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u I <br /> 4.3 AGRICULTURE AND LAND USE <br /> a <br /> INTRODUCTION <br /> This section evaluates the proposed project and alternative's anticipated impacts on <br /> agriculture and land use. The main issues addressed include: <br /> r f <br /> • Effects on Prime Farmland resources; I <br /> • Impacts on agricultural production; I <br /> Compatibility with surrounding uses; and <br /> • Consistency with existing land use plans and controls. <br /> II <br /> The discussion provided below is based on several sources including the Countyof San <br /> ,I <br /> Joaquin General Plan and Development Title,the San Joaquin Agricultural Commissioner's ' <br /> ye' Office, the California Department of Conservation, and information provided in the mining i <br /> .p and reclamation plan (submitted to the County by the proponent). <br /> SETTING <br /> I � <br /> Description of Regional Environment jl <br /> ' The project site is located within the unincorporated area of southern San Joaquin County, <br /> in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Sediments which have washed out of the major <br /> rivers that drain this region have left rich agricultural soils. Consequently, land use in the <br /> region is characterized by agriculture and related activities. The County encompasses <br /> nearly 920,000 acres, approximately 780,000 of which are "land in farms" (San Joaquin <br /> County Agricultural Commissioner's Office, 1995). I <br /> I, I <br /> I <br /> Although agriculture is a dominant land use, the County is undergoing a transition to a <br /> more institutional and service economy as the population continues to increase. <br /> Approximately 530,000 people.live in the County, the majority of which are concentrated <br /> in the seven cities of Stockton, Tracy, Manteca, Lodi, Escalan, Ripon, and Lathrop. <br /> Increased growth pressure in the nearby San Francisco Bay Area, coupled with the j <br /> absence of affordable housing there, have made the County an attractive location for <br /> people to relocate. As a result, out-migration from the Bay Area has become one of the j <br /> primary catalysts for population growth in this region which has contributed to the ongoing <br /> trend of urban encroachment into farmland (San Joaquin County, 1992). <br /> T <br /> i <br /> E li <br /> it I <br /> i <br /> i <br /> Draft Environmental Impact Report 4-25 ER-96-3 <br /> ., j <br />