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LESA Model Administrative Draft Griffith Energy Storage, LLC Technical Memorandum designated with a lower-case letter(identified as e,w,s,or c) are typically used in conjunction with the roman numerals to further describe soil limitations.The letter"e"indicates that the main limitation of the soil is erosion;"w" indicates that the presence of water either within or on the soil causes limitation in plant growth; "s"indicates that the soil is shallow,droughty,or stony;and "c" indicates that the limitation is a climate that is generally too cold or hot for many plants.The LCC has separate scales used independently for irrigated and non-irrigated lands. The NRCS supplied Storie Index provides a numeric rating(based upon a 100-point scale) of the relative degree of suitability or value of a given soil for intensive agriculture use.The rating is based only on soil characteristics,such as depth,texture of the surface soil,density of the subsoil,drainage,salts and alkalinity, and relief. Other factors,such as availability of water for irrigation and climate are not considered in the Storie Index. Table 1 shows the LCC and Storie Index Scores for the three soil types found within the Project area.The soils within the Project are considered prime farmland if irrigated; however,according to the Water Provision Declaration signed by the landowner as part of the Project application,there is no irrigation system installed on the property(Griffith 2022).The LESA model scores are based on irrigated farmland which is not directly applicable for this particular property.The non-irrigated LCC score for the soils are 114- IVe, 115-Vle and 123-Ile.All soils with the subclass e are prone to erosion and recommended to have vegetative cover at all times(NRCS 2022).Soils classified as Ile are considered to have moderate limitations that restrict the types of crops that can be grown. Soils classified as IVe are severely limited in the type of crop that can be grown and requires intense management and soils classified as Vle are considered to have very severe limitations that make them unsuitable for cultivation and that restrict their use mainly to pasture, rangeland,forestland,or wildlife habitat(NRCS 2022). Table 1. Land Capability Classification and Storie Index Scores A B C D E F G H Soil Map Project Proportion of LCC1 LCC Ratingz I LCC Score Storie Index' Storie Index Unit' Acres J Project Area (irrigated) (irrigated) J (C x E) Score(C x G 114 15.7 0.488 IVe 50 24.38 61 29.74 115 6.9 0.214 Vle 20 4.29 41 8.79 123 9.6 0.298 Ile 90 26.83 81 24.15 Totals 32.20 1 LCC Total 55.50 Storie Index 62.68 Score Total Score The Soil Map Unit information and acreage,LCC and Storie Index information were determined from the current soil survey information available at the U.S.Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service website:https://websoilsurvey.sc.egov.usda.gov/App/WebSoilSurvey.aspx. 2 The LCC Rating for irrigated land was determined from the LCC Point Rating Table 2 from the LESA Instruction Manual CDC 1997). Project Size Scores The Project Size rating recognizes the role that farm size plays in the viability of commercial agricultural operations. In general, larger farming operations can provide greater flexibility in farm management and marketing decisions. Larger operations tend to have greater impacts upon the local economy through direct employment. In terms of agricultural productivity,the size of the farming operation can be considered not just from its total acreage, but the acreage of different quality lands that comprise the operation. Lands with higher quality soils lend themselves to greater diversity in crop selection and the potential for greater TETRA TECH 2