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DOCUMENT NO. MND-RP-221-08 CHATSWORTH RESERVOIR WETLANDS/RIPARIAN MITIGATION PROGRAM
Council District 12 Valley Region
Chatsworth Reservoir is located within the northwestern portion of the San Fernando Valley, northeast of the intersection of Roscoe Boulevard and Valley Circle Drive in the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California. The mitigation property is located outside and generally to the west of the perimeter levee of the reservoir.
Browning-Ferris Industries of California, Inc. (BFI) proposes to establish an approximate 44-acre conservation easement within the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s (LADWP) Chatsworth Reservoir property to mitigate for the loss of riparian and wetland habitats resulting from its Sunshine Canyon Landfill Closure and Extension projects near Sylmar, California. The Chatsworth Reservoir property covers 1,318 acres in the northwestern portion of the San Fernando Valley in the City of Los Angeles, 411 acres of which comprises the former water supply reservoir; the remaining acreage consists largely of surrounding undeveloped land. The conservation easement (mitigation property) would be located immediately to the west of the reservoir levee and would contain both riparian and wetland habitats, approximately seven acres of which are existing habitat, and approximately 37 acres of which will be created and restored by BFI in compliance with its regulatory permitting requirements.
BFI will compensate LADWP for the right to use a portion of the reservoir property to create the 44-acre conservation easement area. LADWP will transfer the conservation easement area to the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks (RAP) to ensure its preservation in perpetuity. In addition, up to 96 acres of adjoining reservoir property will also be transferred to RAP for open space and potential future public parkland. Once the conservation easement is transferred to RAP, BFI will design and construct the mitigation project and maintain and monitor it for five years, providing progress reports during this period to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the California Department of Fish and Game. Once BFI receives written approval from these agencies that their mitigation commitments and permit requirements have been met, the conservation easement area will then be maintained by RAP. At this time RAP plans to maintain the property in its natural state; there are no plans to open the area to public access.
The public review and comments period for proposed Mitigated Negative Declaration will be from April 3, 2008 to May 5, 2008. Copies of the document are available at the following locations:
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Department of Recreation and Parks, 1200 W. 7th Street, Suite 700, Los Angeles 90017 |
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Valley Regional Headquarters, 6335 Woodley Avenue Van Nuys, CA 91406 |
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Chatsworth Branch Library, 21052 Devonshire Street, Chatsworth, 91311 |
All comments must be submitted in writing no later than 3:00 PM on May 5, 2008, by mailing to: Paul Davis, Environmental Specialist, City of Los Angeles, Department of Recreation and Parks, 1200 W. 7th Street, Suite 700, Los Angeles 90017. Facsimiles at (213) 928-9180 will also be accepted up to the comment deadline (please mail the original). For further information, contact Paul Davis at (213) 928-9137.
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