Cal-Fire & City of Vallejo Night Vision Goggles and Water Drop Training at Lake Curry
Summary
SCH Number
2026070392
Public Agency
Napa County
Document Title
Cal-Fire & City of Vallejo Night Vision Goggles and Water Drop Training at Lake Curry
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
7/10/2026
Document Description
Cal Fire and the City of Vallejo propose to utilize Lake Curry as a training location for practicing use of Night Vision Goggles for water drops to simulate fighting fires at night. The training would occur Monday and Friday evening every other week and is anticipated to run through 2026-2031. Training would commence a half hour after sunset and would last for 1-2 hours. Trainees would grab water from the lake with their aircraft and conduct water drops on the properties surrounding the lake (parcels which are owned by the City of Vallejo and within the jurisdiction of Napa County). The training will also involve conducting landings in open areas adjacent to the lake to practice landings in unfamiliar areas at night. The proposed training will not remove any trees and does not propose to alter the existing land or topography in any way. Additionally, water taken from the lake will be dropped within the same watershed allowing the water to return and not result in a reduction in water resources. During the preparation of this Notice of Exemption, the California Natural Diversity Database was checked for both State and Federally listed species. Although listed species may be present within Project area, impacts to these plants and animals will be limited as vegetation treatments will not be conducted, no impacts to raptors or other avian species are anticipated. Vegetation on the parcels surround lake consists primarily of grassland and oak woodlands. No actual groundwork or disturbance is proposed that would impact the vegetation, other than temporary impacts that might occur when the night landings are practiced; however, these will occur in the open grassland areas and no trees will be impacted. No impacts to water resources are anticipated, as any water pulled from the lake will be dropped on the surrounding parcels which will allow the water to naturally return to the lake through the local watershed.
Contact Information
Name
Dana Eleanor Morrison
Agency Name
County of Napa
Job Title
Supervising Planner - Conservation
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Name
Robert Ljuba
Agency Name
City of Vallejo Water Department
Job Title
Facilities Maintenance Supervisor
Contact Types
Project Applicant / Parties Undertaking Project
Phone
Location
Coordinates
Cities
Napa, unincorporated area
Counties
Napa
Regions
Northern California, Unincorporated
Cross Streets
Chimney Creek Road and Scally Lane
Zip
94558
Total Acres
50
Parcel #
033-080-033, 033-020-004, 033-100-001, 033-100-004, 033-080-008 & 033-030-011
State Highways
None
Railways
None
Airports
None
Schools
None
Waterways
Creeks: Suisun, Seventy Acre Canyon, Bull Canyon, Chimney, Government Trail Canyon....
Township
06N
Range
02W
Section
19
Base
MDM
Other Location Info
Waterways continued...Steele Canyon Creek, Gordon Valley Creek, and Wooden Valley Creek. Lake Curry.
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Section 15304 Class 4-Minor Alterations to Land
Reasons for Exemption
Pursuant to CEQA Section 15300, the proposed project would be considered Categorically Exempt based on at least one Exemption Class. The project site is not recognized as an important wildlife corridor by any regional or state agency or jurisdiction and, is not considered critical to the ecological functioning of adjoining open space areas. However, the project site likely supports local movement patterns of terrestrial wildlife species and provides food and cover resources for common avian and amphibian species. Temporary effects due to noise and increased human activity during project construction would not interfere with these local movement patterns over time or affect the ability of these species to forage or reproduce. The project site is not listed on any hazardous waste sites enumerated under Government Code Section 65962.5. As a result, there is no reasonable possibility that the project will have a significant effect on the environment.
The project meets the requirements of Class 4 Categorical Exemption (Minor alterations to land) Section 15304. Project implementation will result in alterations to the land that are best described as minor in scope, that will not significantly impact the aesthetic of the property, or biological and/or cultural resources, and that do not involve the removal of mature, scenic trees for any purpose. No exceptions apply which would preclude the use of a “Notice of Exemption” for this project. There is no reasonable possibility that this project will have a significant effect on the environment, or damage scenic resources because there will be no ground disturbance or tree removal.
County Clerk
Napa
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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