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MOUNTAIN HOUSE PROPOSED ALTAMONT HEIGHTS TENTATIVE MAP 4. ENVIRONMENTAL CHECKLIST 4.4 BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES If the applicant is successful with changing the land use designation from Open Space/Resource Conservation to Low Density Residential, and with the mitigation measures in the MEIR and the SPIIIEIR, the proposed project would have less than significant impact on riparian habitats and other sensitive natural communities. Mitigation Measures No additional mitigation measures are required. c) Have a substantial adverse effect on federally protected wetlands as defined by Section 404 of the Clean Water Act(including, but not limited to, marsh, vernal pool, coastal, etc.) through direct removal,filling, hydrological interruption, or other means? SPIIIEIR Mitigation Measure 4.10--10 requires Specific Plan III developers to engage a biologist to delineate potential waters of the United States at the project sites, including any wetlands, ponds, irrigation canals, and drainage courses. If such waters exist and would be filled in, authorization for the fills shall be secured frofn the United States Army Corps of Engineers via the Section 404 permitting process. A jurisdictional wetland delineation study of the project site was performed that concludes that there is a wetland feature in the one-acre drainage swale on the project site,but it is not a water of the United States because the water source is a leak from the California Aqueduct (EIP Associates, 2006b). The Corps of Engineers has concurred with EIP Associates' conclusion that no waters of the United States, including wetlands,are present within ETP Associates' survey area_ Therefore, the drainage feature is not currently regulated by the Corps of Engineers under Section 404 of the Federal Clean Water Act (Guthrie, 2006). The proposed project would have no impact on federally protected wetlands. Mitigation Measures No mitigation measures are required. d) Interfere substantially with the movement of any native resident or migratory fish or wildlife species or with established native resident or migratory wildlife corridors, or impede the use of native wildlife nursery sites? The project site could be used as foraging territory for the wildlife species identified in the EIP Associates' special-status species survey, and the drainage swale could serve as a travel corridor for the California red-legged frog(EIP Associates, 2006b). Conversion of the farmland to residential development would eliminate wildlife foraging and travel opportunities. This impact would be cumulatively significant in the context of development of the entire Mountain House Community. This cumulative impact was addressed in the MEIR and would be mitigated with the provisions of the San Joaquin County Multi-Species Habitat Conservation and Open Space Plan. Thus, impacts of the proposed Altamont Heights project on wildlife movement would be less than significant with mitigation incorporated. 4-21