Cover letter:
To: SF Muni, SF PUC ,
Port of San Francisco, SF DPW, SFBOS,SFDOE,SFMTA
Re: Excavation of forced
main at the Muwekma Ohlone Park on Islais Creek
CC: USFWS, USCG, USACE,
ABAG, EPA, NOAA, NFWF,DTSC,CA DFG
Date: September 9, 2004
The comments detailed
below have been provided at the request of San Francisco Muni and San Francisco
Public Utilities Commission for the purposes of informing the PUC and Muni the
general consensus of requests for habitat restoration and environmental
mitigation expressed by directly affected citizens, concerned citizens, local
community groups, regulatory agencies and environmental grant organizations,
prior to commencement of the new excavation of the Force Main in the Muwekma
Ohlone Park on Islais Creek.
More
comments could have been provided with more time and better resources.
The Park
has been financially distressed since the original Force Main pipe collapse in
November 2001 which resulted in the loss of $75,000 in grant funding, and to
this date, cannot procure further grant funding until full repairs are
complete.
David
Erickson
Curator
for the Muwekma Ohlone Sanctuary on Islais Creek
1884
Illinois Street, SF, CA, 94124
As the City and County of San Francisco, via MUNI and the
Public Utilities Commission, seek to amend Abbreviated Region wide Permit No.
ARWP-1 re: Force Main work at Islais Creek, it is imperative that BCDC do so
maintaining the requirement that: The repair work shall include the restoration
of the site to pre-project conditions including replacement of suitable
top-soil for the re-vegetation of the damaged portion of the site. March 7, 2002 correspondence re: permit
from BCDC to MUNI.
This permit requirement followed on the heels of February
26, 2002 correspondence from Bill Gamlen, MUNI project manager, to BCDC seeking
the issuance of an expedited permit to begin necessary force main repair work
at Islais Creek and the Muwekma Ohlone Sanctuary.
In that letter, Mr. Gamlen stated:
[W]e have repeatedly assured BCDC and the
custodians of the Muwekma Ohlone Park that the damaged
areas [of the Park] will be restored to pre-construction conditions. As discussed with Mr. Erickson, who is
the Facilitator for the Park, our contractor will backfill the damaged area
with suitable planting soil and SLUG will complete the remaining restoration
work at a cost to be compensated by our Contractor.
Thus, as part of the original permit, the site is to be restored
to its"pre-construction conditions." This requirment must apply to
any further work that results in additional damages to the already ravaged
Sanctuary landscape and bioregion.
Patrick D. Goggin
Counsel for the Muwekma Ohlone Sanctuary
Patrick D. Goggin
Founder, Holistic Legal Advocacy
President, WeCount.org
870 Market Street, Ste. 1146
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 981-9290
(415) 981-9291 (fax)
pgoggin@pacbell.net
https://www.wecount.org/index.cfm
CFC comments are as follows for the mitigation of
Muwekma Ohlone Park:
1) Rebuild the Muwekma Ohlone Park to its original
sanctuary condition for
wild life and the Pacific Chorus Frog.
2)Help to bring it back to the condition that school
children can visit for
nature experiences and classes.
3)Have them help to procure a professional Grant Writer to
help in the
further development of the Muwekma Ohlone Park.
4)have them ensure that no further damage will be incurred
by the park or
endangered species living therein.
Maurice Campbell
Convener Community First Coalition
415-671-2150
mecsoft@pacbell.net
Environmental Justice Advocacy:
Send comments to MUNI, SFPUC, SF Port Authority, the Mayor,
the City Attorney, PG&E, California PUC, BSDC, and other Regulatory
Agencies like Corps of Engineers, Coast Guard and so on.
The letter should go to Sophie, Aaron Peskin, Chris Daly,
Bevan Duffty and the rest of the Supervisors too..At this time I feel sending
this letter is important.
Francisco DaCosta
Environmental Justice Advocacy
4909 3rd Street SF, 94124
415-822-9602
frandacosta@att.net
http://www.franciscodacosta.com
á Muni/PUC stated (but not in writing) that they will build temporary or permanent ponds for the Pacific Chorus Frogs, but in light that they will bulldoze the entire remaining habitat west of the original pipe collapse dig site as well as 200 feet of the fence line along Illinois Street both of which is actually the last sliver of habitat for the frogs in the park therefore, Muni/PUC should provide a fully established, green and living habitat for the frogs at the east end of the original pipe collapse area, prior to any excavation, complete with food sources, plants and ponds.
U.S
Fish and Wildlife Services (our choice of permits officers)
Army
Corps of Engineers( our choice of permit officers)
San
Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge (same)
404 permits (our choice of permit officers)
BCDC
(our choice of permit officers)
Soil
Analysis studies, current, not old.
EIR
reports, current, not old.
NOAA
and NFWF
DTSC
Constituents
of Park
á
What
is the purpose, and how will the comments be used?
á
Will
the comments have any effect on the future of the Muwekma Ohlone Park?
á
If
so, what will be the effects?
á
Will
the comments be put on public record?
á
Who
has requested the comments?
á
Are
comments requested by PUC, or Muni, another agency, or perhaps a group of
agencies?
US Fish and Wildlife Service:
The person who would likely know the project (assuming this
is recent)
would be in the Bay-Delta Branch of the Sacramento Field
Office.
916-414-6600.
Dan Buford's the Branch Chief.
His assistant, Tracy Davis,
may be able to track the project (if we worked on it
previously) and find
out who to put you in touch with. Be patient with them.
They've got
arguably the biggest workload in the State. To give you an idea of how
busy, this is the third time in two days that I've referred
someone to
that branch
Michael Fris
Endangered Species Program Manager
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
California/Nevada Operations Office
(916) 414-6464
FAX: (916) 414-6486
Contact Ed Wiley with US Corp of Engineers, South Section
Chief at 415-977 -8464
Dan Buford
Delta Branch of the Sacramento Field Office for USFWS
916 414 6000
PUC and Muni must comply with Section 10 of rivers and
habitat regulations, and must also notify NOAA.
Ed Wiley
South Section Chief ,San Francisco, 415-977-8464
Francisco DaCosta:
Regarding the first pipe collapse, and new excavation
PUC/Muni
1.Where are and where were soil analysis, eir, and bcdc
permits, provide dcouments
2. Where was and where is the emergency backup plan?
(during construction)
3. Did you and will you inform the army corps of engineers,
the coast guard, CEQA, and other regulatory agencies?
4. How have you provided documentation on the issues of the
health and safety of the constituents who will be affected by this project?
Francisco DaCosta
Environmental Justice Advocacy
4909 3rd Street SF, 94124
415-822-9602
frandacosta@att.net
http://www.franciscodacosta.com
The catastrophe that destroyed most of the park was gross
negligence,
and so is the failure to repair the damage and restore the
park. Any
further damage is unacceptable. Before any more work
involving the park
is begun, the City agencies involved must present to the
park's
caretaker and the community an acceptable plan for doing
the work
without disturbing the wildlife habitat and for full
City-funded
restoration of the park.
Mary Ratcliff
SF Bay View
4917 Third Street, SF,CA, 94124
415-671-0789
editor@sfbayview.com
Muni/PUC shall notify US Fish and Wildlife Services and
NFWF prior to work
Muni/PUC shall conduct a public scoping meeting prior to
work
925-449-6682