giant kelp may experience partial sedimentationunder
worst-case model predicted assumptions, near three receiver sites from North Carlsbad to Solana Beach.
However, kelp habitat is generally not of high quality within the littoral cell (generally less than 30 ft depths)
and effects from the beach receiver sites beyond the littoral cell are highly localized and represent a very
small area.
Regional Beach Sand Project EIR/EA
Page 4.8-9
99-69\SANDAG EIREA 4.1 to 4.13.wpd 7/17/00
Previous Page
