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TETRA TECH <br /> Technical Memorandum <br /> Date: November 11,2022 <br /> To: Craig Lawrence, Project Manager, NextEra Energy Resources <br /> From: Jessica Taylor,Soil Conservationist/Ecologist,Tetra Tech <br /> Subject: Land Evaluation and Site Assessment for the Griffith Energy Storage Project in <br /> San Joaquin County,California <br /> 1.0 Introduction <br /> The Land Evaluation and Site Assessment(LESA) model is an approach for rating the relative quality of land <br /> resources based upon specific measurable features.The LESA model was first developed by the federal <br /> Natural Resource Conservation Service(NRCS) in 1981. It was subsequently adopted in 1990 by the California <br /> Department of Conservation to evaluate land use decisions that affect the conversion of agricultural lands in <br /> California (Public Resources Code Section 21095).The formulation of the California Agricultural LESA Model is <br /> intended to provide lead agencies under the California Environmental Quality Act(CEQA)with a methodology <br /> to ensure that agricultural land conversions are quantitatively and consistently considered in the <br /> environmental review process. <br /> The Griffith Energy Storage Project(Project),which includes an energy storage system,will be located on land <br /> that has historically been used for low-intensity cattle grazing. Nine acres of the impacted area are considered <br /> prime farmland if irrigated, however the land is not currently irrigated,according to the Water Provision <br /> Declaration signed by the landowner as part of the Project application (NRCS 2022;Griffith 2022).Average <br /> precipitation in the immediate vicinity of the Project is 10.73 inches a year(NOAH 2022). The Project will lease <br /> 106 acres; however,the Project will only convert approximately 32 acres to battery storage,as shown on <br /> Figure 1. <br /> The assessment concludes that the conversion of the approximately 32 acres of agricultural land by the <br /> Project will not result in a significant lossof farmland according to the LESA Model. <br /> 2.0 California Land Evaluation and Site Assessment Model <br /> The following sections align with the California LESA Model worksheets published by the NRCS. Each section <br /> is built on the information in the previous section and results in a final score that is the basis for the final <br /> determination.The scores for each section are derived from the tables within the LESA manual. <br /> Land Capability Classification and Storie Index Scores <br /> The Land Capability Classification (LCC) indicates the suitability of soils for most kinds of crops. Soils are rated <br /> from Class I to Class VIII,with soils having the fewest limitations receiving the highest rating. Subclasses <br /> Tetra Tech <br /> 17885 Von Karman Avenue,Suite 500,Irvine,CA 92614 <br /> Tel+1.949.809.5000 1 tetratech.com <br />