Zasoby i środowisko · 4.03.2010

San Diego County Water Authority Natural Communities Conservation Program/Habitat Conservation Plan, San Diego and Riverside Counties, CA

The San Diego County Water Authority (Water Authority/ Applicant) has applied to us, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), for an incidental take permit under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The Applicant is requesting a permit to incidentally take 37 animal species and seeking assurances for 27 plant species (including 19 Federally listed species) during the term of the proposed 55-year permit. The permit is needed to authorize take of listed animal species due to construction, operations, and maintenance activities in the approximately 992,000-acre (401,450-hectare) Plan Area in western San Diego County and south-central Riverside County, California. We are requesting public comment on the Draft Water Authority Natural Communities Conservation Program/Habitat Conservation Plan (NCCP/HCP), Draft Implementing Agreement, and Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS). We have prepared the Draft EIS, which is the Federal portion of the Draft EIR/EIS, to analyze the impacts of issuing an incidental take permit based on the Water Authority's proposed NCCP/HCP. The Draft EIR portion of the joint document was prepared by the W