Pier 36 - Biological Assessment

Biological Assessment Essential Fish Habitat Assessment

National Marine Fisheries Service U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Pier 36 Demolition–Brannan Street Wharf Project

February 2011

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers San Francisco, CA

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers San Francisco, CA

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Summary of Findings, Conclusions and Determinations

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Summary of Findings, Conclusions, and Determinations

This document presents the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Port of San

Francisco’s (the Port) Biological Assessment (BA) for formal consultation with the National

Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) under

Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and for Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) under the

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSFCMA), for the proposed demolition of Pier 36 and creation of an open space park. The California Department of Fish and

Game (CDFG) will be asked to develop a consistency determination based on the Biological

Opinion provided by NMFS.

This BA presents technical information about the proposed Pier 36 Demolition-Brannan Street

Wharf Project (proposed project), and assesses potential effects to federally-listed threatened, endangered, or proposed threatened or endangered species and their habitats, as well as potential impacts to EFH. Species and critical habitats listed or proposed under the California ESA thathave the potential to be directly or indirectly affected by the proposed project are identified and analyzed in Appendix G.

The proposed project involves demolition of Pier 36, including 133,000 square feet of pile-supported concrete and dilapidated wooden decks and piles; the 35,000-square-foot Pier 36 warehouse building; and approximately 18,800 square feet of marginal wharf that runs between

Piers 30-32 and Pier 38. Once demolition is complete, a new open-space park, “the Brannan

Street Wharf,” (BSW) will be constructed between Piers 30-32 and Pier 38. The Brannan Street

Wharf park will provide a new 57,000-square-foot public open space over water, supported by a new pile-supported deck that is landscaped and improved to provide a major new public amenity for passive recreational enjoyment in the South Beach waterfront area in San Francisco. These actions will require the demolition and removal of a dilapidated warehouse structure, pier and wharf decking, and concrete caissons that support Pier 36. Construction of the new wharf will require installation of 261 steel and concrete piles and 57,000 square feet of new decking.

The action area, as defined in 50 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) § 402.02, includes all areas to be directly or indirectly affected by the federal action, as well as interrelated and interdependent actions. The action area for this proposed project is described in Section 2.4 and shown on Figure 2.

A field reconnaissance survey was conducted within the action area to determine the potential for

ESA-listed species to occur. In addition, a background review was also conducted. Informal consultation was performed with USFWS and NMFS regarding the potential for proposed or

BA: Pier 36 Demolition–Brannan Street Wharf Project iv C:\Documents and Settings\L3ET9TEB\My Documents\Final_BA-2232011.doc listed species, their critical habitats, and EFH to occur in the action area. An official species list for the project area was obtained from NMFS (Appendix B). USFWS concurred through informal consultation that there will be no affect on listed or proposed species or critical habitats under their purview (Appendix C).

The action area provides potential habitat for two federally threatened or endangered species:

Central California Coast (CCC) steelhead is federally listed as threatened, and

Green sturgeon, Southern Distinct Population Segment (DPS) is federally listed as threatened.

In addition, critical habitat designated for CCC steelhead and green sturgeon Southern DPS falls within the action area. The action area also contains EFH and EFH-managed species as designated under the Pacific Groundfish, Coastal Pelagic, and Pacific Salmon fisheries management plans.

The proposed project will replace approximately 350 to 400 creosote-treated piles with 261 octagonal concrete and steel shell piles, benefitting these species and habitats through removal of a potential source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to the Bay. However, pile driving activities have the potential to directly kill, injure, or disturb individuals of these species and alter these habitats. In addition, construction-related turbidity has the potential to affect these species, indirectly causing potential gill lacerations and altering the food-prey relationship due to a decrease in visibility and feeding ability. Degraded water quality and construction noise may affect these species and habitats, and depending on the time of year, the proposed project may affect migration patterns for CCC steelhead.

The proposed avoidance and minimization measures to protect these natural resources include:

Applying standard best management practices and other waste management practices to protect water quality;

Concrete piles will be driven with an impact pile driver and will employ a “soft start” technique to give fish an opportunity to move out of the area;

Using a vibratory hammer to drive all steel piles for the majority of the drive (e.g., up to the at least the last 10 ft), then an impact hammer will need to be used to achieve the final required depth to reduce noise impacts to listed species and EFH in the action area as described in Section 2.7; and

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Surrounding the 24- and 36-inch steel piles with a bubble curtain during their placement in deeper water to attenuate underwater noise (Section 7.1.3).

After a literature review, site reconnaissance, and consideration of the proposed construction activities and the planned avoidance and minimization activities, the USACE has determined and the Port supports the determination that:

When pile driving activities occur during the juvenile salmonid migration period

(between December 1 and May 31), the proposed project is likely to adversely affect CCC steelhead;

Outside of the juvenile salmonid migration period, the proposed project may affect, but is not likely to adversely affect, CCC steelhead;

The proposed project may affect, but is not likely to adversely affect, green sturgeon; and

The proposed project may affect, but is not likely to adversely modify or diminish, the capability of designated critical habitat in the action area to support the survival and recovery of the following species: CCC steelhead and green sturgeon.

With regard to the EFH in the action area, USACE has determined that:

Removing the marginal wharf and Pier 36 will not adversely affect EFH within the action area for coastal pelagic and Pacific salmon fisheries;

The removal of Pier 36 may adversely affect EFH for cover-dependent species within the Pacific groundfish EFH;

Construction of the new wharf may temporarily adversely affect EFH within the action area for Pacific groundfish, coastal pelagic, and Pacific salmon fisheries; and

Pile driving during the migration period will not adversely affect EFH for Pacific salmon fisheries.

Contents

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Contents

Summary of Findings, Conclusions, and Determinations ........................................................ iii

1 Introduction

1.1 Purpose of the Biological Assessment

1.2 Organization of the Biological Assessment

1.2.1 Threatened and Endangered Species

1.3 Critical Habitat

1.4 Agency Coordination

2 Description of the Proposed Action

2.1 Project History

2.2 Project Description

2.2.1 Demolition of Pier 36 and Marginal Wharf

2.2.2 Construction of New Wharf

2.2.3 Repair and Minor Alteration of Existing Seawall

2.2.4 Demolition and Construction Methods

2.3 Timing of Proposed Action

2.4 Action Area

2.5 Project Footprint

2.6 General Avoidance and Minimization Measures

2.7 Avoidance and Minimization Measures for Pile Driving

3 Affected Environment

3.1 Baseline Environmental Conditions

3.1.1 Climate and Topography

3.1.2 Hydrology

3.1.3 Water Quality

3.1.4 Soils

3.2 Biological Conditions

3.2.1 Developed Land

3.2.2 Pilings and Submerged Debris

3.2.3 Open-Water and Benthic Habitat

4 Threatened and Endangered Species

4.1 Study Methods

4.1.1 Database Searches and Literature Review

4.1.2 Plant Communities/Special-Status Plants/Wetland Delineation

4.1.3 General Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Habitat Assessment

4.2 Species Accounts and Status of Species in the Action Area

4.2.1 Central California Coast Steelhead

4.2.2 Green Sturgeon

5 Critical Habitat

5.1 Critical Habitat for Central California Coast Steelhead

5.2 Critical Habitat for Green Sturgeon

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6 Essential Fish Habitat

6.1 Essential Fish Habitat

6.1.1 Coastal Pelagic EFH

6.1.2 Pacific Groundfish EFH

6.1.3 Pacific Salmon EFH

7 Analysis of Effects of the Proposed Actions

7.1 Noise within the Water Column

7.1.1 Fundamentals of Underwater Sound

7.1.2 Applicable Noise Criteria

7.1.3 Modifications to the Project to Mitigate Effects

7.2 Shading from Pier Removal and Reconstruction

7.3 Water Quality Effects from Pier Removal and Reconstruction

7.3.1 Removal of Creosote Treated Piles

7.3.2 Resuspension of Sediment

7.3.3 Mobilization of Sediment-Bound Contaminants

7.3.4 Effects of Increased Turbidity on Algae

7.3.5 Summary of Effects

8 Conclusions and Determinations

8.1 Conclusions

8.1.1 Potential Effects on Listed Species and Critical Habitat

8.1.2 Potential Effects to Essential Fish Habitat

8.1.3 Interrelated and Interdependent Effects

8.1.4 Cumulative Effects

8.2 Determinations

9 References

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Figures

Figure 1 Project Vicinity Figure 2 Action Area and Project Footprint Figure 3 Project Plan View Figure 4 California Natural Diversity Database Results, Vegetation Figure 5 California Natural Diversity Database Results, Wildlife Figure 6 Bay Fill Quantities

Tables

Table 1: Designated Critical Habitat and Listed Species with Potential to Occur Within Action Area

Table 2: Habitats and Land Cover Types within the Action Area Table 3: Federally Managed Fish Species of Central San Francisco Bay Table 4: Expected Pile Driving Sound Levels and Distances of Criteria Level Exceedance with Impact and Vibratory Driver Table 5: Summary of Effects for Federally Listed Species and Critical Habitat

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Appendices

Appendix A: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Species Lists

Appendix B: Official National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries/National

Marine Fisheries Service Species List for Pier 36, Brannan Street Wharf

Appendix C: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Consultation

Appendix D: Table of Federal and/or State Listed, Proposed, Fully Protected and/or Sensitive Species from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries/National Marine

Fisheries Service

Appendix E: Best Management Practices

Appendix F: Sediment Testing Data

Appendix G: State-Listed Species

Acronyms

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Acronyms

BA Biological Assessment

BCDC Bay Conservation and Development Commission

BMP Best Management Practices

BSW Brannan Street Wharf

Caltrans California Department of Transportation

CCC Central California Coast (steelhead)

CDFG California Department of Fish and Game

CFR Code of Federal Regulations

CNDDB California Natural Diversity Database

CNPS California Native Plant Society dB decibel(s)

DO dissolved oxygen

DPS Distinct Population Segment

EFH Essential Fish Habitat

EIR Environmental Impact Report

ESA Endangered Species Act

°F degrees Fahrenheit

FHWG Fisheries Hydroacoustic Working Group

FMP fisheries management plans ft-lb foot-pound

HAPC Habitat Area of Particular Concern

Pa microPascal mg/L milligrams per liter

MLLW mean lower low water

MSFCMA Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act

NMFS National Marine Fisheries Service (also known as National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration Fisheries)

NOAA National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration

NRCS Natural Resources Conservation Service

PAH polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon

PCEs primary constituent elements sec/blow seconds per blow

SEL sound exposure level

SFEI San Francisco Estuary Institute

SOMA South of Market District

Acronyms

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SPCC Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure

TRAC Washington State Transportation Center

USACE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

USDA U.S. Department of Agriculture

U.S. EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

USGS U.S. Geological Survey

USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

1 Introduction

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1 Introduction

1.1 Purpose of the Biological Assessment

This document presents the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Port of San

Francisco’s (the Port) Biological Assessment (BA) for formal consultation with the National

Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) under

Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and for Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) under the

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSFCMA), for the proposed demolition of Pier 36 and creation of an open space park. The California Department of Fish and

Game (CDFG) will be asked to develop a consistency determination based on the Biological

Opinion provided by NMFS.

This BA presents technical information about the proposed Pier 36 Demolition-Brannan Street

Wharf (BSW) Project and assesses potential effects to threatened, endangered, or proposed threatened or endangered species and their habitats in accordance with legal requirements found in Section 7(a)(2) of the federal ESA (16 U.S. Code 1536[c]). This document also assesses the potential for the proposed project to affect Essential Fish Habitat (EFH), as required by Section

305(b) the MSFCMA (Public Law 104-297). The MSFCMA requires all federal agencies to consult with the Secretary of Commerce on activities or proposed activities authorized, funded, or undertaken by that agency that may adversely affect EFH of federally managed commercial fish species and guidelines from the MSFCMA direct NMFS to use a coordinated process to evaluate projects that may affect EFH under Section 305(b) of the MSFCMA, with required

Section 7 consultation process under the federal ESA.

This BA identifies species listed or proposed for listing under the federal ESA and EFH that have the potential to be directly or indirectly affected by the proposed project. Species and critical habitats listed or proposed under the California ESA that have the potential to be directly or indirectly affected by the proposed project are identified and analyzed in Appendix G. A project vicinity map is provided in Figure 1. Figure 2 shows the “action area”, which is defined as all areas that may be directly or indirectly affected by the activities necessary to complete the proposed project. Figure 3 provides a plan view of the project site.

1.2 Organization of the Biological Assessment

This report is organized as follows:

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Section 1 includes the introduction and provides background information about federally listed species and critical habitat, consultation to date, and limitations that may influence results;

Section 2 describes the proposed project, including history and timing of the proposed project, and describes the action area as well as avoidance and minimization measures;

Section 3 discusses the affected environment, including baseline environmental and biological conditions;

Section 4 discusses study methods and descriptions of federally listed species with the potential to occupy the action area;

Section 5 describes critical habitat within the action area;

Section 6 describes the EFH that occurs within the action area;

Section 7 provides an analysis of proposed actions, describes modifications to the proposed project to mitigate effects, and estimates the pile driving impacts associated with this proposed project;

Section 8 evaluates the potential effects (direct, indirect, and cumulative) on the listed species, critical habitat and EFH described in the Summary of Findings, Conclusions, and Determinations (page iii), presents measures to avoid and minimize potential adverse effects on these species, and provides final determinations; and

Section 9 lists the references used in preparation of this document.

Appendices to this report provide supporting information and details, including information on state-listed species (Appendix G).

PROJECT SITE

PROJECT VICINITY

Brannan Street Wharf San Francisco, California

January 2011 28067806

FIGURE 1

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Source: USGS Topographic Map Series

Pier 38

Pier 30-32

Pier 36

Pier 40

Th e

Em b a r c a d e r o

Action Area within San Francisco Bay

65.74 acres

Piers & walkways over water

16.84 acres

Brannan Street Wharf

1.40 acres

Floating structure

0.08 acre

Pier to be removed

2.06 acres

Project Footprint

6.50 acres

ACTION AREA

& PROJECT FOOTPRINT

Brannan Street Wharf San Francisco, California

January 2011 28067806

FIGURE 20 150 300

Feet

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LEGEND

Action area Piers & walkways over water Pier to be removed Marginal wharf Project Footprint

Proposed structures Brannan Street Wharf Floating structure

Source: Aerial Imagery, Digital Globe, 2009.

January 2011 28067806

Brannan Street Wharf San Francisco, California

PLAN VIEW

FIGURE 3

1/20/11 vsa ..\T:\Brannan St Wharf\Fig 3_plan view_jan11.ai

Source:

Port of San Francisco; Architectural Plan-Overall, Dec. 2009

Scale in Feet

40 40 800

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1.2.1 Threatened and Endangered Species

In order to prepare this BA, a variety of sources were reviewed to identify threatened and endangered species, designated critical habitat, or EFH that may be present within the vicinity of the proposed project. This includes species managed by the USFWS and NMFS. The following sources were used to compile this list:

A species list from the Sacramento Office of the USFWS was generated from the following topographic quadrangles: San Francisco South, San Francisco North, San

Rafael, Richmond, Oakland West, Hunters Point, San Quentin, and Point Bonita and is provided in Appendix A;

The California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB) was consulted to generate a list of all special-status species on record within 5 miles of the action area, and these occurrences were mapped using a Geographic Information System. Results are shown on Figures 4 and 5; and

A species list from NMFS was generated for the project vicinity and is included in

Appendix B.

USFWS concurred through an informal consultation that there will be no affect on listed or proposed species under their purview and their critical habitat; further consultation with USFWS does not need to be performed (personal communication, - Olah USFWS March 2010 attached as

Appendix C).

Due the lack of any habitat for rare plants in the action area, which consists of a developed urban wharf area and estuarine waters, it was not necessary to consult the California Native Plant

Society (CNPS) Inventory Database to generate a list of rare plants potentially occurring within the action area.

The resulting list of species in Appendices A and B was then refined to limit the remaining analysis to those species that could reasonably be expected to occur in the action area, as shown in Table 1. A species was not included in Table 1 if it met any of the following criteria:

It could not occur within the action area due to habitat constraints; and/or

The action area was outside the species’ known range.

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Table 1: Designated Critical Habitat and Listed Species with Potential to Occur Within Action Area

SCIENTIFIC NAME COMMON NAME

FEDERAL

STATUS¹

SPECIES

OR

HABITAT

PRESENCE RATIONALE

Oncorhynchus mykiss

Steelhead, Central California Coast

DPS

T P Known runs of Central California Coast steelhead occur within drainages of the San Francisco Bay, such as the Guadalupe River, Alameda Creek, Coyote Creek, and San Francisquito Creek.

-- Critical Habitat , Steelhead, Central California Coast

DPS

X P Includes the San Francisco Bay estuary, up to the point of higher high tide. Also includes designated reaches of rivers and creeks below specified migration barriers.

Acipenser medirostris

Green sturgeon, Southern DPS

T P Known to occur, Bay waters within the action area are classified as critical habitat.

-- Critical Habitat, Green sturgeon, Southern DPS

X P All portions of San Francisco Bay below higher high water are classified as critical habitat for this species.

DPS Distinct Population Segment

Notes:

1 Status T Threatened X Critical Habitat

2 Species or Habitat Presence P Species or General Habitat is Present

Two species managed by NMFS have the potential to occur in the action area, and therefore warrant further analysis. Table 1 lists the two listed species determined to potentially occur in the action area, their status, and the rationale for inclusion. The two species are as follows:

Central California Coast Distinct Population Segment (DPS) steelhead

(Oncorhynchus mykiss) (federal ESA threatened)

Southern DPS green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris) (federal ESA threatened)

The action area also contains EFH and EFH-managed species as designated under the Pacific

Groundfish, Coastal Pelagic, and Pacific Salmon fisheries management plans. Fish and sharks that are federally managed under these fisheries management plans (FMPs) are listed in Table 3

(page 47).

Project location

SAN FRANCISCO

5-mile buffer

Figure 5 California Natural Diversity Database results, wildlife

Port of San Francisco

Brannan Street Pier BA

U R S C o rp O a k la n d C A C .R a u m a n n L P ro je c ts \P o rt o f_ S F B ra n n a n S tr e e t\ M a p s \C N D D B w ild li fe .m x d /2 /2 :4 :4 P M

Base map source: USGS 30x60-minute topographic series, San Francisco

Bay checkerspot butterfly

California clapper rail

California least tern

California red-legged frog

Callippe silverspot butterfly

Mission blue butterfly

Salt-marsh harvest mouse

San Francisco garter snake

0 1 20.5

MILES

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1.3 Critical Habitat

In order to determine the presence of designated critical habitat for threatened and endangered species within the action area, a similar review as that described in Section 1.2.1 was conducted.

Based on this review, the action area falls within the following designated critical habitat areas, as shown in Table 1:

Designated Critical Habitat for the Central California Coast (CCC) DPS steelhead;

and

Designated Critical Habitat for the Southern DPS green sturgeon.

1.4 Agency Coordination

The USACE and the Port held a conference call with representatives from NMFS on

December 11, 2009 to present the preliminary project description and lists of threatened and endangered species potentially present in the action area. NMFS was consulted regarding the possible presence of listed species, including anadromous fishes, EFH, and marine mammals that reside or migrate through waters in and adjacent to the action area. NMFS representatives provided input on the species list, including avoidance and minimization measures, through telephone and email communications.

On November 19, 2009, USACE contacted the USFWS to arrange a conference call to present the preliminary project description and lists of threatened and endangered species potentially in the action area. On November 24, 2004 the USFWS esponded that the USFWS was unlikely to be involved in the proposed project due to the lack of impacts to USFWS-listed species. On

March 12, 2010, the USFWS submitted a letter to the USACE confirming that no consultation would be required for this proposed project (Appendix C).

USACE and the Port held another conference call on June 24, 2010 with NMFS representatives to discuss guidance documents, turbidity-related effects of the proposed project on the action area, and to update list of threatened and endangered species potentially present in the action area.

On January 19, 2011, USACE received a list of species to be considered for the proposed project from NMFS. This species list is included in Appendix B.

2 Description of the Proposed Action

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2 Description of the Proposed Action

2.1 Project History

The proposed project involves the demolition of the existing Pier 36, including the pile-supported concrete and dilapidated wooden decks and warehouse building, the removal of piles that supported Pier 36, and a portion of marginal wharf, which runs along the waterfront street

(Embarcadero) between Piers 30-32 and Pier 38. Constructed in 1909, Pier 36 is a contributing resource to the San Francisco Embarcadero National Register Historic District. Pier 36, along with the majority of the marginal wharf structure between Piers 30-32 and Pier 38, was condemned in 2004 due to severely deteriorated deck and pilings. Once demolition is complete, a new open-space park, “the Brannan Street Wharf,” will be constructed between Piers 30-32 and

Pier 38.

Planning policies of both the Port and the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development

Commission (BCDC) call for the creation of BSW in the center of the South Beach waterfront

[San Francisco Waterfront Special Area Plan, Policy 2.d (BCDC, 2000)]. The Port, working with BCDC, the Rincon Point-South Beach Citizens Advisory Committee, and neighborhood, waterfront and regional stakeholders, conducted a public planning process to develop the concept design for this park. The openness of the site is intended to orient the wharf both toward the Bay and the adjacent neighborhood. The concept design has undergone extensive review in joint meetings of BCDC’s Design Review Board and San Francisco's Waterfront Design Advisory

Committee. The park design has been refined, and received final design review approval on

September 14, 2009.

2.2 Project Description

The project site is located between Piers 30-32 and Pier 38, fronting the eastern side of the

Embarcadero, in proximity to the intersection of Brannan Street and Townsend Street with the

Embarcadero, within the South of Market District (SOMA) of San Francisco (Figure 1). The project site includes Pier 36, a pile-supported structure with a warehouse shed building.

The BSW park will provide a new 57,000-square-foot public open space over water, supported by a new pile-supported deck, landscaped and improved to provide a major new public amenity for passive recreational enjoyment in the South Beach waterfront area. Brannan Street Wharf is generally oriented in a north-south configuration, and connects alongside the Embarcadero

Promenade. Figure 3 shows a plan view of the park. The northern end of the park will begin

BA: Pier 36 Demolition–Brannan Street Wharf Project 18 C:\Documents and Settings\L3ET9TEB\My Documents\Final_BA-2232011.doc south of Piers 30-32, extending south for about 830 feet to a point south of Pier 36. The park will have a wedge shape, starting from an approximately 10-foot width at its narrowest point at the northern end, widening to approximately 140 feet at the southern end. A floating dock structure will extend outward into the Bay from the southern end of the wharf. This structure will provide a launch site for kayaks and other small, unpowered watercraft.

2.2.1 Demolition of Pier 36 and Marginal Wharf

Pier 36 is approximately 200 feet wide and 740 feet long, and perpendicular to the Embarcadero.

The existing concrete deck, not including the debris and remnant piles, extends to around 310 feet. The pier platform is an approximately 86,000-square-foot, steel and concrete structure supported on approximately 350-400 42-inch-diameter concrete cylinders (or caissons). Atop this platform is a concrete warehouse building of approximately 35,000 square feet. Including the remnant piles from the wharf extension that has collapsed into the Bay (47,000 square feet), the total square footage for Pier 36 is 133,000 square feet (3.24 acres). During construction, the existing pier platform will be removed, and the supporting caissons will be removed using a derrick barge and excavator. The cassion will be rocked back and forth to free the bell shape end and then lifted using the derrick. If a portion of the cassion breaks during this process it will be left in place and removed at a later date. Approximately 350-400 creosote piles will be removed (approximately 12,000 linear feet).

The marginal wharf is a 20-foot-wide concrete and steel wharf supported on a mixture of concrete and timber piles that connects between the seawall and piers. Between the southern edge of Pier 32 and the northern edge of Pier 38, the marginal wharf is approximately

18,800 square feet and approximately 940 feet long. The marginal wharf will be demolished as part of the proposed project. The footprint of the new BSW park will replace a portion of the marginal wharf, connecting the park to the seawall.

Demolition will be conducted from both land and water, and care will be used by equipment operators to control debris so that it does not enter the Bay. All demolition debris will be removed from the site and disposed of at an authorized upland disposal site.

2.2.2 Construction of New Wharf

As described in Section 2.2, the triangular park improvement will be approximately 830 feet long, and will vary in width from approximately 10 feet at the northern end to approximately

140 feet at the southern end. The deck will consist of a mixture of precast and cast-in-place concrete components, topped by a cast-in-place architectural finish slab. The deck will be supported by approximately 261 piles (116 24-inch-diameter steel pipe piles and 141 24-inch

BA: Pier 36 Demolition–Brannan Street Wharf Project 19 C:\Documents and Settings\L3ET9TEB\My Documents\Final_BA-2232011.doc octagonal concrete piles and 4 36-inch steel piles), to be driven to depths of more than 60 feet below the mudline. In addition, four 36-inch steel shell piles will be installed to support the floating structure. Section 7.1.3 contains a more detailed description of the proposed pile driving activities, as well as discussion of potential effects to species as a result of pile driving. The wharf structure will cantilever over the existing seawall and interface with the existing

Embarcadero sidewalk.

The main components of the BSW include a 400-foot-long lawn area, a waterside walkway with seating, shade-sheltered picnic/game tables, and a small float and ramp for landing and launching small human-powered craft (e.g., kayaks and row boats). The ramp is designed to meet

Americans with Disability Act requirements. The float gangway will include installation of four

36-inch steel pipe piles. The landscape design is mostly flat, with the lawn laid in a raised planter about 18 inches in height, which also creates a seating wall for the public. The lawn area will accommodate a variety of passive recreation uses. The openness of the design is intended to orient the park toward the Bay, as well as the adjacent South Beach neighborhood.

Removal of the existing piers and dilapidated structures will result in a reduction of

104,800 square feet of shadow fill (shading over the Bay waters). In total, 47,800 square feet

(1.10 acres) of shadow fill will be removed, resulting in a net increase of 1.10 acres of unshaded waters of San Francisco Bay (Figure 6).

2.2.3 Repair and Minor Alteration of Existing Seawall

The concrete seawall extending along the Embarcadero between Piers 30-32 and Pier 38 is supported with timber piling and founded on a rock dike. The wall is in fair condition and requires maintenance to repair cracks and to accommodate the interface with the new BSW structure. Repair of the seawall will include sealing cracks and patching spalls in the concrete wall. It may additionally require installation of new piles, tie-backs, and/or new concrete overlay on the face of the wall or riprap.

2.2.4 Demolition and Construction Methods

The demolition and construction work zone will include Pier 36, the marginal wharf, and a

40-foot-wide work zone into the Bay along the perimeter of Pier 36 and the marginal wharf.

Water depths range from approximately 3 to 10 feet (ft) at Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW), and 9 to 16 ft at Mean Higher High Water (MHHW) (Fugro West, Inc. and Winzler & Kelly, 2009). Along the wharf edge, underwater debris left from the previously conducted demolition of Pier 34 will be removed where feasible.

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Demolition will be conducted from the water using a barge-mounted marine crane, and from land using a crawler crane. Timber mats will be used to catch debris, and dump barges will be used to transport materials off site to an authorized upland disposal site. The caissons currently supporting Pier 36 will be removed using a derrick barge and excavator. Each caisson will be rocked back and forth to free the belled end using the excavator, then lifted out using the derrick.

Caissons that break off at the mudline will be removed as is, leaving the bell in place. If the final project design for the upcoming America’s Cup 34 race, identifies the need for any dredging within this project area, these remaining bells will be removed as part of the America’s Cup project.

Hazardous materials (painted exterior areas of the warehouse structure) will be removed on land and appropriately handled and disposed of at permitted facilities.

Construction of the new wharf will be primarily done from land. Concrete and other materials will be delivered to the project site by land. Pile driving will be done from the water side using a barge-mounted marine crane.

2.3 Timing of Proposed Action

The wharf and pier demolition are expected to be completed in 6 months, and the new wharf construction is expected to be completed in 13 months. Demolition of the existing wharf structures is expected to begin in January 2012, and be completed in May 2012. Project construction is expected to begin in May 2012, and be completed in June 2013. The proposed project will be conducted during normal working hours (7 am to 6 pm), except for a section of wharf near Pier 32, which will require double shifts to minimize impacts to traffic on the

Embarcadero.

2.4 Action Area

The action area is 65.74 acres and includes the entire project footprint and all areas that may be directly or indirectly affected by the proposed project, as shown on Figure 2. This includes the area of maximum impact outside the project footprint that will be affected by noise and turbidity during pile removal, pile driving, and pier installation, and the areas that will be shaded by the new wharf structure. As a result of the noise and turbidity analyses (Section 7.1 and Section 7.3, respectively), the action area was determined to consist of the project footprint and extend 1,165 feet from the 36-inch steel pile installations, and 679 feet from the 24-ich pile installations, as shown on Figure 2. This area overlaps and extends beyond the areas that may be affected by turbidity during removal of the old piles. There will be no construction activity on Piers 30, 38, and 40; they are included in the action area solely to address the potential effects of noise during

BA: Pier 36 Demolition–Brannan Street Wharf Project 21 C:\Documents and Settings\L3ET9TEB\My Documents\Final_BA-2232011.doc pile driving. The baseline physical and biological conditions within the action area are discussed in Section 3.1 and Section 3.2, respectively.

January 2011 28067806

Brannan Street Wharf San Francisco, California

BAY FILL QUANTITIES

FIGURE 6

1/20/11 vsa ...T:\Brannan St Wharf\Fig 6_baynfill quant_jan11.ai

Source:

Port of San Francisco; March 2010

Scale in Feet

6060 0 120

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2.5 Project Footprint

The project footprint is the area where work will occur, including all construction, demolition, and construction staging and access, as discussed in Section 2.2. The project footprint includes:

Pier 36, including the remnant piles from the wharf extension that has collapsed into the Bay;

approximately 940 linear feet of marginal wharf; and a 40-foot-wide work zone around Pier 36 and the marginal wharf. The 40-foot work zone will be the operation zone for marine cranes along the wharf edge during construction. The footprint of the proposed project, as calculated from aerial photography, is a total of 6.50 acres (Figure 2). All portions of the project footprint, including Pier 36 and the marginal wharf, are over the waters of San Francisco Bay.

2.6 General Avoidance and Minimization Measures

To avoid and minimize effects on federally listed species and their habitat within the action area, the following general avoidance and minimization measures will be implemented:

Standard best management practices (BMPs) will be applied to protect species and their habitat(s) from pollution due to fuels, oils, lubricants, and other harmful materials. BMPs for this proposed project will follow those detailed in the Wharf J-

10 and Fishery Building Demolition Plan (Zaccor Companies Inc., 2007), and are included in Appendix E. Vehicles and equipment that are used during the course of a proposed project will be fueled and serviced in a manner that will not affect federally protected species in the action area or their habitats;

A Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) plan will be prepared to address the emergency cleanup of any hazardous material and will be available on site. The SPCC plan will incorporate SPCC, hazardous waste, stormwater and other emergency planning requirements;

Well-maintained equipment will be used to perform the work, and, except in the case of a failure or breakdown, equipment maintenance will be performed off site.

Equipment will be inspected daily by the operator for leaks or spills. If leaks or spills are encountered, the source of the leak will be identified, leaked material will be cleaned up, and the cleaning materials will be collected and will be properly disposed;

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Fueling of marine-based equipment will occur at designated safe locations adjacent to the proposed project. Fueling of land-based equipment will occur in a staging area or over pavement, using proper spill containment, and the location will be inspected after fueling to document that no spills have occurred. Spills will be cleaned up immediately using spill response equipment;

Project proponents will exercise every reasonable precaution to protect listed species and EFH-protected species and their habitat(s) from construction by-products and pollutants such as demolition debris, construction chemicals, fresh cement, saw-water, or other deleterious materials. Demolition will be conducted from both land and water, and care will be used by equipment operators to control debris so that it does not enter the Bay. During demolition, the barges performing the work will be moored in a position to capture and contain the debris generated during the dismantlement of the building and wharf. In the event that debris does reach the Bay, personnel in workboats within the work area will immediately retrieve the debris for proper handling and disposal. All demolition debris will be disposed of at an authorized upland disposal site;

Fresh cement or concrete will not be allowed to enter San Francisco Bay.

Construction waste will be collected and transported to an authorized upland disposal area, as appropriate, and per federal, state, and local laws and regulations;

All hazardous material will be stored upland in storage trailers and/or shipping containers designed to provide adequate containment. Short-term laydown of hazardous materials for immediate use will be permitted with the same anti-spill precautions;

All construction material, wastes, debris, sediment, rubbish, trash, fencing, etc., will be removed from the site once the proposed project is completed and transported to an authorized disposal area, as appropriate, in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations; and

One or more NMFS-approved biological monitors knowledgeable about sensitive species and habitats in the action area will conduct daily surveys before and during construction activities to inspect the work zone and adjacent Bay waters for listed species and marine mammals. The monitor will be present as specified by NMFS during the pile driving phases of construction, as well as during and after cleanup activities.

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2.7 Avoidance and Minimization Measures for Pile Driving

In addition to the general avoidance and minimization measures, measures specific to pile driving activity have been developed to reduce project effects on sensitive resources:

To reduce peak noise levels, vibratory hammers will be used to drive all steel piles for the majority of the drive (e.g., up to the at least the last 10 feet), then an impact hammer will need to be used to achieve the final required depth;

Concrete piles will be driven with an impact pile driver and will employ a “soft start” technique to give fish an opportunity to move out of the area; and

Bubble curtains will be used in deeper water to further reduce noise levels.

In addition, prior to the start of construction, the Port will develop a NMFS-approved sound attenuation and monitoring plan. This plan will provide detail on the sound attenuation system and the methods used to monitor and verify sound levels during pile driving activities. The sound monitoring results will be made available to NMFS.

3 Affected Environment

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3 Affected Environment

3.1 Baseline Environmental Conditions

This section describes the baseline environmental conditions of the action area, including its climate, topography, hydrology, and water quality. These physical characteristics provide context for the biological conditions and the species descriptions that follow.

3.1.1 Climate and Topography

The San Francisco Bay Area has a Mediterranean-type climate characterized by moist, mild winters and dry summers. The action area is on the northeastern waterfront of the City of San

Francisco, where the average annual rainfall is 20.59 inches. The majority of precipitation occurs between October and April. Average annual high air temperature for San Francisco is

63.7 degrees Fahrenheit (°F), and average annual low temperature is 51.1°F (WRCC, 2010).

The action area includes a developed wharf area surrounded by urban development. The terrestrial portions of the action area are built on fill and are several feet above MHHW. The transition area from the edge of the wharf to the subtidal zone consists of rip rap and retaining walls.

3.1.2 Hydrology

The action area is in the Central San Francisco Bay watershed. San Francisco Bay is a large, complex, and highly dynamic estuary. Circulation within the Bay, particularly the central portion of the Bay, is dependent on tides, river flow, winds, runoff, and bathymetry. The Central San Francisco

Bay watershed is influenced by these hydrodynamic conditions. Current and wave patterns exhibited in the action area are largely generated by the tides interacting with bottom and shoreline configurations. It also receives inputs from stormwater runoff, and wastewater from municipal and industrial sources that vary in proportion depending on the location and seasonal weather patterns.

The action area is adjacent to the Channel basin, one of eight subwatersheds of the Central San

Francisco Bay watershed in the City of San Francisco. The Channel basin occupies 8.7 square miles

(5,568 acres) in the northeastern section of the city. The action area includes a section of upland area approximately 1.5 acres along the Embarcadero Promenade that is within this watershed. The action area comprises approximately 0.027% which is an extremely small portion of the watershed.

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The land bordering the action area has been highly modified by urban development along the

Embarcadero, including commercial and high-density residential development and high-use automotive transportation arterials. The hydrology of the action area is highly modified as a result. As referenced to MLLW vertical datum mudline elevations along the Embarcadero range from approximately 3 feet to 9 feet MLLW along the wharf edge to 55 feet MLLW along the eastern edge of the action area. The terrestrial (developed wharf) portions of the action area receive water from direct precipitation, which flows into storm drains and into a combined stormwater and sewage treatment system. From there, the water flows to the Southeast Water

Pollution Control facility in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood for treatment prior to discharge. An overflow structure associated with the San Francisco combined sewer system is located at the foot of Brannan Street at its intersection with the Embarcadero.

3.1.3 Water Quality

The action area is a part of the Port’s working maritime waterfront, and is subject to stormwater runoff, industrial activities and other urban influences. Its waters are a minute percentage of the complex and dynamic water system merging ocean, river and storm waters of San Francisco

Bay.

3.1.3.1 Turbidity and Suspended Sediment Loads

Suspended sediments are a key component of the estuarine system. The terms turbidity and suspended sediments are often used interchangeably, although turbidity refers to a number of different suspended particulates including plankton and sediments, whereas suspended sediments only refers to the actual sediment component in the water column. Most near shore environments and estuaries in particular tend to have higher levels of turbidity or suspended sediment loads due to discharges from rivers, drainages and the relative shallow nature of the environment. Suspended sediment concentrations in San Francisco Bay tend to be extremely variable and strongly correlated to season and water depth (Buchanan and Ganju, 2005, McKee, Ganju, Schoelhamer, 2006). Several groups including the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have monitored suspended sediment loads throughout the San Francisco Bay for many years. Suspended sediment concentrations can range from well over 1,000 milligrams per liter (mg/L) near the bottom, to as little as 10 mg/L in near surface measurements. In 2003, suspended sediment concentrations monitored from the closest USGS permanent monitoring station to the project site indicated concentrations ranging from nearly 300 mg/L near the bottom, to approximately 10 mg/L near the surface with February through April showing the greatest variation.

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The project footprint is in relatively shallow water, which is strongly influenced by nearshore discharges and wind- and wave-generated sediment disruption. Suspended sediment loads within the action area will be represented by the higher concentrations found near the bottom or in shallow environments.

Most toxicity studies related to suspended sediment loads have been done with forced exposures to sensitive life stages such as salmonid eggs or fry (Bash, Berman and Bolton, 2001). The lowest concentration where toxic effects (50 percent mortality) to species and life stages that could be in the action area (adults and juvenile salmonids) are in the range of 1,000 mg/L, but only after 96 hours of continuous exposure to those concentrations. Concentrations in excess of

1,000 mg/L or durations in excess of 96 hours will not occur within the action area during construction.

3.1.3.2 Sediment Quality

The sediment that accumulates along the San Francisco waterfront is characterized by the recent deposition of unconsolidated (loose) sediment. Sediment accretes or accumulates as a result of natural sediment inflows from rivers, creeks, surface runoff, and, especially, from re-settlement of sediment suspended in Bay waters by natural processes (i.e., tidal action, wind, etc.). The Port conducts standard dredging episodes to remove this recent accreted material at various berths in the vicinity of the action area.

The Port has characterized…