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The agriculturalsuitability assessment of the property is primarily based on the Soil Survey of San Joaquin County. Soil types are classified in terms of"Land Capability"with a rating scale known as the Storie Index Rating. The Land Capability rating indicates very severe limitations for the subject property soil under non-irrigated conditions and moderate limitations under irrigated conditions. Limitations are due to a"stony" classification that impedes typical agricultural practices such as tillage, planting, irrigation patterns, and surface/subsurface drainage. The Storie Index Rating for the Zacharias soil type has relatively high ratings, with an Index of 66 and a Grade of 2. Both ratings signify the soil is acceptable for agricultural production. However, it is my opinion the subject property soils are extremely marginal for agricultural production for the following reasons: • Due to the high clay content of the surface soils, the property surface soils are extremely hard and brittle when dry. Low organic matter content makes the tilth of the soil substandard. • Tillage of the soils below the six-inch depth would most Iikely cause accelerated wear on any type of implement due to the heavy gravel content. In addition, tillage would possibly bring gravel and cobble to the land surface. • Irrigation water chemistry would have to be optimum to for irrigation of shallow rooted crops. Any sodium concentration within the water would cause the clay lattices of the soil to bind-up and render the soil impermeable. This can be counteracted with gypsum, but the beneficial effects of this amendment are only temporary. • Groundwater pumping from the massive gravel plant to the west may cause groundwater depth and directional flow fluctuations that would have to be accounted for in an irrigation well. • If row crops were grown and furrow irrigated, tailwater would have to be managed accordingly. • The subsurface soil characteristics from the drilling procedures and percolation test results indicate the hydraulic conductivity of the soils at deeper depths is marginal, at best. This would prevent percolating irrigation water to provide adequate irrigation water to the root zone of a tree crop. • It is theorized that spoils excavated during the construction of the adjacent Delta-Mendota Canal were placed on the subject property. Overburden pressures, along with the gravel and cobble acting as binder agents have acted to compress and solidify the spoils, which is what was encountered during the drilling process and contributed to auger refusal. Regardless, from direct observations, the soil structures underlying the subject property reveal them to be highly deleterious for optimum root growth of tree crops. • Specific agricultural irrigation suitability chemistry was conducted on a water sample obtained from the on-site well. Constituents tested regarding irrigation suitability include sodium, bicarbonate, chloride, pH, nitrate, boron, TDS, Total Hardness and Adjusted Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SARadj). Comparing all of these constituents and parameters, it is determined that the water is moderately restrictive for agricultural irrigation for most agricultural crops. This is based upon Table 2-5: Guidelines for Interpretation of Water Quality for Irrigation in the Western Fertilizer Handbook. 4 Chesney Consulting