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should be determined. Maternity sites should be avoided until bats finish rearing young. The burrowing owl is a formerly listed Federal Species of Concern and a State Species of Special Concern. The burrowing owl is also protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and State Fish and Game Codes(§ 3503, § 3503.5, and § 3800). Potential impacts to this species from the proposed project include loss of foraging and potential breeding habitat and possible death of nesting birds and young_ Ruderal non-native grassland habitats on the project site provide suitable habitat for burrowing owls (i.e., ground squirrel burrows). The project sponsors should fund and conduct pre-construction protocol surveys for burrowing owls in all ruderal and non-native grassland habitats within the project site. Surveys should be conducted as recommended in the Staff Report on Burrowing Owl Mitigation (CDFG, 1995) and as otherwise prescribed in the Burrowing Owl Survey Protocol and Mitigation Guidelines (BOC, 1993). If burrowing owls are observed during surveys, the extent of burrowing owl habitat on the project site would be delineated by a qualified ornithologist. Avoidance and mitigation would be'pursuant to new guidelines provided by CDFG and/or as specified by the SJMSCP. These guidelines were published by Ms. C. Bean, CDFG's Environmental Services Division, in the July 1998 issue of The Wandering Tattler, the newsletter of the San E Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the Wildlife Society. Avoidance and mitigation policies are described below. Impacts to burrowing owl individuals or nest sites during the breeding season (February 1 to August 31)are considered "take" by CDFG. If there are construction activities proposed during the owl breeding season, and if burrowing owls are observed on or within 250 feet of the project site during pre-construction surveys, �. a 250-foot protective buffer would be established around the owls. The buffer would be protected by placement of.a barrier (construction fence) that would remain in place for the duration of the breeding season. If the burrowing owl habitat would be implemented by the project, and it would be necessary to relocate owls, a burrowing owl habitat mitigation plan would also be prepared by submitted to CDFG. A Mitigation Agreement (MA) that would legally bind the applicant to the conditions of the mitigation plan should be executed between CDFG and the applicant: Alternatively, if the project sponsor elects to mitigate in accordance with the SJMSCP, then the JPA may ! fund and conduct pre-construction surveys to prevent direct take of individuals or nests. Pre-construction surveys should be conducted within 30 days prior to ground disturbance. These actions would reduce any t significant adverse impacts to burrowing owls to a level considered less than significant. This mitigation option would also reduce impacts to this species habitat to a level considered less than significant by including pre-construction surveys in combination with payment of SJMSCP fees. In addition, methods to prevent occupation of the site by burrowing owls during construction should be employed, consistent with the guidelines in the SJMSCP_ These methods include installation of one-way doors in occupied burrows, l maintaining vegetation cover that discourages burrowing ground squirrels, disking to destroy burrows, or control of ground squirrel populations. Water Quality a Underlying San Joaquin County is a portion of the vast subsurface groundwater aquifer system of the Central Valley of California. Groundwater occurs in unconfined and confined,conditions. The upper regional aquifer is typically an unconfined aquifer within the Victor formation geologic unit. The Victor formation consists of over 100 feet of clay,silt, and fine to course sand and gravel. Sedimentary formations underlying the Victor formation include additional, productive, confined aquifers. Groundwater within one mile of the site is tapped by irrigation and domestic wells, and most wells in the vicinity are generally drilled several hundred feet deep. Groundwater recharge to the unconfined aquifer, both regionally and locally, is from local rainfall and stream } infiltration,while the deeper confined aquifers are recharged by rivers, reservoirs,and surface runoff along. San Joaquin County GP-99-7, ZR-99-6, UP-99-17, ER-99-21City of Stockton Community Development Page 14 -. i