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<br /> <br />Soil Investigations for Data Collection in the Delta <br />Initial Study/Proposed Mitigated Negative Declaration 207 <br />unrelated to the Project are not considered in this section because they require <br />separate consultation pursuant to section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). <br /> Non-federal actions that are reasonably certain to occur in the Study Area include: <br />(1) on-going non-Federal water diversions for irrigated agriculture and managed <br />wetlands; (2) State and/or local levee maintenance activities; (3) stormwater and/or <br />irrigation discharges; (4) point and non-point source pollution; (5) oil and gas <br />produce discharges; (6) invasive species introductions; and, (7) climate change. <br /> Related projects and cumulative impacts of those projects discussed below. In many <br />instances, no impacts or less-than-significant cumulative impacts would occur <br />because the impacts of the Proposed Project would be short-term and localized. In <br />other cases, significant cumulative impacts would not occur because the Proposed <br />Project with the implementation of the Mitigation Measures and the MMRP, those <br />impacts would be avoided or reduced. In other cases, they would have beneficial <br />impacts on resources because a number of projects are being proposed to improve <br />aquatic resources in the Delta. <br />The Proposed Project would result in short-term temporary impacts that would <br />mainly be limited to the Impact Area. While impacts to resource areas such as air <br />quality and greenhouse gas emissions would contribute to more regional impacts, <br />these impacts would not be cumulatively considerable because of the relative size of <br />the proposed project. <br />Impacts to aesthetics, air quality, biological resources, cultural resources, energy, <br />geology and soils, greenhouse gas emissions, hazards and hazardous materials, <br />hydrology and water quality, mineral resources, noise, public services, <br />transportation, tribal cultural resources, and wildfire have been determined to be less <br />than significant or less than significant with mitigation incorporated and would not be <br />cumulatively considerable. Therefore, cumulative impacts would be less than <br />significant with mitigation incorporated. <br />3.21.2.1 Non-Federal Water Diversions <br />There are a number of unscreened non-Federal water diversions within the Study Area. <br />Depending on the size, location, and period of operation, these unscreened diversions <br />are believed to entrain various life stages of aquatic species, including listed salmonids <br />and Delta Smelt. The results of a study conducted by Nobriga et al. (2008) suggest that <br />entrainment of many Delta Smelt is not likely. In general, the littoral location and low- <br />flow operational characteristics of these diversions are thought to reduce the risk of <br />entraining Delta Smelt. <br />3.21.2.2 State and Local Levee Maintenance Activities <br />Levee maintenance activities by State and local entities within the Study Area are <br />expected to continue and may include regular maintenance activities including mowing, <br />disking, vegetation control, dredging of agricultural ditches and riprap repairs above the <br />waterline. Additional anticipated State maintenance activities include: