AmeriCorps Trails Improvement Project (Notification of Lake or Streambed Alteration, No. EPIMS-SON-55944-R3)

The AmeriCorps Trails Improvement Project, executed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife under Lake and Streambed Alteration Agreement EPIMS Notification No. EPIMS-SON-55944-R3, authorizes the City of Sebastopol to extend an existing trail system along the Laguna de Santa Rosa in Sonoma County. Pursuant to Section 1602 of the Fish and Game Code, the project involves the installation of a 48-foot-long by 8-foot-wide aluminum pedestrian bridge spanning Zephyr Creek, supported by 10-foot-wide by 2-foot-long cast-in-place concrete abutments. To manage water flow toward the Laguna de Santa Rosa, a 12-inch-wide by 8-foot-long high-density polyethylene culvert will also be constructed. The project is classified under a Class 3 categorical exemption for small facility construction and is designed to ensure the bridge remains outside the 100-year flood elevation with abutments located above the top of the bank. Environmental impacts include the removal of two riparian trees and approximately 392 square feet of permanent impact to riparian habitat. All access and staging for the project are restricted to existing roads and developed trails. Administrative oversight is provided by James Hansen of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and Elissa Overton of the City of Sebastopol Public Works Department.