Aspen Completes EIR Process for Ventura County on the Santa Clara River Levee Improvements Project

Since October 2013, Aspen has been assisting the Ventura County Watershed Protection District (VCWPD) with the SCR-3 Project and recently completed the Final EIR in June 2016. This project is located in unincorporated Ventura County, generally along the southern bank of the Santa Clara River in the City of Oxnard. In its current configuration, the existing SCR-3 levee system is not adequate to protect properties in the City of Oxnard during high-flow storm events and does not meet the federal levee certification regulations. In 2009, the VCWPD began evaluating SCR-3 certification deficiencies in order to develop an improvement plan to meet regulatory requirements. The goal is to rehabilitate the levee system to provide adequate protection from a one percent annual chance (a.k.a. 100-year) flood event for approximately 3,800 structures located in north Oxnard. This would eliminate the regulatory requirement for property owners with federally backed mortgages to purchase flood insurance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) National Flood Insurance Program.

Aspen was retained early in the project design phase to assist with the evaluation of design options for the project. A fundamental issue considered was the integration of the levee improvements with three closed landfills that run parallel to the levee alignment, while still meeting FEMA’s requirements. Other important considerations included the protection of existing utility and landfill infrastructure, and the formulation of a levee design along N. Ventura Road to minimize impacts to vegetation and wildlife within the Santa Clara River while maintaining viewing and recreational opportunities for the public. Another challenge was how to integrate the levee with an existing railroad bridge that crosses the river.

Aspen supported this design process by assessing existing sensitive resources along and within the Santa Clara River, including conducting biological surveys and preparing vegetation and wildlife mapping. The Santa Clara River, which supports some of the last large-scale cottonwood galleries in the region and is one of the last natural river systems in Southern California, is a haven for biological resources. Of particular concern were impacts to riparian vegetation and State and federal endangered species, including least Bell’s vireo, southwestern willow flycatcher, and steelhead trout.

Aspen also completed an assessment of riparian habitat and jurisdictional waters and wetlands to determine the extent of resources under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board, and California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Avoiding impacts to these resources reduced environmental impacts and also simplified the permitting processes with the regulatory agencies.

Through this design optimization process, the VCWPD ultimately revised their original design plans to re-align the proposed floodwall along N. Ventura Road. Through this process, impacts to biological resources and scenic resources were reduced. The design revisions also reduced impacts to jurisdictional waters to such an extent that the project can be constructed under a Clean Water Act Nationwide Permit.

Early public involvement was also a key to the success of this project, with the VCWPD and Aspen holding a pre-scoping meeting to provide the public an opportunity to learn about the SCR-3 Project and the various options under consideration. Comments and input were solicited to better identify public concerns and help refine the project design to meet the project objectives while addressing community issues. Comments received as part of the pre-scoping meeting helped identify a wide range of potential alternatives, which prompted the investigation of various watershed management techniques such as upstream detention, low-impact development, and natural floodplain attenuation. These alternatives were carefully considered by the VCWPD with input from the engineering team and Aspen. Completing this pre-scoping process allowed for early identification of alternatives, which provided the additional time needed to complete a thorough assessment of the feasibility and environmental impacts associated with each potential alternative.

Aspen prepared the EIR for the SCR-3 Project on behalf of the VCWPD. The EIR evaluated two design options in equal detail due to initial uncertainty as to which option was preferred since each option had various advantages and disadvantages, including differing costs and impacts. By the end of the EIR process, the VCWPD had shifted its preference from one option to the other, validating the decision to examine both options in equal detail. Aspen also prepared the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program, CEQA Findings, and Statement of Overriding Considerations on behalf of the VCWPD, which identified significant and unavoidable impacts to scenic resources as a result of the floodwall, and significant noise and vibration impacts during the construction of the floodwall. The SCR-3 Project is tentatively scheduled to go to the Board of Supervisors for a vote and certification of the Final EIR on July 26, 2016.

Aspen is supporting the VCWPD in the permitting process for the SCR-3 Project by completing permit applications for the Section 1600 Lake and Streambed Alteration Agreement, Section 401 Water Quality Certification, and Clean Water Act Section 404 permit.