ECORP was retained by Elliott Homes and Easton Development Company to prepare various management plans and conduct a wide variety of biological resources surveys and assessments for the Rio Del Oro Project in the City of Rancho Cordova in Sacramento County, California, a 3,893-acre proposed master-planned community consisting of high, medium, and low-density residential, retail, commercial, office, light-industrial, park, schools, wetland preserve, and open space.
Our Biological Resources Staff conducted numerous surveys and assessments in support of the Project, including:
- Wetland and watershed delineations and assessments using CRAM and Light Detection and Ranging (Lidar) to map microtopography
- Special-status species surveys and assessments
- Vegetation community mapping
- On-site preserve planning
During the wetland delineation verification process, ECORP representatives served as liaisons between the project proponent, the United States Army Corp of Engineers (USACE), the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), and other Federal and State agencies. This process included the preparation and submission of permit applications, analyses, assessments, and other legal documentation to comply with the Clean Water Act (CWA), California Fish and Game Code, and the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This included:
- Section 404 Individual Permit application
- Section 404(b)(1) Alternatives Analysis
- Section 401 Water Quality Certification application
- A 1602 Notification of Lake or Streambed Alteration
- Section 7 Biological Assessment
In addition, the ECORP established a 510-acre vernal pool and wetland preserve onsite, a 12-acre Valley elderberry longhorn beetle preserve onsite, and an off-site 160-acre wetland and vernal pool preserve as part of the Project with a planned 187-acre riparian corridor open space area to be established. As part of this process, ECORP staff
- Prepared the Legenere Mitigation Plan, Wetland Mitigation Plan, and operations and management (O&M) Plans for all preserves
- Drafted conservation easements
- Facilitated the recordation process
During the course of the Rio Del Oro Project, ECORP facilitated numerous meetings with staff from the USACE, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB), and the County of Sacramento, as well as working with the Sacramento Valley Conservancy on conservation easements for the preserves.
