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4.10 BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES This section provides a description of common and sensitive biological resources observed or with potential to occur in the project study area and an overview of relevant federal, state,and local laws and regulations pertaining %, to the protection of such resources. An evaluation of potential impacts to biological resources is also presented, accompanied by measures designed to reduce significant impacts to a less-than-significant level. +� 4.10.1 PHYSICAL SETTING The College Park project site includes a mixture of single-family residential, agricultural,and infrastructure uses v (see Figure 4.2-1 in Section 4.2,"Land Use"). Much of the project site is in agricultural production of alfalfa, oats,sugar beets, and corn crops. The remainder of the site is fallow. Several project site parcels(e.g.,Tuso, I_ Turman, Souza, Teixeira)are currently under Williamson Act contracts. The eastern portion of the project site ` contains two dairies,one on either side of Grant Line Road along Mountain House Parkway. The central portion of the project site contains four residences. A single residence is located on the south side of Grant Line Road, halfway between Mountain House Parkway and the Alameda County line. Approximately 40 residences are located in the northwest comer of the project site in a community known as Grant Line Village. Two Byron— Bethany Irrigation District(BBID)irrigation canals,a 65-foot-wide Pacific Gas and Electric Company(PG&E) and Chevron easement containing two large natural-gas pipelines and a crude-oil pipeline, and a 75-foot-wide PG&E electrical easement containing 230 kVA(kilovolt ampere)overhead electrical transmission lines,all bisect bw the project site. Off-site improvement areas north,west, and east of the College Park site are dominated by the rights-of-way of existing streets but also include some agricultural fields and grazing land. �. VEGETATION Vegetation at the College Park site is dominated by agricultural lands. Small areas of riparian scrub and r, freshwater emergent wetland vegetation occur as isolated patches,primarily associated with a drainage system near the western boundary of the College Park site(on the Hernandez properties),but also associated with the irrigation canals and ponds. Vegetation associated with off-site improvement areas is dominated by grazed grassland and agricultural land. Each habitat type at the College Park site and off-site improvement areas is briefly described below. AGRICULTURAL LAND Agricultural land,including active and fallow fields,is the dominant vegetation type at the College Park site. At the time of the EDAW survey, oats and alfalfa were being cultivated. Most fields appeared to be recently planted or disked. Annual Grassland 4 Annual grassland is dominated by nonnative grasses and weeds. This habitat is present along roadsides,in fallow agricultural fields,and along active agricultural field margins throughout the College Park site. It is also the dominant habitat type in the proposed off-site improvement areas west of the site,much of which is subject to cattle grazing. DRAINAGES AND PONDS Areas of perennial or seasonal open water at the College Park site include earthen irrigation canals owned by i BBID,roadside ditches,a perennial drainage, ephemeral drainages, and several ponds(Figure 4.10-1). The irrigation canals and ponds are human-made features with varying amounts of emergent wetland vegetation. Most of the ponds were unvegetated or vegetated with ruderal(weedy, degraded,nonnative) species at the time of the reconnaissance surveys. The roadside ditches collect runoff from roadways and are mostly unvegetated or 1 College Park at Mountain House Specific Plan III Draft EIR EDAW San Joaquin County 4.10-1 Biological Resources