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V. ALTERNATIVES TO THE PROJECT CEQA requires EIRs to "describe a range of reasonable alternatives to the project,or to the location of the project,which could feasibly attain the basic objectives of the project, and evaluate the comparative merits of the alternatives" (CEQA Guidelines, Section 15126d). In addition,the CEQA Guidelines require an analysis of the"no-project" alternative. They also require the discussion of alternatives to"focus on alternatives capable of eliminating any significant adverse environmental effects or reducing them to a level of insignificance. . . ." The CEQA Guidelines state: "the range of alternatives required in an EIR is governed by rule of reason that requires the EIR to set forth only those alternatives necessary to permit a reasoned choice. The key issue is whether the selection and discussion of alternatives fosters informed decision-making and informed public participation. An EIR need not consider an alternative whose effect cannot be reasonably ascertained and whose implementation is remote and speculative." On the basis of this guidance,this EIR considers four alternatives to the proposed project. Two of the alternatives are required under CEQA and the other two were developed for the Preliminary Design Study Report for the Austin Road Landfill Expansion(R.W.Beck and Associates, 1992a) • The No-Project Alternative assumes that no vertical or horizontal landfill expansion would be constructed. Under CEQA, the EIR must address the No-Project Alternative. • The Off-Site Alternative Site would involve location of the landfill expansion at another site in San Joaquin County. This alternative location was selected to highlight site-specific impacts, as required by CEQA. The Current-Footprint-with-Increased-Elevation Alternative would involve increasing the • tp g elevation on top of the existing footprint from the permitted height of 90 feet mean sea level(MSL)to 150 feet MSL. This alternative was selected to identify opportunities to minimize impacts of a horizontally expanded landfill at the'project site. • The Current-Footprint-with-Increased-Elevation-and-Creek-Realignment-South Alternative assumes the alternative described above along with realigning the creek to the south of the permitted landfill (south of the existing 45 acre borrow area). The CEQA Guidelines require that an environmentally superior alternative be designated. If the alternative with the least environmental impact is the No-Project Alternative,then one of the other remaining alternatives is to be designated as the environmentally superior alternative. In V.1