H.B. PLANNING COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING

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H.B. PLANNING COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING

• SHEA PARKSIDE ESTATES
• E.I.R. 97-2
• SEPTEMBER 24, 2002

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WETLANDS ON SHEA PARKSIDE ESTATES

• THE SHEA PROPERTY IS AN INTEGRAL AND CONTIGUOUS
  PART OF THE BOLSA CHICA WETLANDS
• CONTAINS WETLAND CHARACTERISTICS IN ITS OWN RIGHT
  
• THERE ARENT MANY WETLANDS LEFT, SO THOSE
  REMAINING ACHIEVE GREATER IMPORTANCE

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WETLANDS ON SHEA PARKSIDE ESTATES

• THIS PROPERTY IS NOT RESIDENTIAL INFILL

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WETLANDS ON SHEA PARKSIDE ESTATES

• THE DESIGNATION FOR THIS PROPERTY HAS BEEN
  ALTERED CAPRICIOUSLY MANY TIMES OVER THE LAST
  DECADE

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WETLANDS ON SHEA PARKSIDE ESTATES

• THE SHEA PROPERTY CONTAINS WETLANDS THAT MEET THE
  DEFINITION OF CALIFORNIA DFG AND COASTAL
  COMMISSION GUIDELINES
• THE WETLAND DEFINITION HAS CHANGED SINCE THE
  ORIGINAL EIR WAS WRITTEN

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WETLANDS ON SHEA PARKSIDE ESTATES

• THREE (3) AREAS OF FRESH WATER WETLANDS EXIST ON
  THE CITY PORTION THAT ARENT ACKNOWLEDGED IN THE
  EIR
• TOTAL 11 ACRES
• THESE ARE IN ADDITION TO THE SALT MARSH REMNANTS
  THAT EXIST ON THE COUNTY PORTION

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WETLANDS ON SHEA PARKSIDE ESTATES

• THREE COMPONENTS DEFINE WETLANDS
• WATER
• SOIL
• VEGETATION

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WETLANDS ON SHEA PARKSIDE ESTATES

• IF LAND MEETS THE CRITERIA IN ANY ONE OF THESE
  AREAS IT IS DEFINED AS A WETLAND AND IS SUBJECT
  TO COASTAL COMMISSION PROTECTION
• THIS PROPERTY EXHIBITS ALL THREE

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WETLANDS ON SHEA PARKSIDE ESTATES

• THREE COMPONENTS DEFINE WETLANDS
• WATER
• SOIL
• VEGETATION
• THE CITY PORTION IS FARMED CONTINUOUSLY SO NO
  VEGETATION IS ALLOWED TO STAND
• HAS BEEN SHOWN TO PERIODICALLY SUPPORT
  HYDROPHYTIC VEGETATION

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WETLANDS ON SHEA PARKSIDE ESTATES

• THREE COMPONENTS DEFINE WETLANDS
• WATER
• SOIL
• IN 1989 THE EPA DELINEATED 8.1 ACRES WETLANDS
  BASED ON SOIL HYDROLOGY
• IN 1994 MWD FLIP-FLOPPED THEIR PREVIOUS
  ASSERTIONS AND DISPUTED THIS SO THEY COULD SELL
  THE PROPERTY.
• VEGETATION

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WETLANDS ON SHEA PARKSIDE ESTATES

• THREE COMPONENTS DEFINE WETLANDS
• WATER
• THE CRITERIA IS ACCUMULATION AND RETENTION OF
  WATER ON THE SITE FOR OVER 18 CONSECUTIVE DAYS IN
  MOST YEARS
• PONDING HAS TAKEN ON GREATER SIGNIFICANCE IN THE
  DEFINITION
• SOIL
• VEGETATION

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WETLANDS ON SHEA PARKSIDE ESTATES

• PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE
• 50 YEARS OF AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS SHOW REPEATED
  PATTERNS
• AREAS SUSTAINING STANDING WATER AND SOIL
  SATURATION
• ONE CORRESPONDS TO THE SITE OF THE 1989 EPA
  DELINEATION
• ANOTHER NEXT TO THE CHANNEL WAS ALWAYS LEFT
  FALLOW BECAUSE IT WAS TOO WET TO FARM

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WETLANDS ON SHEA PARKSIDE ESTATES

• LAST YEAR THE OWNERS FINALLY ADDED FILL TO RAISE
  THE AREA ENOUGH TO KEEP IT FROM RETAINING WATER
  ON THE SURFACE
• THIS DESTROYED THE NATURAL SLOPING
  CHARACTERISTICS OF A WETLAND
• DUE TO THE CHANGE IN CONTOUR THE LAND NOW APPEARS
  TO DRAIN TOWARD EXISTING NEIGHBORHOODS

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WETLANDS ON SHEA PARKSIDE ESTATES

• LANDSCAPE PHOTOS ALSO DOCUMENT ACCUMULATION WHERE
  THE WATER PONDS
• RETENTION LASTS FAR LONGER THAN THE MINIMUM
  NUMBER OF DAYS REQUIRED BY DEFINITION
• ILLUSTRATED BY CD-ROM PREVIOUSLY DISTRIBUTED TO
  THE COMMISSIONERS

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SUMMARYWETLANDS ON SHEA PARKSIDE ESTATES

• MANY CHANGES HAVE OCCURRED SINCE THE ORIGINAL
  EIR WAS WRITTEN
• THIS SUBJECT SHOULD BE REVISITED
• A NEW DEFINITION IS NEEDED FROM THE COASTAL
  COMMISSION AND DFG
• THE SHEA PROPERTY NEEDS TO BE REEXAMINED FOR
  WETLAND CHARACTERISTICS AND POTENTIAL