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Initial Study—LID Annexation The second General Plan policy addresses previously unrecorded or unknown cultural resource sites that may be unearthed during project construction. The City and the developer shall take note when projects are located near natural water courses or known archeological or cultural resources. In such cases, the City shall instruct the developer,construction foreman,and City inspectors of the potential for damage to artifacts and sites, as well as provide written instructions requiring a halt to all excavation work in the event of any find until the significance of the find can be evaluated by competent archaeological and Native American specialists. Such a measure would be applicable to this Project. CEQA Guidelines The California Environmental Quality Act(CEQA)offers guidelines regarding impacts on historic and prehistoric cultural resources. CEQA states that if implementation of a project would result in significant impacts on important cultural resources,then alternative plans or mitigation measures must be considered. However,only significant cultural resources need to be addressed. State CEQA Guidelines define a significant historical resource as "a resource listed or eligible for listing on the California Register of Historical Resources"(CRHR)(Public Resources Code 55024.1). A historical resource may be eligible for inclusion on the CRHR if it: - is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of California's history and cultural heritage;or - is associated with the lives of persons important in our past; or - embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period,region,or method of construction, or - represents the work of an important creative individual,or possesses high artistic values; or - has yielded,or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history. In addition,the State CEQA Guidelines require consideration of unique archaeological sites.If an archaeological site does not meet the criteria for inclusion on the CRHR but does meet the definition of a unique archeological resource as outlined in the Public Resource Code Section 21083.2, it may be treated as a significant historical resource.Treatment options under Section 21083.2 of CEQA include a project that preserves such resources in place in an undisturbed state. Other acceptable methods of mitigation under Section 21083.2 include excavation and curation or study in place without excavation and curation (if the study finds that the artifacts would not meet one or more of the criteria for defining a"unique archaeological resource"). State CEQA Guideline Section 15064.5(e)requires that excavation activities be stopped whenever human remains are uncovered and that the county coroner be called in to assess the remains. If the county coroner determines that the remains are those of Native Americans,the Native American Heritage Commission must be contacted within 24 hours. At that time, Section 15064.5(d)of the State CEQA Guidelines directs the lead agency to consult with the appropriate Native Americans as identified by the Native American Heritage Commission and directs the lead agency(or applicant)to develop an agreement with the Native Americans for the treatment and disposition of the remains. For historic structures,Section 15064(b)(3)of the State CEQA Guidelines indicates that a project that follows the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for Preserving,Rehabilitating, Restoring, and Reconstructing Historic Buildings,or the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings(1995),shall mitigate impacts to a level of less than significant. 33