Palm Desert Groundwater Replenishment, Phase 2 Mitigation Project (the “Mitigation Project”)
Summary
SCH Number
2025060025
Public Agency
Coachella Valley Water District
(CVWD)
Document Title
Palm Desert Groundwater Replenishment, Phase 2 Mitigation Project (the “Mitigation Project”)
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
6/2/2025
Document Description
The Mitigation Project serves to satisfy the compensatory mitigation requirements imposed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (“USACE”) Clean Water Act Section 404 permit in connection with the Replenishment Project.
The Mitigation Project will create 3.124 acres of wetlands composed primarily of wetland marsh and intermixed riparian habitat, utilizing approximately 36 acre feet per year of imported Colorado River Water supplied by CVWD. The wetland compensatory mitigation site will require a new 12-inch PVC irrigation pipeline, approximately 3,100 feet long, to provide irrigation for the constructed wetland. Water supply will include necessary appurtenances such as valves and meters for operation. A pipeline easement of 3,100 feet is required within portions of Assessor Parcel Nos. (APNs) 729-140- 011 and 729-140-012; the pipelines will be installed in existing pre-disturbed dirt roads. On May 13, 2025, CVWD adopted a Resolution of Necessity to commence an eminent domain proceeding to acquire 1.26 acres of easement, located in the unincorporated area of Riverside County, California, portions of APNs 729-140-011 and 729-140-012 for the Mitigation Project.
Contact Information
Name
Armando Rodriguez
Agency Name
Coachella Valley Water District
Job Title
Engineering Manager
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency / Project Applicant
Phone
Email
Location
Cities
North Shore
Counties
Riverside
Regions
Unincorporated
Other Location Info
The Mitigation Project is located in the northwest corner of a 136-acre parcel (assessor’s parcel number [APN] 729-170-012), (NE ¼ of Section 36, Township 7 South, Range 9 East, San Bernardino Meridian) located near Garfield Street and 72nd Avenue. The site is in unincorporated Riverside County near the community of North Shore.
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
State CEQA Guidelines: State CEQA Guidelines, §15333
Reasons for Exemption
State CEQA Guidelines section 15333 (the “Class 33 exemption”) applies to small habitat restoration projects that do not exceed five acres in size and that assure the maintenance, restoration, enhancement, or protection of habitat for fish, plants, or wildlife. Here, the Mitigation Project falls squarely within the Class 33 exemption as it will provide for 3.124 acres of wetlands composed primarily of wetland marsh and intermixed riparian habitat. (See State CEQA Guidelines, § 15333 [exemption explicitly applies to wetland restoration projects].)
A biological technical memorandum confirmed that the Mitigation Project would not result in any significant adverse impact on endangered, rare, or threatened species or their habitat. The Mitigation Project would not result in any mandatory findings of significance under State CEQA Guidelines section 15065. Moreover, an aquatic resource evaluation of the site was conducted and determined the site to be located in non-jurisdictional, disturbed uplands.
Furthermore, there are no hazardous materials at or around the project site that may be disturbed or removed as a result of the Mitigation Project. Nor would the Mitigation Project result in any significant cumulative impacts, i.e., impacts that that are significant when viewed in connection with the effects of past projects, the effects of other current projects, and the effects of probable future projects. There are no unusual circumstances relating to the Mitigation Project, and the Mitigation Project will not result in any significant impact on the environment.
County Clerk
Riverside
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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