More News

From the Alameda Creek Alliance

Alameda Watershed Habitat meeting scheduled for tonight in Dublin, Instream flows and endangered species both topics

January 13 -- The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) will hold a public scoping meeting tonight for their proposed Alameda Watershed Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP). The meeting is from 6:30 to 9:00 pm, at the Dublin Civic Center, Regional Meeting Room, 100 Civic Plaza, in Dublin.

The HCP will provide conservation measures and legal coverage for the SFPUC under the Endangered Species Act for lawful “take” of 12 special-status wildlife species and 5 plant species within the watershed, for 30 years.

Representatives of the San Francisco Planning Department, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Marine Fisheries Service will be at the hearing to discuss the environmental review process and receive comments to assist in determining the scope and focus of the joint Environmental Impact Statement and Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR). SFPUC staff will provide an overview of the plan and recent updates, including the revised list of covered activities, the revised list of covered species, preliminary modeling for the covered fish species, and the draft approach for impact analysis.

This HCP is allegedly the mechanism the SFPUC will use to address instream flows for steelhead trout and other migratory fish. It will provide the SFPUC with immunity from litigation over endangered species impacts from covered activities such as dam and reservoir operations, lease activities such as cattle grazing, and nursery and golf course operations, and road and fence construction and maintenance.

Written comments on the HCP will be accepted until January 21. The ACA will have talking points for submitting comments posted on our web page later this week.

See the SFPUC’s web page and the ACA web page for more information on the HCP.