Porter Creek Bridge Repair on Sweetwater Springs Road (Notification of Lake or Streambed Alteration, No. EPIMS-SON-50489-R3)
Summary
SCH Number
2025101144
Public Agency
California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Bay Delta Region 3
(CDFW)
Document Title
Porter Creek Bridge Repair on Sweetwater Springs Road (Notification of Lake or Streambed Alteration, No. EPIMS-SON-50489-R3)
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
10/23/2025
Document Description
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has executed Lake and Streambed Alteration Agreement EPIMS Notification No. EPIMS-SON-50489-R3, pursuant to Section 1602 of the Fish and Game Code to Sonoma County Permit and Resource Management Department.
The project is limited to the repair of the existing scoured bridge footing, measuring approximately 63 square feet, within Porter Creek. The scoured footing perimeter will be fully surrounded with corrugated, galvanized steel sheets, expanding the footprint to approximately 119 square feet. The steel sheets will be embedded at minimum 2 feet into gravel and soil, or six inches into hard rock. The steel sheets will match the height of the existing footing, and the area inside the steel sheets will be backfilled underneath the footing with concrete backfill material. The purpose of the galvanized steel sheets is to provide scour protection below grade, act as forms and containment for the concrete backfill, and reestablish the bearing of the foundations of the bridge. Excavation will be performed with a vacuum truck and pneumatic hand tools. Concrete will be delivered through a tube running from a cement truck. All trucks would be staged above the creek bank on the roadway. Only the work crew and hand tools will be working below the top of bank.
If water is present in Porter Creek at the time of project construction, a water diversion system will be installed and the work area will be dewatered. A biologist will be on-site to monitor for wildlife and to identify if any coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch pop. 4) or steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss irideus pop. 8) juveniles are in the pools. At no time will coho salmon or steelhead be collected or relocated. The water diversion will be maintained for 30 days following the repair to allow concrete to properly cure.
The project will result in approximately 56 square feet of permanent impact to open channel habitat and a temporary impact to approximately 400 square feet of open channel habitat due to dewatering. No trees or riparian vegetation will be removed as part of this project.
Contact Information
Name
James Hansen
Agency Name
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife
Job Title
Environmental Scientist
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Name
David Walsh
Agency Name
Sonoma County PRMD
Job Title
Senior Environmental Specialist
Contact Types
Parties Undertaking Project
Phone
Location
Coordinates
Counties
Sonoma
Regions
San Francisco Bay Area
Parcel #
110-200-021
Other Location Info
The project is located at Porter Creek, in an unincorporated area of the County of Sonoma, State of California; Latitude 38.541496°, Longitude -122.926258°; where Sweet Water Springs Road crosses over Porter Creek; Assessor’s Parcel Number 110-200-021.
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Class 1; California Code of Regulations, title 14, section 15301
Reasons for Exemption
Project consists of the operation, repair, maintenance, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, involving negligible or no expansion of existing or former use.
County Clerk
Sonoma
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
Disclaimer: The Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI) accepts no responsibility for the content or accessibility of these documents. To obtain an attachment in a different format, please contact the lead agency at the contact information listed above. For more information, please visit LCI’s Accessibility Site.