Salton Sea Species Conservation Habitat Stakeholders Meeting June 10, 2010

2 Provide updates on Salton Sea activities Provide opportunity to hear informally from Stakeholders Provide information on Species conservation Habitat (SCH) Project to interested Stakeholders Meeting Purpose

3 Agenda Introductions Follow-up to last Stakeholders meeting Salton Sea Funding Assistance Program SCH Project update

4 Introduction of Presentation Team Rick Davis – Davis Group Kim Nicol – California Department of Fish and Game Rob Thomson – ENTRIX, Inc. Ramona Swenson – ENTRIX, Inc.

March Stakeholders Meeting Follow-up Response to Action Items

6 Request for More Stakeholder Participation Topic-specific workshops Review of materials as they are available and appropriate under NEPA/CEQA Need to balance Stakeholder participation with schedule management

7 Period 1 Activity Status Natural Resources Agency working with Department of Finance for clarification on whether SCH is a Period 1 activity Potential legislation to clarify spending authority under Section 2930 et seq.

8 Restoration Fund Update Salton Sea Restoration FundProp 84 FY 07/08FY 08/09FY 09/10FY 07/08FY 08/09FY 0910Total Appropriation2,741, ,829, ,739, ,300, ,750, ,296, ,657, Expenditures1,488, ,130, , , , ,982, Encumbrances7, , ,995, , ,079, Appropriation balance1,245, ,652, ,665, , ,836, ,296, ,594,763.45

Salton Sea Funding Assistance Program

10 Funding Assistance Program Two types of applications Habitat restoration Study, monitoring, or pilot projects Patterned after CalFED and Fisheries Grant Programs Currently is not a grant program Applications must be a nonprofit or public agency Applications must be consistent with the Salton Sea Restoration Act

11 Funding Assistance Program Selection process Administrative review External science review Technical review Selection panel To assure objective evaluation of proposals, reviewers or their organization must not have advocated in the past for any project Applicants must have completed their environmental compliance, including all permits, to receive funds Since they are State funds, CEQA must be completed

Salton Sea SCH Project Review and Update

13 Overview of Major Activities SCH alternatives development and refinement Goals and objectives/purpose and need Critical screening criteria Conceptual engineering Public outreach (NOI/NOP, scoping) Impact assessment planning Significance thresholds Key issues Process and schedule Special studies

14 Alternatives Development and Refinement Goals and objectives/purpose and need Critical screening criteria Conceptual engineering Species habitat requirements Range of potential components

15 Notice of Intent/Notice of Preparation Anticipated scoping period — June/July Anticipated scoping meetings July 7 UCR Palm Desert (1:00 p.m.) Torres Martinez Administrative Building (6:30 p.m.) July 8 Calipatria Inn and Suites (1:00 p.m.) Brawley Elks Club (6:30 p.m.) Public Outreach

16 Significance thresholds based on Initial Study checklist Salton Sea Programmatic EIR Review of potential project impacts Key environmental issues Biological resources Effects on common and special status fish and wildlife, habitat loss/degradation, potential for disease Hydrology/water quality Construction-related impacts, changes in pond water quality, potential reduced freshwater inflow into the Sea, reduced downstream river flows Complete list in NOI and NOP Process and schedule Impact Assessment Planning

17 NEPA/CEQA scoping – June/July 2010 Draft NEPA/CEQA document – late 2010, early 2011 Draft permit applications – early 2011 Final NEPA/CEQA document – mid 2011 Final design – mid to late 2011 Permits complete – mid to late 2011 Begin construction – late 2011, early 2012 Anticipated Schedule

18 UC Riverside Hydrology, temperature, and water quality Selenium ecorisk Soil and water contaminants Fish tolerance UC Berkeley Assessing selenium issues/pilot study Special Studies

19 Scripps Bathymetric surveys EIS/EIR Team Focused surveys for southwestern willow flycatcher and least Bell’s vireo to fill data gaps If needed, other surveys will fill critical data gaps Geotechnical studies Special Studies

SCH Project Workshop Updates

21 SCH Project goals and objectives Critical screening criteria Construction challenges Morning Workshop Highlights

22 Problem Selenium in the water and sediments poses a potential ecological risk for fish and wildlife at the SCH Project Purpose of expert workshops To obtain expert input on treatment technologies and management strategies to reduce potential effects of selenium on fish and wildlife Selenium Expert Workshops

23 Workshop 1: Selenium Treatment Technologies Purpose Review potential selenium treatment technologies Identify promising treatment techniques to test in pilot studies Participants Working group of scientists with selenium expertise Familiar with Salton Sea issues Provided technical input on Salton Sea PEIR

24 Workshop 1: Approach Reviewed effectiveness, feasibility, cost and applicability of several treatment technologies Physical – reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, ion filter Chemical – zero valent iron Biological – constructed wetlands, algal, bacterial Identified information gaps and research questions for the most promising technologies

25 Workshop 1: Recommendations Biological treatment of water most promising technique Constructed wetlands Algal treatment (Controlled Eutrophication Process) Anaerobic bacterial reduction Physical treatments extremely costly Chemical treatment complex, intensive, and costly Recommendations to be summarized in technical memorandum

26 Purpose Develop comprehensive plan to reduce SCH selenium ecorisk Identify remediation measures to reduce selenium ecorisk Approach Working group of scientists with selenium expertise Late August/September workshop Review applicable treatment techniques/best management practices Recommendations summarized in a technical memorandum Workshop 2: Selenium Management Plan

27 SCH Information Dissemination Website ( Stakeholders meetings/workshops Periodic newsletters Public meetings

28 Contact Information DFG Contact: Kim Nicol, Environmental Program Manager California Department of Fish and Game Country Club Drive, Suite 109 Bermuda Dunes, CA (760) USACE Contact: Lanika Cervantes, Project Manager San Diego Section, Regulatory Division U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Los Angeles District 6010 Hidden Valley Road, Suite 105 Carlsbad, CA (760)