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MOUNTAIN HOUSE PROPOSED MACHADO TENTATIVE MAP 4. ENVIRONMENTAL CHECKLIST <br /> 4.2 AGRICULTURAL.RESOURCES <br /> to interim disposal of treated wastewater. This impact does not involve the proposed project. <br /> The other two potentially significant impacts are: <br /> Impact 4.2-3 Land Use and Agriculture—Direct Conversion of Important <br /> Farmland. [Development of Specific Plan III] would result in the direct conversion <br /> of approximately 760 acres of Important Farmland (Prime Farmland and Farmland of _ <br /> Local Importance)to urban land uses. A significant and unavoidable impact would <br /> occur. <br /> Impact 4.3-5 Land Use and Agriculture—Conflicts With Off-Site Agricultural <br /> Operations. [Development of Specific Plan III] would not conflict with offsite <br /> agricultural operations,but could potentially affect the water supply of downstream <br /> agriculture. A significant impact could occur. <br /> MITIGATION MEASURES IDENTIFIED IN 2005 SPIREIR <br /> The SP1IIEIR determined that no feasible mitigation measures are available to avoid the <br /> impact of conversion of farmland to urban land use. Regarding Impact 4.3-5, the SPIHEIR — <br /> proposed a mitigation measure that would require project developers to provide irrigation <br /> water to downstream agricultural operations currently relying on the water from the canals by <br /> installing pipelines and other means to continue delivery of irrigation water. Implementation <br /> of the above mitigation measure would reduce conflicts with adjacent agricultural operations <br /> to a less-than-significant level. <br /> DISCUSSION REGARDING PROPOSED PROJECT <br /> a) Convert Prime Farmland, Unique Farmland, or Farmland of Statewide Importance <br /> (Farmland), as shown on the maps prepared pursuant to the Farmland Mapping and <br /> Monitoring Program of the California Resources Agency, to a non-agricultural use? — <br /> Development of the project site would result in the loss of 143 acres of Prime Farmland or <br /> Farmland of Local Importance as defined by the California Department of Conservation, — <br /> Office of Land Conservation, and San Joaquin County. This loss is consistent with the <br /> MHMP and the conclusions of the MEIR, which showed that all of the Mountain House <br /> Community, including the proposed project site would be converted from farmland to urban <br /> use. The adopted MHMP includes an Implementation Statement addressing agricultural <br /> mitigation fees. This statement says that if a countywide agricultural mitigation fee is <br /> established, the fee shall be paid by the developer to San Joaquin County at the time specified — <br /> by the enacting ordinance. At the time of preparation of this Checklist(August 2006), the <br /> County had not adopted such a fee. This impact would remain significant and unavoidable as <br /> stated in the SPIHEIR. <br /> Mitigation Measures <br /> See MEHR Mitigation Measure M4.1-1,which was subsequently incorporated into the <br /> MHMP. No additional mitigation measures are required. <br /> 4-a <br />