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Habitat Reserve Program
The proposed Habitat Reserve Program (HRP) is proposed to provide a coordinated and consolidated approach to compensate for habitat impacts that would result from implementation of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s (SFPUC) Water System Improvement Program (WSIP) in the San Joaquin Valley, Sunol Valley, Bay Division, and Peninsula regions of the SFPUC water system. Based on preliminary information from the WSIP projects impact assessments, the HRP would include preserving, enhancing, restoring, or creating approximately:
| 10 acres of tidal marsh | 55 acres of oak riparian forest |
| 10 acres of vernal pools | 70 acres of sage scrub habitat |
| 15 acres of white alder riparian forest | 75 acres of serpentine grasslands |
| 30 acres of sycamore alluvial woodland | 90 acres of coastal live oak woodland |
| 45 acres of arroyo willow riparian habitat | 115 acres of freshwater marsh/seasonal wetland habitat |
| 50 acres of oak woodland and savannah | 870 acres of annual grasslands |
Although it is not yet known with certainty, it is assumed that the proposed habitat acreages would be more than enough to compensate for WSIP project impacts. In all, approximately 1,400 acres of habitat would be preserved, enhanced, restored, or created, including approximately 24,000 linear feet of stream habitat, to maximize the benefits to affected species by restoring ecological functions and values on a broad scale. Lack of compatibility of certain project schedules may dictate that some WSIP projects need to perform their compensation requirements independent of the HRP. In the meantime, this program is planning to accommodate the major needs for the WSIP projects.
Need more information?
Contact Suzanne Gautier, sgautier@sfwater.org, 415-554-3204.
