Affected Environment. The affected environment is the area and its resources (i.e., biological, physical, human) potentially impacted by the Proposed Action and Alternatives. The purpose of describing the affected environment is to define the context in which the impacts would occur. To make an informed decision about which alternative to select, it is necessary to first understand which resources would be affected and to what extent. The affected environment section of this document attempts to provide the basis for this understanding. Relative to Applicant’s proposal for a Section 10 Permit, the affected environment includes those settings where any covered activities would occur. This includes the Enrolled Lands spanning 212,443 acres of land across Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Kitsap, King, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx and Wahkiakum counties. The Section 10 Permit would cover all Enrolled Lands and covered activities. In defining potentially affected resources, the USFWS considered the potential impacts associated with the Proposed Action, namely potential issuance of a section 10 Permit to Applicant for incidental take of marbled murrelets and implementation of the proposed SHA. Consistent with NEPA, the USFWS also considered a No Action Alternative, where Applicant would continue to conduct forest management activities under the Forest Practices Rules without incidental take coverage, and two other action alternatives. Elements of the natural and human environment included in this analysis are those with the potential for significant differences between the alternatives, or for which an analysis was required to demonstrate that the difference would not be substantial. Elements of the natural and human environment not specifically addressed are those that would not be affected by the Proposed Action (e.g., recreation) and those for which there would be no significant difference between alternatives (e.g., transportation, energy consumption, air quality, noise, and scenic resources/aesthetics). The Enrolled Lands are commercial timberlands. Applicant’s Enrolled Lands also provide access to a variety of recreational sites and activities. The majority of Rayonier’s property is gated to prevent vandalism, theft, dumping and to reduce the risk of fire. Most of the property has some type of permit system in place for hunting and other recreational uses. Other areas are open for walk-in use without a permit. Rayonier offers several types of permits: Recreational...
Affected Environment. The purpose of this chapter is to describe the existing environment, including conditions and trends, that may be affected by the management alternatives. Descriptions focus on the physical features of Cook Inlet, Alaska, living marine resources, and habitat. The following description(s) of the physical environment of Cook Inlet provides a setting for subsequent discussions on the environmental impacts of each alternative. These descriptions are necessary for understanding how the alternatives being considered may affect the marine resources of Cook Inlet. Because this assessment focuses only on the development of a co- management agreement between NMFS and CIMMC, and the biological and cultural environment surrounding that activity, this section focuses only on beluga whales and the use of beluga whale for subsistence purposes. The reader may find a more detailed discussion of the region's natural and human environments in the following reference documents: the University of Alaska’s 1974 Alaska Regional Profiles: Southcentral Alaska (UAF 1974), and the Minerals Management Service's Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Cook Inlet Planning Area Oil and Gas Sale 149 (MMS 1996).
Affected Environment. Tuscaloosa is situated near the approximate contact of the Cumberland Plateau section of the Appalachian Plateau and the East Gulf Coastal Plain section of the Gulf Coastal Plain physiographic province. The plateau region, or district, in this part of Alabama is identified more specifically as the Black Warrior Basin, a structural depression covering a 15-county area in northwest Alabama and northeast Mississippi. The landscape consists of flat-topped, high elevation plateaus separated by deep, steep- sidedvalleys. The highest elevations are in DeKalb and Madison Counties and the lowest elevations are in Tuscaloosa County. Rocks in the basin are Pennsylvanian in age and consist of shales, sandstones, conglomerates, and coal seams. Surface weathering of these strata, assigned to the Pottsville Formation, produces residual soils consisting of clays, silts, andsands. Environmental Consequences Geotechnical study of the site finds a top layer of soft xxxxx and silty soils which are low consistency and require additional support for the proposed structure. This topsoil layer can be reused for mixed fill after compaction or proof-rolling. Excavation of rock is not expected and shallow foundations were recommended by geotechnical study.
Affected Environment. Topography at the site is flat to the south with moderate slope drop- off to the north. Stormwater will drain overland and through storm drain to an on-site stormwater detention system comprised of existing underground detention systems and two new stormwater management basins. For the Proposed Action the roof drainage will be collected in underground pipes and conveyed to the stormwater management basins. The parking lot extensions will be drained using catch basins and underground pipes conveyed to the east stormwater basin. The existing underground detention system in the north portion of the existing parking lot will be modified to remove conflicts with the new building foundations. The storage volume removed from the underground system will be replaced in the new stormwater basins. The outfall location of the existing north underground detention system will be modified to empty into the west stormwater basin. Mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining walls will be included at the northeast corner of the site near the wareyard and along a portion of the north side of the building near the north patio. The retaining walls at the northeast corner of the site consist of a 10-foot-high wall and a 5-foot-high wall with a 5-foot-wide bench between them. The retaining wall near the north patio is a 5-foot-high wall.
Affected Environment. The National Wetlands Inventory map for the subject site indicates no wetland areas on the project site. Due to the topography of the site being on a hill sloping down to the roadway and river, there are no likely areas for wetlands to form. A recently developed parking lot by the University of Alabama on the subject site also found no wetlands on the site.
Affected Environment. Groundwater is water that exists underground in saturated zones beneath the land surfaceyear-round resulting from long-term accumulation of water above or between relatively impervious subsurface strata, such as clays or bedrock. The primary water source is usually from infiltration of surface water into the subsurface, but it can also come from lateral flows of subsurface water from adjacent sources. The groundwater surface, sometimes called the “water table,” can fluctuate up or down throughout the year due to seasonal changes in climate, precipitation, vegetation, surface runoff, water levels in nearby water bodies, and other factors. Geotechnical drilling determined the depth to groundwater at the site to be approximately twenty-six feet. The depth is expected to fluctuate due to the conditions described above. Previous groundwater contamination has been remediated. The Environmental Covenant stipulates any water drawn from the site be limited to non-potable purposes only (see Appendix A).
Affected Environment. Potentially noise-sensitive receptors include University buildings and dormitories located in the vicinity of the proposed construction and scattered residences located along Xxxxxxxxx Xxxx and North Campus Way. The Proposed Action and its operations are consistent with the uses and University campus planning. Environmental Consequences The mechanical units serving the building will be within the required sound level decibels for equipment, and the typical activities in the building are not anticipated to generate exterior noise. The University buildings near the construction site will have increases in noise generated during construction activities. Noise generated during construction would be commensurate with any construction site with typical earth-moving equipment. This increase in noise levels is temporary and will be limited to those areas in the immediate proximity of construction. Noise levels should be controlled on the site within OSHAlimits. The noise levels outside of the construction area should not exceed 60 dBA for more than a few hours per day. The short-term noise levels should not exceed 75 dBA at any time. The construction noise is considered a temporary nuisance, and no long-term impacts are anticipated from the operations of the building once complete. As an operating University, impacts to classes and student-occupied dormitories should be considered for buildings with close proximity to the project site. To minimize the temporary impact from construction noise, the contractor will prepare a construction noise reduction plan to be reviewed by USGS and included in the construction documents. This plan will include abatement measures to minimize the construction noise, such as specific work-hour controls and the maintenance of normal noise-reduction muffler systems, dampeners, and sound aprons.
Affected Environment. The USGS facility will be visible from the surrounding University buildings and Tuscaloosa area including the lake. The project area is currently an undeveloped area with a parking lot in the midst of a developed university area. The Bryce Hospital complex is assessed as part of the Cultural Resources section of this document. A parking lot exists on the site currently along with vegetation and trees. Located nearby are university classroom and dormitory buildings.
Affected Environment. The Consultant will:
Affected Environment. Vegetation Ecoregions are defined as areas of relatively homogenous ecological systems, i.e., those with similar soils, vegetation, climate, and geology. North America is divided into four levels of Ecoregions based on level of detail and these ecoregions are further divided into divisions and provinces. The proposed UCFRB CREP area lies within the Dry Domain Ecoregion, Mountain Provinces Division, and Middle Rocky Mountain Steppe-Coniferous Forest-Alpine Meadow Province (Xxxxxx 1995). On a finer scale it lies within the Beaverhead Mountains subregion (McNab 1994). The Beaverhead Mountains area includes steep mountain-valley complexes. High alpine terraces and alluvial floodplains are present as a result of historic and present erosion. Elevations range from 2,500 feet in the valleys to 10,000 feet at the mountain peaks. Climate is cold and snowy for the fall, winter and spring. Xxxxxxx are dry with a growing season of 45 to 100 days. Tree growth on south and west aspects is limited due to insufficient soil moisture, but shortgrass prairie extends from the valley floors to near the mountaintops. Potential vegetation of the sagebrush steppe areas includes: big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), fescues (Festuca spp.), wheatgrasses (Agropyron spp.) and needlegrass (Achnatherum spp.). Tree species include Xxxxxxx-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), limber pine (Pinus flexilis), and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta)(Xxxxxx 1995). The UCFRB CREP area has three distinct vegetation regimes: the riparian areas, the grasslands, and the montane areas. The riparian vegetation is dominated by cottonwood (Populus spp.) stands mixed with willow (Salix spp.) and other riparian shrubs such as dogwood (Cornus spp.) and alder (Alnus spp.). The grasslands in between the riparian and montane areas are dominated by fescues and wheatgrass. The mountain slopes, mid to high elevation in the north and low to high elevation in the south, are stocked with ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum), and Xxxxxxx-Fir (Montana Department of Natural Resources Conservation [MDNRC] & WRC 2005). There are 58 known invasive species that are found within the five counties that hold the UCFRB CREP area (Appendix G) (UM-M 2006). Most of these plants originated from Europe or Asia either accidentally or as planted ornamentals and food crops and have escaped. Invasive or non- native plants can spread at alarming rates and can displace native plant populations because in...
