landscaping equipment and consumer cleaning products; water demand; waste generation; and solid waste generation.6
Table 5.8-4, Existing City of Wildomar GHG Emissions Inventory, shows the emissions associated with existing land uses in the City.
Table 5.8-4 Existing City of Wildomar GHG Emissions Inventory Sector Existing (MTCO2e/year) Percent of Total
On-Road Transportation 136,705 61%
Building Electricity 32,266 14%
Building Natural Gas 26,582 12%
Off-Road Vehicles and Equipment 5,557 2%
Solid Waste/Landfills 2,320 1%
Refrigerants 17,690 8%
Water Use 2,255 1%
Wastewater Treatment 572 <1%
Total Community Emissions 223,947 100%
Service Population 43,167 NA
MTCO2e/SP 5.2 NA
Source: Appendix 5.3-1
5.8.2 Thresholds of Significance
According to Appendix G of the CEQA Guidelines, a project would normally have a significant effect on the environment if the project would:
GHG-1 Generate greenhouse gas emissions, either directly or indirectly, that may have a significant impact on the environment.
GHG-2 Conflict with an applicable plan, policy or regulation adopted for the purpose of reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases.
5.8.2.1 CONSISTENCY WITH STATEWIDE GHG REDUCTION TARGETS The Proposed General Plan forecasts growth in the City through year 2045; therefore, this EIR analyzes the potential for the proposed project to conflict with statewide GHG reduction goals identified in the CARB Scoping Plan that are applicable to local governments. This includes AB 1279, which requires an 85 percent reduction in GHG emissions by 2045 to stabilize CO2e emissions and avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change as well as substantial progress toward carbon neutrality.7 6 Emissions from water demand and wastewater are emissions associated with electricity used to supply, treat, and distribute water. 7 The 2022 Scoping Plan includes statewide measures to achieve the state’s carbon neutrality goals under Executive Order B-55-18 such as carbon dioxide removal (CDR) that are not applicable to local governments. Carbon neutrality goals are a “no impact” 438
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Based on the City’s existing inventory in Table 5.8-4, a trajectory consistency with the State’s GHG emissions targets would be:
33,592 MTCO2e by Year 2045
5.8.2.2 MASS EMISSIONS AND HEALTH EFFECTS
On December 24, 2018, in Sierra Club et al. v. County of Fresno et al. (Friant Ranch), the California Supreme Court determined that the EIR for the proposed Friant Ranch project failed to adequately analyze the project’s air quality impacts on human health. The EIR prepared for the project, which involved a master planned retirement community in Fresno County, showed that project-related mass emissions would exceed the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District’s regional significance thresholds. In its findings, the California Supreme Court affirmed the holding of the Court of Appeal that EIRs for projects must not only identify impacts to human health, but also provide an “analysis of the correlation between the project's emissions and human health impacts” related to each criterion air pollutant that exceeds the regional significance thresholds or explain why it could not make such a connection. In general, the ruling focuses on the correlation of emissions of toxic air contaminants and criteria air pollutants and their impact to human health.
In 2009, the EPA issued an endangerment finding for six GHGs (CO2, CH4, N2O, HFCs, PFCs, and SF6) in order to regulate GHG emissions from passenger vehicles. The endangerment finding is based on evidence that shows an increase in mortality and morbidity associated with increases in average temperatures, which increase the likelihood of heatwaves and ozone levels. The effects of climate change are identified in Table
5.5-2. Though identified effects such as sea level rise and increased extreme weather can indirectly impact human health, neither the EPA nor CARB has established ambient air quality standards for GHG emissions.
The state’s GHG reduction strategy outlines a path to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change.
Yet the state’s GHG reduction goals and strategies are based on the state’s path toward reducing statewide cumulative GHGs as outlined in AB 32, SB 32, EO S-03-05, and AB 1279.
The two significance thresholds that the City uses to analyze GHG impacts are based on achieving the statewide GHG reduction goals (GHG-1) and relying on consistency with policies or plans adopted to reduce GHG emissions (GHG-2). Further, because no single project is large enough to result in a measurable increase in global concentration of GHG emissions, climate change impacts of a project are considered on a cumulative basis. Without federal ambient air quality standards for GHG emissions and given the cumulative nature of GHG emissions and the City’s significance thresholds, which are tied to reducing the state’s cumulative GHG emissions, it is not feasible at this time to connect the project’s specific GHG emissions to the potential health impacts of climate change.
level and not a “less than significant” impact level for climate change effects. There are presently no reliable means of forecasting how future technological developments related to carbon dioxide removal may affect future emissions in a planning jurisdiction.
Therefore, carbon neutrality targets are not directly applicable to local governments and CEQA projects to mitigate GHG emissions impacts of a proposed project. Moreover, AB 1279 GHG reduction targets for 2045 are in line with the scientifically established levels needed in the U.S. to limit global warming below 1.5 to 2.0 degrees Celsius, the warming threshold at which scientists say there will likely be major climate disruptions such as super droughts and rising sea levels. For these reason, the targets of AB 1279 are applicable to the EIR. However, the CAP includes measures that align with the state’s carbon neutrality goals under Executive Order B-55-18 and per-capita targets under SB 32. 439
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5.8.3 Proposed General Plan Goals and Policies
Open Space and Conservation Element
GOAL OS 2: Air quality is protected from adverse environmental factors that contribute to poor air quality. Policy OS-2.4 Landscaping and Construction Equipment. Encourage the reduction of gasoline- or diesel-powered landscaping and construction equipment and increased use of electric equipment. Policy OS-2.5 Vehicle Charging Infrastructure. Work with utility providers to expand EV charging infrastructure throughout the community to accelerate the use of zero emission vehicles, prioritizing multifamily, commercial, office, and municipal properties. Policy OS-2.6 City Vehicles. Purchase City vehicles consistent with the state’s Advanced Clean Fleet regulations as feasible.
GOAL OS 3: Reliable and safe water supply that supports Wildomar’s current and future needs. Policy OS-3.1 Collaboration with EVMWD. Collaborate with the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District (EVMWD) to conserve and protect water quality and supply and continue to provide assistance for urban water management plans.
Policy OS-3.3 Water Conservation Strategies. Encourage water conserving site design and the use of water conserving fixtures in new development, and advocate for the adoption and implementation of water conservation strategies by water service agencies. Policy OS-3.4 Water Conservation in Existing Development. Encourage existing development to use water-conserving mechanisms such as stormwater capture systems, graywater systems, water-efficient appliances, and drought-tolerant landscape planting.
Policy OS-3.5 Recycled Water. Continue to coordinate with and support EVMWD on opportunities to expand the recycled water system in the City.
GOAL OS 6: Energy is used efficiently and sourced from resilient, low carbon, and renewable energy supplies.
Policy OS-6.1 Energy Conservation. Encourage energy audits and energy-efficient retrofitting of existing buildings throughout the City.
Policy OS-6.2 Energy Transition. Work with local energy providers and contractors to support residents and business owners transitioning to all-electric appliances and renewable energy. Policy OS-6.4 Energy Independence. Increase the installation of on-site renewable energy systems in new and existing developments with the capacity to support these systems, enforcing the renewable 440
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energy requirements of the California Building Standards Code and encouraging buildings not covered by State requirements to install renewable energy systems. Policy OS-6.6 Municipal Energy Transition. Transition municipal operations to renewable energy sources and electric building operations as feasible
Policy OS-6.8 Urban Cooling. Promote the construction of cool roofs, green roofs, and rooftop gardens, as feasible, to support decreased energy demand and urban cooling. Rooftop gardens also cool the surrounding area through moisture retention and surface reflectivity. The construction of rooftop gardens would reduce energy consumption and associated GHG emissions in the building energy sector. Policy OS-6.9 Cooling Elements. Encourage site and building design that avoids unwanted heat gain from solar exposure and considers passive solar and wind design. Features that provide shading at suitable times of the day and year and generally should be “passive” or automatic, avoiding the need for occupants to regularly monitor or adjust them. Examples of passive and active solar and wind design include orienting buildings to maximize exposure to cooling effects of prevailing winds, daylighting design, natural ventilation, space planning, thermal massing, and locating landscaping and landscape structures to shade buildings.
GOAL OS 7: Waste generation is decreased through recycling and waste diversion programs. Policy OS-7.1 Recycling Programs. Support residential, commercial, industrial, and construction/demolition recycling programs to minimize the solid waste stream to landfills. Policy OS-7.2 Electronic Waste Recycling. Coordinate with businesses that recycle electronic waste (e.g., batteries, fluorescent lamps, compact-fluorescent (CFL) bulbs) and the California Product Stewardship Council, CalRecycle, and other pertinent agencies to increase rates of electronic waste recycling.
GOAL 8: Greenhouse gas emissions are reduced significantly across all sources in the community. Policy OS-8.1 Climate Action Plan. Work collaboratively with regional agencies, neighboring cities, community-based organizations, businesses, and other partners, as appropriate, to develop and implement a Climate Action Plan or equivalent approach to identify current and future sources and quantify local GHG emissions and strategies to reduce Wildomar’s GHG emissions to levels consistent with statewide GHG reduction and elimination goals, including those of Assembly Bill 1279, Executive Order B-55-18, Senate Bill 32, and Executive Order S-03-05. Policy OS-8.2 Regional Climate Action. Work with regional and subregional agencies to promote collaboration and partnership on climate action issues and to integrate regional tools and resources into Wildomar’s climate action planning efforts.
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Land Use Element
GOAL LU 1 Administration: The General Plan is utilized as the guiding planning document for the City and as the basis for regional collaboration.
Policy LU-1.1 Regional Planning Efforts. Wildomar shall participate in regional efforts to address issues of mobility, transportation, traffic congestion, economic development, air and water quality, and watershed and habitat management with Riverside County, neighboring cities, local and regional agencies, stakeholders, and tribal governments.
GOAL LU 3 Focus Areas: Unique areas of the City are enhanced to meet residents’ needs. Policy LU-3.4Hidden Springs/Wyman Road Specific Plan Area. Prior to any development within this 160+/- acre area, require preparation of a Specific Plan and accompanying EIR for the redevelopment area generally south of Clinton Keith Road, west of I-15 freeway, and east of Palomar Street that accommodates a mixed-use development reflecting a high quality of design that enhances the City’s visibility and identity, provides housing opportunities in close proximity to resources, and contributes to the City’s economic development goals. Light industrial/business park uses are permitted as long as they occupy not more than 35 percent of the area and are located and designed to be compatible with other uses.
Policy LU-3.5Wildomar Trail/I-15 Project Area. The area bounded by the I-15 freeway, Wildomar Trail, Susan Drive and La Estrella Street is recognized as a unique economic development opportunity zone in the City and warrants a coordinated planning and development approach (such as a Specific Plan, Area Plan or Vision Plan) to maximize the potential to establish a mixed-use community that enhances the City’s visibility and identity.
Policy LU-3.7Mission Trial Corridor. Engage in an advance planning process (such as a Specific Plan, Corridor Plan or Vision Plan) to identify goals and actions to improve the economic and community development qualities of the Mission Trail Corridor.
GOAL LU 4 Urban Form: A City of distinct centers and corridors surrounded by neighborhoods and connected to a network of parks and open spaces.
Policy LU-4.1 Patterns and Distribution of Uses and Density. Accommodate land use development in accordance with the patterns and distribution of use and density depicted on the General Plan Land Use Plan (Figure LU-1) to promote efficient development; reduce automobile dependence and greenhouse gas emissions; ensure compatibility among uses; enhance community livability and health; and sustain economic vitality.
Policy LU-4.2 Multi-Modal Linkages. Incorporate appropriate linkages for pedestrians, cyclists, transit users and other non-vehicular travel modes in the design and development of projects. 442
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GOAL LU 8 Residential Neighborhoods: A City composed of neighborhoods with a variety of housing types that are desirable places to live, contribute to the quality of life, and are well maintained. Policy LU-8.2 Connections and Linkages. Integrate networks of parks, plazas, public squares, bicycle trails and pedestrian paths into new residential development to provide both connections within each community and linkages with surrounding features and neighborhoods. Policy LU-8.3Activity Centers. Establish activity centers within or near residential neighborhoods that contain services such as child or adult care, recreation, public meeting rooms, convenience commercial uses, or similar facilities.
GOAL LU 9 Commercial Areas: Vital, active, prosperous, and well-designed commercial centers and corridors offer a diversity of goods, services, and entertainment and contribute a positive experience for Wildomar’s residents and visitors.
Policy LU-9.1 Commercial Uses and Variety. Provide for and encourage the development of a broad range of uses in Wildomar’s commercial centers and corridors that reduce the need to travel to adjoining communities for goods and services and capture a greater share of local spending. Policy LU-9.2 Concentrate Commercial Uses. Concentrate commercial uses near transportation facilities and higher-density residential areas and require the incorporation of facilities to promote the use of public transit, such as bus turnouts.
Policy LU-9.3 Battery Storage. Accommodate commercial battery storage as a permitted use in commercial areas to further the City’s goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving the resiliency of the City’s infrastructure.
Policy LU-9.4 Internal and External Connections. Encourage the provision of non-vehicular access between commercial uses and adjoining neighborhoods and the development of internal crossconnections between commercial uses so as to reduce the number of curb cuts and number of vehicle trips on adjacent roadways.
GOAL LU 10 Mixed-Use Districts and Corridors: Well-designed districts and corridors contain an integrated mix of commercial, office, and/or housing that enable Wildomar’s residents to live close to businesses and employment, reduce automobile use, and actively engage and enhance pedestrian activity. Policy LU-10.1 Mixed Use Design and Development. Encourage mixed use development, as designated in the Land Use Plan, that is designed appropriately for Wildomar. Policy LU-10.2 Integrated Housing and Commercial Development. Support the development of housing integrated with commercial and/or office uses on existing commercially developed properties characterized by declining retail activity.
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Policy LU-10.4 Inclusion of Recreation and Amenities. Require that residential/commercial mixeduse projects provide on-site recreational areas and other pedestrian-scale amenities such as benches, fountains, and landscaping that contribute to the living environment of residents or contribute funds for their development within proximity of the project consistent with the City’s Parks Master Plan.
GOAL LU 11 Industrial Uses: Light industrial uses are accommodated to enhance economic activity and are located and designed in a compatible manner with surrounding land uses. Policy LU-11.2 Concentrate Near Transportation and Utilities. Concentrate industrial and business park uses in proximity to transportation facilities and utilities.
Circulation Element
GOAL CI 1: a well-connected transportation network that is safe, comfortable, efficient, and accessible by users of all ages, abilities, and modes of travel, including pedestrians, bicyclists, drivers, equestrians, transit users, and movers of commercial goods.
Policy CI-1.1 Complete Streets. Plan, design, operate, and maintain City streets using Complete Streets principles for all types of transportation projects within the City including new, retrofit/reconstruction, maintenance, and ongoing projects. Repurposing unneeded roadway pavement to implement bicycle and pedestrian improvements, for example lane or road diets, should be considered as one of the tools to implement Complete Streets.
Policy CI-1.4 Walkable Town Center. Create a walkable town center, anchored around the Old Town core, with gathering places and trails that reflect the City of Wildomar’s unique qualities and history.
Comfortable walking and bicycling connections will enhance access to the Old Town area from communities throughout the City.
Policy CI-1.8 Enhance Connectivity. When feasible, require developments to incorporate short block spacing and a strong street grid network as a means to enhance connectivity for all travel modes.
Encourage the inclusion of non-motorized transportation corridors, such as paseos, promenades, and multi-use paths to improve connectivity along long blocks or non-continuous streets.
GOAL CI 2: Pedestrian infrastructure that is safe, connected, and comfortable for users of all ages and abilities, inclusive of accessible curb ramps and sidewalks, marked crosswalks, trail connections, lighting, and pedestrian crossing features.
Policy CI-2.1 Pedestrian Network. Improve pedestrian safety, comfort, and connectivity throughout the City, with an emphasis on implementing the various pedestrian route types (shown in Figure 3-1), and connections serving schools, parks, and commercial/retail centers. Policy CI-2.2 Close Connectivity Gaps. Improve pedestrian network connectivity by requiring development projects to close connectivity gaps by extending project frontage improvements to the nearest connecting sidewalk/trail, where feasible and/or where fee credit/reimbursement programs exist. 444
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Factors to be considered may include, but are not limited to: the proposed project's land use, destinations created by the project, or destinations that could be reached by occupants of the new development, the length of the gap, etc.
Policy CI-2.4 Implement Pedestrian Route Types. As adjacent parcels are developed and/or capital improvement projects are undertaken, implement the designated pedestrian route types, inclusive of the respective pedestrian route type toolkit features, where feasible. Policy CI-2.7 Connections to Trailheads. Provide pedestrian connections to recreational trailheads, where feasible.
Policy CI-2.9 Walking to School. Encourage walking as a preferred transportation mode for trips to and from elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as near-by destinations.
GOAL CI 3: A safe and connected bicycle network composed of context-appropriate bicycle facilities and supporting amenities that serve the needs of recreational and utilitarian bicyclists of all ages and abilities. Policy CI-3.1 Bicycle Network. Improve bicycle safety, comfort, and connectivity throughout the City, with an emphasis on implementing the planned bicycle network (shown in Figure 3-2). Policy CI-3.2 Close Connectivity Gaps. Improve bicycle network connectivity by requiring development projects to close connectivity gaps by extending project frontage improvements to the nearest connecting bicycle facility, where feasible and/or where fee credit/reimbursement programs exist.
Factors to be considered may include, but are not limited to: the proposed project's land use(s), destinations created by the project, or destinations that could be reached by occupants of the new development, the length of the gap, etc.
Policy CI-3.4 Include Bicycle Facilities in Projects. Coordinate street resurfacing and restriping efforts, capital improvement projects, and development projects to include bicycle facilities identified in the planned bicycle network, where applicable.
Policy CI-3.5 Connect with Adjacent Jurisdictions. Coordinate with adjacent jurisdictions to provide continuous and uniform bicycle connections to and from neighboring communities, where feasible. Policy CI-3.8 Biking to Schools. Pursue collaborative opportunities with local schools to implement programs that promote bicycle education and safety and encourage usage among students. Policy CI-3.9 Bicycle Parking. Bicycle parking shall be provided with all new developments as required by Section 17.188.060 of Wildomar’s Municipal Code.
Policy CI-3.10 Bicycle Racks. Encourage existing retailers, shops, and shopping centers to install bicycle racks. Permit the reallocation of vehicular parking space(s) to bicycle parking spaces, if supported by a parking utilization study and/or if the remaining spaces are consistent with the minimum required for the respective land use as identified in Section 17.188.030 of Wildomar’s Municipal Code. 445
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Policy CI-3.11 Employer-Provided Amenities. Encourage employers to install end-of-trip amenities for bicycle riders, such as bicycle parking, maintenance stations, lockers, and/or showers. Policy CI-3.13 Freeway Crossings. As properties adjacent to I-15 develop, consider the feasibility of, and potential demand for, incorporating additional freeway crossings that prioritize pedestrian and bicycle mobility.
GOAL CI 4: A public transportation network that allows for convenient access to major destinations, both within Wildomar and the region.
Policy CI-4.1 Transit Network. Work with Riverside Transit Agency (RTA), Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), and other regional partners to ensure that adequate transit service is provided consistent with future growth (shown in Figure 3-3). Policy CI-4.2 Station Amenities. Coordinate with Riverside Transit Agency to focus station improvements and enhanced amenities at locations with the greatest ridership. In coordination with RTA and adjacent properties, provide secure bicycle parking options for high ridership transit stops, where feasible.
Policy CI-4.3 First-Mile/Last-Mile Connectivity. Encourage convenient and safe pedestrian and bicycle linkages to and from bus stops to provide better first-mile/last-mile connectivity. This includes connectivity to/from existing and new development and along streets providing access to the bus stops. GOAL CI 5: Convenient and efficient vehicle circulation with minimal congestion that does not degrade pedestrian and bicycle safety, mobility, and access.
Policy CI-5.2 Connect with Adjacent Jurisdictions. Work with adjacent jurisdictions to provide continuous vehicular connections to and from neighboring communities. Policy CI-5.5 Vehicle Miles Travelled Threshold. All projects in the City shall be in compliance with Resolution No. 2020-40, Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) CEQA Threshold Policy Guidelines. Efforts should be made to reduce VMT by prioritizing pedestrian and bicycle travel and/or incorporating active transportation enhancements, to the extent feasible. Efforts to reduce VMT may not necessarily have to be implemented on-site, but rather, in coordination with City staff, off-site projects that would offset the VMT increase caused by a particular project can be identified. Applicants/Developers would have the option to either construct the project/improvement or calculate the costs associated with the construction of the project/improvement and pay that as an in-lieu fee. Policy CI-5.7 Evaluate Roadway Network. As development occurs, evaluate the need to designate additional roads as Circulation Element roadways, or amend existing designations, to help enhance vehicle circulation, reduce congestion, and increase connectivity throughout the City. Measures shall not come at the expense of pedestrian and/or bicycle safety, mobility, and access, unless approved by the City Engineer.
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Policy CI-5.9 Connect Lake Elsinore to Interstate 15. Continue to coordinate with the City of Lake Elsinore and respective property owners in Wildomar to identify a preferred connection between Lake Elsinore and Interstate 15 via Bundy Canyon Road, or alternatives. This connection could help reduce cut-through traffic on local or Collector streets in Wildomar and capitalize on the region’s investment in Bundy Canyon Road.
Policy CI-5.12 Regularly update the Transportation Demand Management (TDM) ordinance to include best management practices for reducing VMT. Updates to the ordinance should include consideration of private shuttle bus services, work from home programs, vanpool programs, and parking strategies that would incentivize use of public or private transportation for key development projects. Policy CI-5.14 Manage Curb Space. Manage curb space in activity areas to balance demands of all users such as emergency vehicles, buses, vehicle parking, bicycle/scooter parking, delivery loading/unloading, rideshare pick-up/drop-off, street furniture, electric vehicle charging stations, etc.
5.8.4 Environmental Impacts
5.8.4.1 METHODOLOGY
This GHG evaluation was prepared in accordance with the requirements of CEQA to determine if significant GHG impacts are likely to occur in conjunction with future development that would be accommodated by the Proposed General Plan.
The City’s GHG emissions inventory includes the following sectors:
Building Energy. Emissions associated with electricity and natural gas use for residential and nonresidential land uses in the City were modeled based on data provided by Southern California Edison (SCE) and the Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), respectively, for years 2018 through 2022.
Due to the 15/15 Rule, electricity use data for industrial land uses was aggregated with the nonresidential land uses in the data provided by SCE.8 Forecasts are adjusted for increases in population for residential electricity and natural gas use and non-residential square footage for non-residential electricity and natural gas use in the City. Carbon intensity for year 2019 and 2045 are based on the carbon intensity for SCE identified in the 2022 CalEEMod User’s Guide, Appendix G (CAPCOA 2022). Transportation. Transportation emissions forecasts were modeled using emissions data from CARB’s EMFAC2021 V1.0.2 web database. Model runs were based on internal and external origin-destination (O-D) VMT data provided by Chen Ryan Transportation (see Appendix 5.17-1) for calendar year 2019 (existing) and 2045 emission rates. The VMT is based on O-D using the Riverside County Transportation 8 The 15/15 Rule was adopted by the California Public Utilities Commission in the Direct Access Proceeding (CPUC Decision 97- 10-031) to protect customer confidentiality. The 15/15 rule requires that any aggregated information provided by a utility must be made up of at least 15 customers, and a single customer’s load must be less than 15 percent of an assigned category. If the number of customers in the compiled data is below 15, or if a single customer’s load is more than 15 percent of the total data, categories must be combined before the information is released. The Rule further requires that if the 15/15 Rule is triggered for a second time after the data have been screened once already using the 15/15 Rule, the customer be dropped from the information provided.
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Model and includes the full trip length for land uses in the City and a 50 percent reduction in the trip length for external-internal/internal-external trips based on the recommendations of CARB’s Regional Targets Advisory Committee under SB 375.9 Consistent with CARB’s methodology within the Climate Change Scoping Plan Measure Documentation Supplement, daily VMT was multiplied by 347 days per year to account for reduced traffic on weekends and holidays to determine annual emissions. Off-Road Equipment. OFFROAD is a database of equipment use and associated emissions for each county compiled by CARB. Off-road equipment in the City is based on year 2019 emission rates for Riverside County obtained from CARB’s OFFROAD V1.0.5 web database. OFFROAD was used to estimate criteria air pollutant emissions from lawn and garden, light commercial, construction equipment, and agriculture in the City. In order to determine the percentage of emissions attributable to the City, light commercial equipment is estimated based on employment for Wildomar as a percentage of Riverside County and forecasted based on the change in employment in the City. Construction equipment use is estimated based on building permit data for Wildomar and County of Riverside from data compiled by the US Census and assumes that construction emissions for the forecast year would be similar to historical levels. Lawn and garden equipment is based on the percentage of population in Wildomar compared to Riverside County and forecast based on the change in population in the City.
Agricultural equipment is based on the percentage of farmland in the City compared to the County of Riverside.
Refrigerant Leakage. Refrigerants are based on the statewide 2019 refrigerant use and statewide population based on the 2019 census data to derive emissions per person. Emissions from this sector are based on AR4 since the inventory is not available with AR5 GWPs. Solid Waste Disposal. GHG emissions from solid waste disposed of by residents and employees in the City were quantified based on the waste-in-place method. This method assumes that the degradable organic component in waste decays slowly throughout a few decades, during which CH4 and biogenic CO2 are formed. If conditions are constant, the rate of CH4 production depends solely on the amount of carbon remaining in the waste. As a result, emissions of CH4 from waste deposited in a disposal site are highest in the first few years, then gradually decline. Significant CH4 production typically begins one or two years after waste disposal in a landfill and continues for 10 to 60 years or longer. Waste disposal was averaged over several years to account for fluctuations in average annual solid waste disposal. Waste generated was based on data obtained from the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle), to provide an estimate of GHG emissions for existing conditions (2019).
GHG emissions from solid waste disposal in the baseline year were modeled using CARB’s Landfill Emissions Tool Version 1.9, which includes waste characterization data from CalRecycle. Because the landfill gas captured is not under the jurisdiction of Wildomar, the landfill gas emissions from the capture 9 For accounting purposes, there are two types of trips:
Internal OD VMT: Vehicle miles traveled associated with vehicle trips that both originate and terminate within the City boundary.
External OD VMT: Vehicle miles traveled associated with vehicle trips that either originate or terminate (but not both) within the City boundary.
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system are not included in the inventory. Only fugitive sources of GHG emissions from landfills are included. Modeling assumes a 75 percent reduction in fugitive GHG emissions from the landfill's Landfill Gas Capture System. The Landfill gas capture efficiency is based on CARB’s LGOP, Version 1.1. Total GHG emissions from waste disposal in 2021, as a proxy for 2019, were forecasted based on the percent increase in service population for the City. The emissions forecast does not account for reductions from increasing waste diversion.
Water Use and Wastewater Treatment. GHG emissions from this sector include indirect GHG emissions from the embodied energy associated with water use and wastewater generation and fugitive GHG emissions from processing wastewater. The total annual existing and proposed project water demand and wastewater generation in the City are based on the City's 2020 Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP) and 2016 Master Drainage Plan (see Appendix 5.3-1). Electricity use from water use is estimated using energy rates identified by in the 2022 CalEEMod Users Guide (CAPCOA 2022). Then energy is multiplied by the carbon intensity of energy. Wastewater treatment also results in direct CH CH4 emissions from wastewater processing, which are based on the emission rates identified in the 2022 CalEEMod Users Guide (CAPCOA 2022).
Industrial sources of emissions that require a permit from South Coast AQMD are not included in the community inventory. Life-cycle emissions are not included in this analysis because not enough information is available for the Proposed General Plan; and therefore, they would be speculative.10 Black carbon emissions are not included in the GHG analysis because CARB does not include this pollutant in the State’s GHG emissions inventory and treats this short-lived climate pollutant separately.11
5.8.4.2 IMPACT ANALYSIS
The applicable thresholds are identified in brackets after the impact statement. 10 Life cycle emissions include indirect emissions associated with materials manufacture. However, these indirect emissions involve numerous parties, each of which is responsible for GHG emissions of their particular activity. The California Resources Agency, in adopting the CEQA Guidelines Amendments on GHG emissions found that lifecycle analysis was not warranted for projectspecific CEQA analysis in most situations, for a variety of reasons, including lack of control over some sources, and the possibility of double-counting emissions (see Final Statement of Reasons for Regulatory Action, December 2009). Because the amount of materials consumed during the operation or construction of the proposed project is not known, the origin of the raw materials purchased is not known, and manufacturing information for those raw materials is also not known, calculation of life cycle emissions would be speculative. A life-cycle analysis is not warranted (OPR 2008). 11 Particulate matter emissions, which include black carbon, are analyzed in Section 5.3, Air Quality. The majority of anthropogenic sources come from transportation—specifically, heavy-duty vehicles. The share of black carbon emissions from transportation is dropping rapidly and is expected to continue to do so between now and 2030 as a result of California’s air quality programs. The remaining black carbon emissions will come largely from woodstoves/fireplaces, off-road applications, and industrial/commercial combustion (CARB 2022a).
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Impact 5.8-1: Implementation of the Proposed General Plan would result in an increase in GHG emissions and would not place the City on a trajectory to achieve the goals established under Executive Order S-03-05 or progress toward the State’s carbon neutrality goal. [Threshold GHG-1]
Development under the Proposed General Plan would contribute to global climate change through direct and indirect emissions of GHG from land uses within the City. A general plan does not directly result in development without subsequent approvals of development projects. Before any development can occur in the City, it must be analyzed for consistency with the General Plan, zoning requirements, and other applicable local and State requirements; comply with the requirements of CEQA; and obtain all necessary clearances and permits.
Horizon Year 2045 Emissions Forecast
Buildout of the Proposed General Plan is not linked to a specific development time frame but is assumed over a 25-year horizon. Implementation of the Proposed General Plan by the horizon year of 2045 would result in a net increase of 27,999 residents and 6,274 employees in the City. Development that would be accommodated by the Proposed General Plan would generate a net increase of 547,749 daily VMT at buildout (refer to Table 5.3-9 and Appendix 5.3-1). The community GHG emissions inventory for the Proposed General Plan at buildout compared to existing conditions is shown in Table 5.8-5, City of Wildomar GHG Emissions Forecast.
Table 5.8-5 City of Wildomar GHG Emissions Forecast
Emissions Sector
GHG Emissions (MTCO2e/Year)
Existing Proposed General Plan Net Change
On-Road Transportation 136,705 61% 150,397 56% 13,692 10% Building Electricity 32,266 14% 28,988 11% -3,278 -10%
Building Natural Gas 26,582 12% 47,313 17% 20,730 78%
Off-Road Vehicles and Equipment 5,557 2% 6,187 2% 630 11% Solid Waste/Landfills 2,320 1% 4,163 2% 1,842 79%
Refrigerants 17,690 8% 30,960 11% 13,270 75%
Water Use 2,255 1% 2,063 1% -192 -8%
Wastewater Treatment 572 <1% 726 <1% 154 27%
Total Community Emissions 223,947 100% 270,796 100% 46,849 21% Trajectory to AB 1279 for Year 2045 33,592 -85% Does Not Achieve Target
― ― ―
Service Population (SP) 43,167 77,440 34,273 79%
MTCO2e/SP 5.2 3.5 -1.7 -33%
Source: See Appendix 5.3-1.
Notes: Emissions may not total to 100 percent due to rounding. Based on GWPs in the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5). 450
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As shown in Table 5.8-5, buildout of the land uses accommodated under the Proposed General Plan would result in a net increase in GHG emissions from existing conditions. However, GHG emissions per service population (SP) would decrease by 1.7 MTCO2e/SP. The primary reason for the decrease in GHG emissions per SP is due to regulations adopted to reduce GHG emissions and turnover of California’s on-road vehicle fleets.
Consistency with the State’s 2045 GHG Reduction Targets and Carbon Neutrality Goals To determine whether the Proposed General Plan would result in a potentially significant impact, the Proposed General Plan must demonstrate consistency with the State’s 2045 GHG reduction target of carbon neutrality. Under the Proposed General Plan, new growth would be focused on areas of the City where services exist or can be expanded and/or extended to serve additional and more intensive development. As identified in Table 5.8-5, the Proposed General Plan would result in an increase of 21 percent in GHG emissions and would not achieve an 85 percent reduction in GHG emissions by 2045. Additionally, state strategies to achieve post-2030 targets would be necessary to align with the State's long-term GHG reduction targets. Therefore, until such GHG strategies have been adopted, GHG emissions impacts for the Proposed General Plan are considered potentially significant regarding meeting the long-term year 2045 reduction goal.
General Plan Policies That May Reduce GHG Emissions
While growth in the City would cumulatively contribute to GHG emissions impacts, implementation of the Proposed General Plan policies could also help minimize energy and mobile-source emissions. Open Space and Conservation Element policies (Policies OS-2.4, OS-6.1, OS-6.2, OS-6.4, OS-6.6, OS-6.8 and OS-6.9) would contribute to reducing emissions from energy consumption by increasing energy efficiency and transitioning from natural gas to all-electric appliances and renewable energy systems. Additionally, the Proposed General Plan would provide selective improvements to the Mobility Element network to support land use changes in nine Focus Areas where growth is likely to occur during the planning period. Circulation Element policies (Policies CI-2.1, CI-5.5, CI-5.7, and CI-5.12) would contribute to reducing GHG emissions from mobile sources by reducing single-passenger vehicle trips and VMT, reducing vehicle congestion, and supporting TDM measures where feasible. These transportation network and policy improvements would help support the City’s mobility infrastructure as the City transitions from low density to higher density land use patterns (Appendix 5.17-1).
It Is anticipated that the Proposed General Plan would reduce energy sector emissions through increasing energy efficiency, energy conservation, and use of renewable energy. Implementation of the Proposed General Plan policies would contribute to minimizing GHG emissions associated with the City to the extent feasible. However, as described and shown in Table 5.8-5, GHG emissions are projected to increase 21 percent more than the existing conditions and would not result in the 85 percent reduction from existing conditions necessary to ensure the City is on a trajectory to achieve the long-term reductions goals of AB 1279 and substantial progress toward the State’s carbon neutrality goals.
The primary mechanism byIch local jurisdictions can ensure consistency with the State GHG reduction goals is through preparation of a Climate Action Plan; the City of Wildomar participated in the Western Regional Council of Governments’ (WRCOG) subregional climate action planning efforts. The proposed project 451
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includes the following policy to reduce the City's GHG emissions consistent with statewide GHG reduction and elimination goals:
Policy 8.1 Climate Action Plan. Work collaboratively with regional agencies, neighboring cities, community-based organizations, businesses, and other partners, as appropriate, to develop and implement a Climate Action Plan or equivalent approach to identify current and future sources and quantify local GHG emissions and strategies to reduce Wildomar’s GHG emissions to levels consistent with statewide GHG reduction and elimination goals, including those of Assembly Bill 1279, Executive Order B-55-18, Senate Bill 32, and Executive Order S-03-05. Policy 8.2 Regional Climate Action. Work with regional and subregional agencies to promote collaboration and partnership on climate action issues and to integrate regional tools and resources into Wildomar’s climate action planning efforts.
The Proposed General Plan also includes the following implementation actions to achieve the policies above:
Climate Action Plan. Prepare a Climate Action Plan or equivalent approach that builds on and makes use of regional and subregional tools such as the WRCOG Subregional Climate Action Plan Toolkit and related SCAG initiatives.
However, it is uncertain whether these Climate Action Plan policies will, in effect, lower the City’s GHG emissions to a less-than-significant level. Therefore, GHG emissions associated with the proposed project are considered potentially significant.
Level of Significance Before Mitigation: Impact 5.8-1 would be potentially significant.
Mitigation Measures
GHG-1 The City of Wildomar shall participate in implementation and future updates of the Subregional Climate Action Plan (CAP) led by the Western Riverside Council of Government (WRCOG) with a focus on strategies that provide community-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions in the City’s planning area. The City shall conduct regular monitoring and reporting of community-wide GHG emissions to ensure progress toward reducing community-wide GHGs and work with WRCOG and partners to update the Subregional CAP on a regulator basis to ensure long-term reduction in GHG emissions.
The City shall prepare a list of quantified GHG reduction measures or best management practices for use by new development subject to the City’s discretionary review process, that are consistent with the Subregional CAP.
Level of Significance After Mitigation: Impact 5.8-1 would be significant and unavoidable. 452
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Impact 5.8-2: Implementation of the Proposed General Plan would not conflict with an applicable plan, policy, or regulation of an agency adopted for the purpose of reducing GHG emissions. [Threshold GHG-2]
Applicable plans adopted for the purpose of reducing GHG emissions include CARB’s Scoping Plan and SCAG’s Connect SoCal. A consistency analysis with these plans is presented below.
CARB Scoping Plan
CARB’s Scoping Plan is applicable to state agencies but is not directly applicable to cities/counties and individual projects (i.e., the Scoping Plan does not require local jurisdictions to adopt its policies, programs, or regulations to reduce GHG emissions). However, new regulations adopted by the State agencies from the Scoping Plan result in GHG emissions reductions at the local level. Therefore, local jurisdictions benefit from reductions in transportation emissions rates, increases in water efficiency in the building and landscape codes, and other statewide actions that affect a local jurisdiction’s emissions inventory from the top down. Statewide strategies to reduce GHG emissions include the low carbon fuel standard, changes in the corporate average fuel economy standards, RPS, and triannual updates to the California building codes.
The GHG emissions shown in Table 5.8-5 includes reductions associated with statewide strategies that have been adopted since AB 32, SB 32, and AB 1279. Development projects accommodated under the Proposed General Plan are required to adhere to the programs and regulations identified by the Scoping Plan and implemented by state, regional, and local agencies to achieve the statewide GHG reduction goals of AB 32, SB 32, and AB 1279. Future development projects would be required to comply with these state GHG emissions reduction measures because they are statewide strategies. For example, new buildings associated with development projects under the proposed project would be required to meet the CALGreen and Building Energy Efficiency Standards in effect at the time when applying for building permits. Furthermore, as discussed under Impact 5.8-1, the Proposed General Plan includes goals and policies that would help reduce GHG emissions and therefore help achieve GHG reduction goals. Implementation of the Proposed General Plan would not obstruct implementation of the CARB Scoping Plan, and impacts would be less than significant.
SCAG’s Connect SoCal
Connect SoCal is Southern California’s regional transportation plan to achieve the passenger vehicle emissions reductions identified under SB 375. Connect SoCal was adopted in September 2020. Connect SoCal’s “core vision” centers on maintaining and better managing the transportation network for moving people and goods while expanding mobility choices by locating housing, jobs, and transit closer together and increasing investment in transit and complete streets. Moreover, Connect SoCal identifies areas in the region that can house near-term and long-term growth and support a diverse economy and workforce. By integrating the Forecast Development Pattern with a suite of financially constrained transportation investments, Connect SoCal can reach the regional target of reducing GHGs from autos and light-duty trucks by 8 percent per capita by 2020, and 19 percent by 2035 (compared to 2005 levels) (SCAG 2020). 453
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As demonstrated in Section 5.11, Land Use and Planning, the Proposed General Plan would be consistent with the Connect SoCal goals and would further State goals through emphasis on design and reduction in VMT (see Table 5.11-1, SCAG 2020 RTP/SCS Goal Consistency Analysis). In addition, Land Use Element policies (Policies LU-4.1, LU-4.2, LU-8.2, and LU-9.4) as well as Circulation Element policies (Policies CI-2.1, CI-4.3, CI-5.5, CI-5.7, and CI-5.12) would reduce VMT per service population consistent with the regional goals.
Lastly, as discussed in Section 5.14, Population and Housing, implementation of the Proposed General Plan would bring the City closer to a more equal distribution of employment and housing.
Overall, the Proposed General Plan would provide for residents to both live and work in the City instead of commuting to other areas, which would contribute to minimizing VMT and reducing VMT per service population. Therefore, the Proposed General Plan would not interfere with SCAG’s ability to implement the regional strategies in Connect SoCal, and no impact would occur.
Level of Significance Before Mitigation: Impact 5.8-2 would be less than significant.
Mitigation Measures
No mitigation measures are required.
Level of Significance After Mitigation: Impact 5.8-2 would be less than significant.
5.8.5 Cumulative Impacts
Project-related GHG emissions are not confined to a particular air basin but are dispersed worldwide.
Therefore, impacts identified under Impact 5.8-1 and Impact 5.8-2 are not project-specific impacts to global warming, but the Proposed General Plan’s contribution to this cumulative impact. As described above, various policies provided in the Proposed General Plan would help minimize GHG emissions generated by the residential and nonresidential land uses in the City. However, the City would experience a 21 percent increase in GHG emissions from existing conditions from the anticipated population and employment growth. Therefore, buildout of the Proposed General Plan would not achieve the long-term year 2045 GHG reduction goal and State’s carbon neutrality goal set by AB 1279 without implementation of additional local GHG reduction measures. Consequently, the Proposed General Plan’s cumulative contribution to global climate change impacts would be considered cumulatively considerable.
5.8.6 Level of Significance Before Mitigation
Upon implementation of regulatory requirements and standard conditions of approval, some impacts would be less than significant: 5.8-2.
Without mitigation, these impacts would be potentially significant:
Impact 5.8-1 Implementation of the Proposed General Plan would result in an increase in GHG emissions and would not place the City on a trajectory to achieve the goals established under AB 1279 or achieve progress toward the State’s carbon neutrality goal.
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5.8.7 Mitigation Measures
Impact 5.8-1
GHG-1 The City of Wildomar shall participate in implementation and future updates of the Subregional Climate Action Plan (CAP) led by the Western Riverside Council of Government (WRCOG) with a focus on strategies that provide community-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions in the City’s planning area. The City shall conduct regular monitoring and reporting of community-wide GHG emissions to ensure progress toward reducing community-wide GHGs and work with WRCOG and partners to update the Subregional CAP on a regulator basis to ensure long-term reduction in GHG emissions.
The City shall prepare a list of quantified GHG reduction measures or best management practices for use by new development subject to the City’s discretionary review process, that are consistent with the Subregional CAP.
5.8.8 Level of Significance After Mitigation
Impact 5.8-1
Implementation of Mitigation Measure GHG-1 would complement and support Policies OS-8.1 and OS-8.2 of the Proposed General Plan's Open Space and Conservation Element. It would ensure that the City participates in the Subregional CAP led by the WRCOG with focus on GHG strategies in the City's planning area. Additionally, it would also contribute to minimizing GHG emissions from land uses accommodated under the Proposed General Plan to the extent feasible. However, given the growth in population and employment within the City and the magnitude of emissions reductions needed to achieve the GHG reduction target, it is uncertain whether implementation of Mitigation Measures GHG-1 and Policies OS- 8.1 and OS-8.2 would contribute to reducing GHG emissions to less-than-significant levels. Therefore, GHG emissions are considered significant and unavoidable.
5.8.9 References
California Air Pollution Control Officer’s Association (CAPCOA). 2022, April. CalEEMod, California Emissions Estimator Model User Guide. Version 2022.1. https://www.caleemod.com/user-guide.
California Air Resources Board. 2017, March. Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Strategy. https://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/shortlived/shortlived.htm.
———. 2018, February. Proposed Update to the SB 375 Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Targets. https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2020-06/SB375_Updated_Final_Target_Staff _Report_2018.pdf.
———. 2022a. 2022 Scoping Plan for Achieving Carbon Neutrality. https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2022-12/2022-sp.pdf. 455
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———. 2022b, October 26. California Greenhouse Gas 2000-2020 Trends of Emissions and Other Indicators Report. https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/classic/cc/inventory/2000-2020 _ghg_inventory_trends.pdf.
California Climate Action Team (CAT). 2006, March. Climate Action Team Report to Governor Schwarzenegger and the Legislature.
California Climate Change Center (CCCC). 2012, July. Our Changing Climate 2012: Vulnerability and Adaptation to the Increasing Risks from Climate Change in California.
California Council on Science and Technology. (CCST). 2012. California’s Energy Future: Portraits of Energy Systems for Meeting Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets.
https://ccst.us/wp-content/uploads/2012ghg.pdf.
California Energy Commission (CEC). 2006. Our Changing Climate: Assessing the Risks to California. 2006 Biennial Report. CEC-500-2006-077. California Climate Change Center. ———. 2009, May. The Future Is Now: An Update on Climate Change Science, Impacts, and Response Options for California. CEC-500-2008-0077.
———. 2022, August. Building Energy Efficiency Standards for Residential and Nonresidential Buildings (2022 Energy Code). Publication Number CEC-400-2021-077. https://www.energy.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2022-12/CEC-400-2022-010_CMF.pdf.
California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA). 2014, July. Safeguarding California: Reducing Climate Risk: An Update to the 2009 California Climate Adaptation Strategy.
California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES). 2020, June. California Adaptation Planning Guide. https://www.caloes.ca.gov/HazardMitigationSite/Documents/CA-Adaptation-Planning-Guide -FINAL-June-2020-Accessible.pdf.
Federal Register. 2022, May 2. Vol. 87, No. 84, Rules and Regulations. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2022-05-02/pdf/2022-07200.pdf.
Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR). 2008, June. CEQA and Climate Change: Addressing Climate Change through CEQA Review. Technical Advisory. https://opr.ca.gov/docs/june08-ceqa.pdf.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). 1995. Second Assessment Report: Climate Change 1995. ———. 2001. Third Assessment Report: Climate Change 2001. New York: Cambridge University Press. ———. 2007. Fourth Assessment Report: Climate Change 2007. New York: Cambridge University Press. ———. 2013. Fifth Assessment Report: Climate Change 2013. New York: Cambridge University Press. 456
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———. 2022. Sixth Assessment Report: Climate Change 2022. Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, Summary for Policymakers. https://report.ipcc.ch/ar6/wg2/IPCC_AR6_WGII_FullReport.pdfpdf.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). 2022, April 1. USDOT Announces New Vehicle Fuel Economy Standards for Model year 2024-2026. https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases/ usdot-announces-new-vehicle-fuel-economy-standards-model-year-2024-2026. ———. 2023, July 28. Corporate Average Fuel Economy. NHTSA Announces New Proposal for CAFE and HDPUV Standards. https://www.nhtsa.gov/laws-regulations/corporate-average-fuel-economy.
Office of Environmental Health Hazards Assessment (OEHHA). 2018, May. Indicators of Climate Change in California. https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/climate-change/report/ 2018caindicatorsreportmay2018.pdf.
Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG). 2020, September 3. Connect SoCal (2020–2045 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy). https://scag.ca.gov/read-plan -adopted-final-plan.
US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). 2009, December. EPA: Greenhouse Gases Threaten Public Health and the Environment: Science Overwhelmingly Shows Greenhouse Gas Concentrations at Unprecedented Levels due to Human Activity. https://archive.epa.gov/epapages/newsroom_archive /newsreleases/08d11a451131bca585257685005bf252.html.
———. 2024, March 20. Final Rule: Multi-Pollutant Emissions Standards for Model Years 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles. https://www.epa.gov/regulations-emissions-vehicles-and -engines/final-rule-multi-pollutant-emissions-standards-model#:~:text=On%20March %2020%2C%202024%2C%20EPA,starting%20with%20model%20year%202027. 457
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5.9 HAZARDS AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
This section of the DEIR evaluates the potential impacts from implementation of the Proposed General Plan for the City of Wildomar (proposed project) on human health and the environment due to exposure to hazardous materials or conditions associated with project sites, project construction, and project operations of future development pursuant to the Proposed General Plan in the City of Wildomar. Cumulative impacts related to hazards and hazardous materials would be contiguous with the City boundary.
FOCAL POINT
The City currently does not have any active hazardous waste sites. All development that would transport, use, store, or dispose of hazardous materials would be required to comply with federal, state, and local regulations, the policies of the Safety Element and the Proposed General Plan. These regulations and policies would ensure that impacts from routine activities and upset, and accidental conditions related to hazardous materials, would be less than significant.
The eastern and western portions of the City are within Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones. Emergency Response Operations described in the Wildomar Local Hazard Mitigation Plan and Emergency Operations Plan, relevant Proposed General Plan policies, and Safety Element policies would ensure no significant impacts occur with respect to the implementation of an emergency responder or evacuation plan. The City of Wildomar is not within the vicinity of any airports or within the jurisdiction of an airport land use plan and there would be no impacts related to airport hazards.
5.9.1 Environmental Setting
5.9.1.1 AGENCIES THAT REGULATE HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
Hazardous materials are substances that exhibit corrosive, poisonous, flammable, and/or reactive properties and have the potential to harm human health and/or the environment. Hazardous materials are used in products (e.g., household cleaners, industrial solvents, paints, pesticides, etc.) and manufacturing (e.g., of electronics, newspapers, plastic products, etc.). Examples of hazardous materials are petroleum, natural and synthetic gas, and other toxic chemicals that may be used in agriculture or commercial and industrial uses, businesses, hospitals, and households. Accidental releases of hazardous materials have a variety of causes, including highway incidents, warehouse fires, train derailments, shipping accidents, and industrial incidents.
The term “hazardous materials,” as used in this section, includes all materials defined in the California Health and Safety Code:
A material that, because of its quantity, concentration, or physical or chemical characteristics, poses a significant present or potential hazard to human health and safety or to the environment if released into the workplace or the environment. “Hazardous materials” include, but are not limited to, hazardous substances, hazardous waste, and any material that a handler or the unified program agency has a reasonable basis for believing that it would be injurious to the health and safety of persons or harmful to the environment if released into the workplace or the environment. (§§ 2411, 25501)
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Federal and state hazardous waste definitions are similar, but different enough that separate classifications are in place for federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) hazardous wastes and state non-RCRA hazardous wastes.
The following agencies govern hazardous materials in the City of Wildomar.
Federal Agencies
Several federal agencies regulate hazardous materials.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA is the primary federal agency that regulates hazardous materials and waste. In general, the EPA develops and enforces regulations that implement environmental laws enacted by Congress. The agency is responsible for researching and setting national standards for a variety of environmental programs, and delegates to states and tribes the responsibility for issuing permits and for monitoring and enforcing compliance. EPA programs promote handling hazardous wastes safely, cleaning up contaminated land, and reducing trash. Under the authority of the RCRA and in cooperation with state and tribal partners, the Waste Management Division manages a hazardous waste program, an underground storage tank program, and a solid waste program, which includes development of waste reduction strategies such as recycling. The EPA has also promulgated regulations for the transport of hazardous wastes. These more stringent requirements include tracking shipments with manifests to ensure that wastes are delivered to their intended destinations. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA oversees administration of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, which requires specific training for hazardous materials handlers, provision of information to employees who may be exposed to hazardous materials, and acquisition of material safety data sheets from manufacturers. Material safety data sheets describe the risks associated with particular hazardous materials, and proper handling and procedures. Employee training must include response and remediation procedures for hazardous materials releases and exposures. U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). The USDOT has developed regulations pertaining to the transport of hazardous materials and hazardous wastes by all modes of transportation. The US Postal Service has developed additional regulations for the transport of hazardous materials by mail. USDOT regulations specify packaging requirements for different types of materials. Federal Aviation Agency (FAA). The FAA issues and enforces regulations covering manufacturing, operating, and maintaining aircrafts. The FAA also certifies airmen and airports (including helicopters) that serve air carriers and conducts research on and develops systems and procedures needed for a safe and efficient system of air navigation and air traffic control.
State Agencies
Responsible state agencies that regulate hazardous materials and waste in accordance with the federal and state laws include:
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California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA). CalEPA was created in 1991 by the Governor’s Executive Order. Six boards, departments, and offices were placed under the CalEPA umbrella to create a cabinet-level voice for the protection of human health and the environment and to ensure the coordinated deployment of state resources. CalEPA oversees hazardous materials and hazardous waste compliance throughout California. Among those responsible for hazardous materials and waste management are the Department of Toxic Substances Control, the Department of Pesticide Regulation, and the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. CalEPA also oversees the unified hazardous waste and hazardous materials management regulatory program (Unified Program), which consolidates and coordinates:
Hazardous Materials Release Response Plans and Inventories (Business Plans) Underground Storage Tank Program
Aboveground Petroleum Storage Tank Act
Hazardous Waste Generator and Onsite Hazardous Waste Treatment Programs California Uniform Fire Code: Hazardous Material Management Plans and Inventory Statements California Accidental Release Prevention Program
California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC). DTSC is the department of CalEPA that carries out the RCRA and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act programs in California to protect people from exposure to hazardous substances and wastes.
The department regulates hazardous waste, cleans up existing contamination, and looks for ways to control and reduce the hazardous waste produced in California primarily under the authority of RCRA and in accordance with the California Hazardous Waste Control Law (Health and Safety Code Division 20, Chapter 6.5) and the Hazardous Waste Control Regulations (California Code of Regulations, Title 22, Divisions 4 and 4.5). Permitting, inspection, compliance, and corrective action programs ensure that people who manage hazardous waste follow state and federal requirements and other laws that affect hazardous waste specific to handling, storage, transportation, disposal, treatment, reduction, cleanup, and emergency planning.
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). CAL FIRE is dedicated to the fire protection and stewardship of over 13 million acres of California’s wildlands. The Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) supports CAL FIRE’s mission to protect life and property from wildfires through fire prevention engineering programs, law and code enforcements, and education. OSFM provides for fire prevention by enforcing fire-related laws in state -owned or -operated buildings; investigating arson fires; licensing those who inspect and service fire protection systems; approving fireworks for use in California; regulating the use of chemical flame retardants; evaluating building materials against fire safety standards; regulating hazardous liquid pipelines; and tracking incident statistics for local and state government emergency response agencies. The California Fire Plan is the state’s road map for reducing the risk of wildfires through planning and preservation to reduce firefighting costs and property losses, increase firefighter safety, and contribute to ecosystem health. The California Fire Plan is a cooperative effort between the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection and CAL FIRE. 460
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California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA). Like OSHA at the federal level, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) is the responsible State agency for ensuring workplace safety. Cal/OSHA assumes primary responsibility for the adoption and enforcement of standards regarding workplace safety and safety practices. If a work site is contaminated, a site safety plan must be crafted and implemented to project the safety of workers. Site safety plans establish policies, practices, and procedures to prevent the expose of workers and members of the public to hazardous materials originating from the contaminated site or building. California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES). Cal OES was established as part of the Governor’s Office on January 1, 2009. It was created pursuant to Assembly Bill 38, which merged the duties, powers, purposes, and responsibilities of the former Governor’s Emergency Management Agency with those of the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security. Cal OES is responsible for the coordination of overall State agency response to major disasters in support of local government. The agency is responsible for ensuring the State’s readiness to respond to and recover from all hazards––natural, manmade, emergencies, and disasters––and for assisting local governments in their emergency preparedness, response, recovery, and hazard mitigation efforts.
California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and California Highway Patrol (CHP).
Caltrans and the CHP are the two State agencies that have primary responsibility for enforcing federal and State regulations and responding to hazardous materials transportation emergencies. Caltrans manages more than 50,000 miles of California’s highways and freeways, provides intercity rail services, permits more than 400 public-use airports and special-use hospital heliports, and works with local agencies. Caltrans is also the first responder for hazardous material spills and releases that occur on highways, freeways, and intercity rail lines. The CHP enforces hazardous materials and hazardous waste labeling and packing regulations designed to prevent leakage and spills of materials in transit and to provide detailed information to cleanup crews in the event of an accident. Vehicle and equipment inspection, shipment preparation, container identification, and shipping documentation are all part of the responsibility of the CHP, which conducts regular inspections of licensed transporters to ensure regulatory compliance.
The State of California regulates the transportation of hazardous waste originating or passing through the state. Common carriers are licensed by the CHP, pursuant to Section 32000 of the California Vehicle Code. This section requires licensing every motor (common) carrier that transports, for a fee, in excess of 500 pounds of hazardous materials at one time, and every carrier, if not for hire, that carries more than 1,000 pounds of hazardous material of the type requiring placards. Common carriers conduct a large portion of the business in the delivery of hazardous materials. State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB). In California, the SWRCB has broad authority over water quality control issues for the state. The SWRCB is responsible for developing statewide water quality policy and exercises the powers delegated to the State by the federal government under the Clean Water Act. SWRCB’s Underground Storage Tank (UST) program protects the public health and safety, 461
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and the environment from releases of petroleum and other hazardous substances from USTs. The program elements include:
Leak Prevention. This program element includes requirements for tank installation, construction, testing, leak detection, spill containment, and overfill protection. Cleanup. Cleanup of leaking tanks often involves a soil and groundwater investigation and remediation, under the direction of a regulatory agency. Enforcement. The SWRCB aid local agencies enforcing UST requirements. Tank Tester Licensing. Tank integrity testing is required by law, must meet the requirements of the SWRCB, and must be conducted by State licensed tank testers.
Regional Agencies
Responsible regional agencies that regulate hazardous materials and waste in accordance with the federal and state laws include:
Riverside County Department of Environmental Health (DEH). The Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA) for the City of Wildomar is the Riverside County DEH, which is responsible for regulating hazardous waste and tiered permitting; underground storage tanks.
5.9.1.2 REGULATORY BACKGROUND
The following laws, regulations, and policies govern hazardous materials in the City of Wildomar.
Federal Regulations
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act and the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980, commonly known as Superfund, established prohibitions and requirements concerning closed and abandoned hazardous waste sites, provided for liability of persons responsible for releases of hazardous waste at these sites, and established a trust fund to provide for cleanup when no responsible party could be identified.
CERCLA was amended by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) on October 17, 1986. SARA stressed the importance of permanent remedies and innovative treatment technologies in cleaning up hazardous waste sites, required Superfund actions to consider the standards and requirements found in other state and federal environmental laws and regulations, provided new enforcement authorities and settlement tools, increased state involvement in every phase of the Superfund program, increased the focus on human health problems posed by hazardous waste sites, encouraged greater citizen participation in site cleanup decisions, and increased the size of trust fund to $8.5 billion. CERCLA also enabled the revision of the National Contingency Plan, which provided the guidelines and procedures needed to respond to releases and threatened releases of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants. The National Contingency Plan also established the National Priority List of Superfund sites. 462
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Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, as amended by the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984
The RCRA of 1976 is the principal federal law enacted by Congress that regulates the generation, management, and transportation of waste. In general, the EPA works to develop and enforce regulations that implement environmental laws enacted by Congress. The agency is responsible for researching and setting national standards for a variety of environmental programs and delegates to states and tribes the responsibility of issuing permits and for monitoring and enforcing compliance. EPA programs promote handling hazardous wastes safely, cleaning up contaminated land, and reducing trash. Hazardous waste management includes the treatment, storage, or disposal of hazardous waste. The RCRA gave the EPA the authority to control hazardous waste from “cradle to grave,” that is, from generation to transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal. The RCRA also set forth a framework for the management of nonhazardous wastes. The 1986 amendments to RCRA enabled the EPA to address environmental problems that could result from underground tanks storing petroleum and other hazardous substances. It should be noted that RCRA focuses only on active future facilities and does not address abandoned or historical sites.
Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act
In 1986, Congress passed the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act. Title III of this regulation was the “Emergency Planning and community Right-to-Know Act of 1986” (EPCRA). EPCRA was enacted by Congress as the national legislation on community safety. This law helps local communities protect public health, safety, and the environment from chemical hazards in their areas by requiring businesses to report the locations and quantities of chemicals stored onsite to state and local agencies. These reports help communities prepare to respond to chemical spills and similar emergencies.
Section 313 of EPCRA requires manufacturers to report releases to the environment (air, soil, and water) of more than 600 designated toxic chemicals, report offsite transfers of waste for treatment or disposal at separate facilities, develop pollution prevention measures and activities, and participate in chemical recycling.
These annual reports are submitted to the EPA and state agencies. EPCRA Sections 301 through 312 are administered by the EPA’s Office of Emergency Management. The EPA’s Office of Information Analysis and Access implements the EPCRA Section 313 program. In California, SARA Title III is implemented through the California Accidental Release Prevention Program.
The EPA maintains and publishes a database that contains information on toxic chemical releases and other waste management activities by certain industry groups and federal facilities. This online, publicly available, national digital database is called the Toxics Release Inventory and was expanded by the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990.
Under the EPCRA requirements, local emergency planning committees are responsible for developing a plan for preparing for and responding to a chemical emergency, including:
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An identification of local facilities and transportation routes where hazardous materials are present. The procedures for immediate response in case of an accident (this must include a community-wide evacuation plan).
A plan for notifying the community that an incident has occurred. The names of response coordinators at local facilities. A plan for conducting drills to test the plan.
The emergency plan is reviewed by the State Emergency Response Commission and publicized throughout the community. The local emergency planning committee is required to review, test, and update the plan each year. The Riverside County DEH is responsible for coordinating hazardous material and disaster preparedness planning and appropriate response efforts with city departments and local and state agencies.
The goal is to improve public- and private-sector readiness and to mitigate local impacts resulting from natural or man-made emergencies.
Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000
The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 requires state and local governments to prepare mitigation plans that identify hazards, potential losses, mitigation needs, goals, and strategies. It is intended to facilitate cooperation between state and local governments.
Toxic Substances Control Act
The Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 was enacted by Congress to give the EPA the ability to track the 75,000 industrial chemicals currently produced by or imported into the United States. The EPA repeatedly screens these chemicals and can require reporting or testing of any that may pose an environmental or human health hazard. It can ban the manufacture and import of chemicals that pose an unreasonable risk. Also, the EPA has mechanisms in place to track the thousands of new chemicals that industry develops each year with either unknown or dangerous characteristics. It then can control these chemicals as necessary to protect human health and the environment. The Act supplements other federal statutes, including the Clean Air Act and the Toxics Release Inventory under EPCRA.
Hazardous Materials Transportation Act
The USDOT regulates hazardous materials transportation under CFR Title 49. State agencies that have primary responsibility for enforcing federal and state regulations and responding to hazardous materials transportation emergencies are the CHP and Caltrans. These agencies also govern permitting for hazardous materials transportation. Title 49 CFR reflects laws passed by Congress as of January 2, 2006. 464
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Federal Response Plan
The Federal Response Plan of 1999 is a signed agreement among 27 federal departments and agencies and the American Red Cross that: 1) provides the mechanism for coordinating delivery of federal assistance and resources to augment efforts of state and local government overwhelmed by a major disaster or emergency; 2) supports implementation of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Act, as well as individual agency statutory authorities; and 3) supplements other federal emergency operations plans developed to address specific hazards. The Federal Response Plan is implemented in anticipation of a significant event likely to result in a need for federal assistance or in response to an actual event requiring federal assistance under a presidential declaration of a major disaster or emergency.
Business Plan Act
Both the federal government and the State of California require all businesses that handle more than a specified amount of hazardous waste materials or extremely hazardous materials––termed a reporting quantity––to submit a hazardous materials business plan to the local CUPA.
Such a plan must be submitted by businesses that handle hazardous materials or a mixture containing a hazardous material in quantities equal to or greater than:
500 pounds of a solid
55 gallons of a liquid
200 cubic feet of a compressed gas standard temperature and pressure The federal Threshold Planning Quantity for Extremely Hazardous Substances Radioactive materials in quantities for which an emergency plan is required per Parts 30, 40, or 70 of the CFR, Title 10, Chapter 1
The business plan must include the type and quantity of hazardous materials, a site map, risks of using these materials, spill prevention, emergency response, employee training, and emergency contacts.
Federal Aviation Agency Advisory Circular 150/5390-2C
FAA Advisory Circular 150/5390-2C provides recommendations for heliport design, including heliports serving helicopters with single and tandem (front and rear) rotors.
Asbestos-Containing Materials Regulations
State agencies, in conjunction with the EPA and OSHA, regulate removal, abatement, and transport procedures for asbestos-containing materials. Releases of asbestos from industrial, demolition, or construction activities are prohibited by these regulations; medical evaluation and monitoring are required for employees performing activities that could expose them to asbestos. The regulations include warnings and 465
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practices that must be followed to reduce the risk for asbestos emissions and exposure. Finally, federal, state, and local agencies must be notified prior to the onset of demolition or construction activities with the potential to release asbestos. Requirements for limiting asbestos emissions from building demolition and renovation activities are specified in the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s Rule 1403 (Asbestos Emissions from Demolition/Renovation Activities). California Government Code Sections 1529 and 1532.1 provide for exposure limits, exposure monitoring, respiratory protection and good working practice by workers exposed to lead and asbestos-containing materials.
State Regulations
California Health and Safety Code and Code of Regulations The Hazardous Substances Account Act (California Health and Safety Code Sections 25300 et seq.) authorizes the State to clean up hazardous materials release sites––including abandoned sites––not qualifying for cleanup under CERCLA; provides funds to pay for the state’s share of costs of CERCLA cleanups; and provides compensation to persons injured by hazardous materials releases.
California Health and Safety Code Chapter 6.95 and California Code of Regulations (CCR), Title 19, Section 2729 describe the minimum requirements for business emergency plans and chemical inventory reporting.
These regulations require businesses to provide emergency response plans and procedures, training program information, and a hazardous material inventory disclosing hazardous materials stored, used, or handled onsite. A business that uses hazardous materials, or mixtures containing them, in certain quantities must establish and implement a business plan.
CCR Title 8 Section 5191, Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories, requires that all laboratories have a written chemical hygiene plan as a fundamental chemical safety plan for the laboratory.
The chemical hygiene plans are written programs that set forth procedures, equipment, personal protective equipment, and work practices that are capable of protecting employees from the health hazards presented by hazardous chemicals used in laboratories.
Tanner Act (Assembly Bill 2948)
Although numerous state policies deal with hazardous waste, the most comprehensive is the Tanner Act (Assembly Bill 2948), which was adopted in 1986. The Tanner Act governs the preparation of hazardous waste management plans and the siting of hazardous waste facilities in California. To be in compliance with the Tanner Act, local or regional hazardous waste management plans need to include provisions that define:
1) the planning process for waste management, 2) the permit process for new and expanded facilities, and 3) the appeals process to the state available for certain local decisions.
California Building Code
The state of California provided a minimum standard for building design through the California Building Code (CBC), which is in 24 CCR Part 2. The CBC is based on the International Building Code, modified for California conditions. It is generally adopted on a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction basis, subject to further 466
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modification based on local conditions. Buildings are plan checked by city and county building officials for compliance with the CBC.
State Hazardous Waste Management Programs
Numerous state programs regulate hazardous waste management.
Underground Storage Tank Program
Releases of petroleum and other products from USTs are the leading source of groundwater contamination in the United States. The RCRA Subtitle I establishes regulations governing the storage of petroleum products and hazardous substances in USTs and the prevention and cleanup of leaks. In EPA Region 9 (California, Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada, Pacific Islands, and over 140 tribal nations) the UST program operates primarily through state agency programs with EPA oversight. In California, the SWRCB, under the umbrella of CalEPA, provides assistance to local agencies enforcing UST requirements. The purpose of the UST program is to protect public health and safety and the environment from releases of petroleum and other hazardous substances. The program consists of four elements: leak prevention, cleanup, enforcement, and tank tester licensing. In September 2004, the SWRCB adopted regulations that require electronic submittal of information for groundwater cleanup programs, including groundwater analytical data, the surveyed locations of monitoring wells, and other data. The SWRCB’s GeoTracker system currently has information submitted by responsible parties for over 10,000 leaking UST (LUST) sites statewide and has been extended to include all SWRCB groundwater cleanup programs, including the LUST, non-LUST (Spill, Leaks, Investigation, and Cleanup), Department of Defense, and landfill programs.
California Code of Regulations, Title 22, Division 4.5
CCR Title 22, Division 4.5, sets forth the requirements for hazardous-waste generators; transporters; and owners or operators of treatment, storage, or disposal facilities. These regulations include the requirements for packaging, storage, labeling, reporting, and general management of hazardous waste prior to shipment. In addition, the regulations identify standards applicable to transporters of hazardous waste. These regulations specify the requirements for transporting shipments of hazardous waste, including manifesting, vehicle registration, and emergency accidental discharges during transportation.
Hazardous Materials Disclosure Programs
Both the federal and state governments and the state require all businesses that handle more than a specified amount of hazardous materials or extremely hazardous materials, termed a reporting quantity, to submit a hazardous materials emergency/contingency plan (also known as a hazardous materials business plan) to their local CUPA (CFR, EPA, SARA, and Title III) (Health and Safety Code, Division 20, Chapter 6.95, §§ 2500- 25520; 19 CCR, Chapter 2, Subchapter 3, Article 4, §§ 2729-2734). The responsible CUPA in Riverside County is the Riverside County EHD, which is responsible for conducting compliance inspections of regulated facilities in Wildomar.
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Hazardous Materials Business Plans
The hazardous materials business plan includes the business owner/operator identification page, hazardous materials inventory chemical description page, and an emergency response plan and training plan. Business plans must include an inventory of the hazardous materials at the facility. The entire hazardous materials business plan needs to be reviewed and recertified every three years. Business plans are required to include emergency response plans and procedures to be used in the event of a significant or threatened significant release of a hazardous material. These plans need to identify the procedures to follow for immediate notification to all appropriate agencies and personnel of a release, identification of local emergency medical assistance appropriate for potential accident scenarios, contact information for all emergency coordinators of the business, a listing and location of emergency equipment at the business, an evacuation plan, and a training program for business personnel. All facilities must keep a copy of their plan onsite.
Hazardous materials business plans are designed to be used for responding agencies, such as the Riverside County Fire Department, during a release or spill to allow for a quick and accurate evaluation of each situation for appropriate response. Businesses that handle hazardous materials are required by law to provide an immediate verbal report of any release or threatened release of hazardous materials if there is a reasonable belief that the release or threatened release of hazardous materials poses a significant present or potential hazard to human health and safety, property, or the environment. If a release involves a hazardous substance listed in Title 40 of the CFR in an amount equal to or exceeding the reportable quantity for that material, a notice must be filed with the California Office of Emergency Services within 15 days of the incident. Both the federal government (Code of Federal Regulations) and the State of California (California Health and Safety Code) require all businesses that handle more than a specified amount—or “reporting quantity”—of hazardous or extremely hazardous materials to submit a hazardous materials business plan to the Riverside County EHD. According to City guidelines, the preparation, submittal, and implementation of a business plan is required by any business that handles a hazardous material or a mixture containing a hazardous material in specified quantities.
Business plans must include an inventory of the hazardous materials at the facility. Businesses must update their business plan and the chemical portion annually. Also, business plans must include emergency response plans and procedures to be used in the event of a significant or threatened significant release of a hazardous material. These plans need to identify the procedures for immediate notification of all appropriate agencies and personnel, identification of local emergency medical assistance appropriate for potential accident scenarios, contact information for all company emergency coordinators, a listing and location of emergency equipment at the business, an evacuation plan, and a training program for business personnel.
Hazardous Materials Incident Response
Under Title III of SARA, the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) is responsible for developing an emergency plan for preparing for and responding to chemical emergencies in that community. The State Emergency Response Commission (SERC) established six emergency planning districts. The SERC appointed a LEPC for each planning district and supervises and coordinates their activities. 468
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The emergency plan developed by the LEPCs must include:
An identification of local facilities and transportation routes where hazardous materials are present. The procedures for immediate response in case of an accident (this must include a community-wide evacuation plan).
A plan for notifying the community that an incident has occurred. The names of response coordinators at local facilities. A plan for conducting exercises to test the plan.
The plan is reviewed by the SERC and publicized throughout the community. The LEPC is required to review, test, and update the plan each year.
Hazardous Materials Spill/Release Notification Guidance All significant spills, releases, or threatened releases of hazardous materials must be immediately reported.
Federal and state emergency notifications are required for all significant releases of hazardous materials.
Requirements for immediate notification of all significant spills or threatened releases cover owners, operators, persons in charge, and employers. Notification is required regarding significant releases from facilities, vehicles, vessels, pipelines, and railroads. The following state statutes require emergency notification of a hazardous chemical release:
Health and Safety Codes, Sections 25270.7, 25270.8, and 25507 Vehicle Code, Section 23112.5
Public Utilities Code, Section 7673 (PUC General Orders #22-b, 161) Government Code, Sections 51018, 8670.25.5(a)
Water Code, Sections 13271, 13272
California Labor Code, Section 6409.1(b)10
In addition, all releases that result in injuries or workers harmfully exposed must be immediately reported to California OSHA (California Labor Code, Section 6409.1[b]). Additional reporting requirements are in the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, better known as Proposition 65, and Section 9030 of California Labor Code.
Requirements for immediate notification of all significant spills or threatened releases cover owners, operators, persons in charge, and employers. Notification is required regarding significant releases from facilities, vehicles vessels, pipelines, and railroads. In addition, all releases that result in injuries or harmful exposure to workers must be immediately reported to the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration pursuant to the California Labor Code Section 6409.1(b). 469
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California Accidental Release Prevention Program (CalARP) The CalARP became effective on January 1, 1997, in response to Senate Bill 1889. CalARP replaced the California Risk Management and Prevention Program. Under CalARP, the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services must adopt implementing regulations and seek delegation of the program from the EPA. CalARP aims to be proactive and therefore requires businesses to prepare risk management plans, which are detailed engineering analyses of the potential accident factors present at a business and the migration measures that can be implemented to reduce this accident potential. In most cases, local governments will have the lead role for working directly with businesses in this program. The Riverside County EHD is the CUPA designated as the administering agency for CalARP.
California Fire Code
The California Fire Code (24 CCR Part 9) sets forth requirements including those for building materials and methods pertaining to fire safety and life safety, fire protection systems in buildings, emergency access to buildings, and handling and storage of hazardous materials. The City adopts the update to the fire code every three years.
California Building Code
The CBC requires the installation and maintenance of smoke alarms in residential dwelling units:
CCR Title 24, Part 2, Section 907.2.11.2. Smoke alarms shall be installed and maintained on the ceiling or wall outside of each separate sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of bedrooms. In each room used for sleeping purposes, and in each story within a dwelling unit.
The smoke alarms shall be interconnected.
Government Code Section 65302
Government Code Section 65302 requires the Safety Element of a General Plan to address evacuation routes.
The CAL FIRE Safety Element checklist also requires cities to address evacuation routes. In addition, Senate Bill 99 (2018) requires a Safety Element, upon the next revision of the housing element on or after January 1, 2020, to include information identifying residential developments in hazard areas that do not have at least two emergency evacuation routes.
Regional Regulations
South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) South Coast AQMD Rule 1403 governs the demolition of buildings containing asbestos materials. Rule 1403 specifies work practices with the goal of minimizing asbestos emissions during building demolition and renovation activities, including the removal and associated disturbance of asbestos-containing material (ACM). The requirements for demolition and renovation activities include asbestos surveying, notification, ACM removal procedures and time schedules, ACM handling and cleanup procedures, and storage and disposal requirements for asbestos-containing waste materials. 470
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CAL FIRE, County of Riverside Unit Strategic Plan
The California Strategic Plan is implemented through individual “unit plans” that are prepared for different regions of the state. CAL FIRE has adopted a Riverside Unit Fire Plan that covers Riverside County and the agency’s priorities for prevention, protection, and suppression of wildfires. The overall goal of the Riverside County Unit Fire Plan is to reduce total costs and losses from wildland fire in the unit by protecting assets at risk through focused pre-fire management prescriptions and increasing initial attack success.
Local Regulations
2022 Wildomar Local Hazard Mitigation Plan
The purpose of the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) is to identify the City’s hazards, review and assess past disaster occurrences, estimate the probability of future occurrences, and set goals and actions to reduce and/or eliminate potential risks to people and property from natural and manmade hazards.
City of Wildomar Emergency Operations Plan
The City of Wildomar Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) outlines the City's response to extraordinary emergencies, including natural disasters, technological incidents, and national security emergencies. The Emergency Operations Center is responsible for directing and coordinating various departments and agencies in emergency response activities. The plan aims to establish the framework for implementing SEMS and the National Incident Management System (NIMS) for Wildomar, located within Riverside County and Mutual Aid Region VI. The plan aims to facilitate multi-agency and multi-jurisdictional coordination in emergency operations, particularly between the City of Wildomar, Riverside County, special districts, and State agencies.
City of Wildomar Safety Element 2021
The Safety Element conveys the City’s goals, policies, and actions to minimize hazards and promote safety in and around Wildomar. It identifies the natural and human-caused hazards that affect existing and future development and provides guidelines for protecting residents, employees, visitors, and other community members from injury and death. It describes present and expected future conditions and sets policies and standards for improved public safety. The Safety Element also seeks to minimize physical harm to the buildings and infrastructure in and around Wildomar to reduce damage to local economic systems, community services, and ecosystems.
Policy S-31. Existing essential, dependent-care, and high-risk facilities not in conformance with provisions of the City of Wildomar zoning shall be required to upgrade or modify building use to a level of safety consistent with the inundation risk.
Policy S-32. Development using, storing, or otherwise involved with substantial quantities of on- site hazardous materials shall not be permitted within a 100-year floodplain or dam inundation zone, unless all standards for evaluation, anchoring, and flood-proofing have been satisfied. Hazardous materials shall be stored in watertight containers, not capable of floating, to the extent required by state and federal laws and regulations. Facilities storing substantial quantities of hazardous materials within inundation zones 471
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shall be adequately flood-proofed and hazardous materials containers shall be anchored and secured to prevent flotation and contamination.
Policy S-34. High-risk facilities, such as essential public and quasi-public facilities and hazardous materials sites, shall be required to maintain and rehearse inundation response plans. Policy S-44. All proposed development and construction within Fire Hazard Severity Zones shall be reviewed by the Riverside County Fire Department and Wildomar Building and Safety Department for consistency with the following requirements before the issuance of any building permits:
a) All proposed development and construction shall meet minimum state, county, and local standards for fire safety, as defined in the City of Wildomar Building or Fire Codes, or by City zoning, or as dictated by the Building Official or the Transportation Land Management Agency based on building type, design, occupancy, and use.
b) In addition to the standards and guidelines of the California Building Code, California Fire Code, the Wildomar Municipal Code, and other appropriate fire safety provisions, developments shall incorporate additional standards for high-risk, high-occupancy, and dependent facilities where appropriate under the City of Wildomar Fire Code. These shall include assurance that structural and nonstructural architectural elements of the building will not impede emergency egress for fire safety staffing/personnel, equipment, and apparatus; nor hinder evacuation from fire, including potential blockage of stairways or fire doors.
c) Proposed development and construction in Very Fire Hazard Severity Zones shall provide secondary public access, in accordance with City of Wildomar ordinances. There shall be multiple points of ingress and egress that allow for emergency response vehicle access. Points of access shall also include visible street signs and sufficient water supplies and infrastructure for structural fire suppression.
d) Proposed development and construction in Very Fire Hazard Severity Zones shall use single loaded roads to enhance fuel modification areas, unless otherwise determined by the Riverside County Fire Chief.
e) Proposed development and construction in Very Fire Hazard Severity Zones shall provide a fire protection plan that includes defensible space or fuel modification zones to be located, designed, constructed, and maintained to provide adequate defensibility from wildfires. f) Prior to the approval of all parcel maps and tentative maps, the City shall require as a condition of approval, the developer meet or exceed the California Fire and Building code including Title 14 Regulations, particularly those regarding road standards for ingress, egress, and fire equipment access (see California Government Code, Section 66474.02.).
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Policy S-51. Locate new critical public facilities outside of Fire Hazard Severity Zones. Critical facilities include emergency shelters, emergency command and communication facilities, and hospital and healthcare centers. If no feasible alternative site exists, ensure that these facilities incorporate all necessary protections to allow them to continue to serve community needs during and after disaster events. Policy S-55. Conduct and implement long-range fire safety planning, including stringent building, fire, subdivision, and municipal code standards, improved infrastructure, evacuation plans, and improved mutual-aid agreements with the private and public sector. Policy S-61. Continue to use the Riverside County Fire Department Fire Protection Plan and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Strategic Master Plan as the foundational document to implement the Safety Element’s goals and objectives.
Policy S-63. Identify, map, and update Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps on an ongoing and as- needed basis.
Policy S-66. The City shall develop policies and provide updates, as appropriate, that ensure recovery and redevelopment after a large fire reduces future vulnerabilities to fire hazard risks through site preparation, redevelopment layout design, fire-resistant landscape planning, and fire retarding building design and materials.
Policy S-67. Coordinate with the Riverside County Fire Department to implement a long-term fire protection training and education program for the City of Wildomar and its citizens. Policy S-74. Enforce land use policies and siting criteria related to hazardous materials and waste through ongoing implementation of the programs identified in the County of Riverside Hazardous Waste Management Plan (CHWMP).
Policy S-75. Review all proposed development projects that manufacture, use, or transport hazardous materials for compliance with the CHWMP. Such projects shall provide a buffer zone, to be determined by the City, between the installation and property boundaries sufficient to protect public safety. Policy S-76. Require that applications for discretionary development projects that will generate hazardous wastes or use hazardous materials include detailed information on hazardous waste reduction, recycling, and storage.
Policy S-77. Ensure that industrial facilities are constructed and operated in accordance with current safety and environmental protection standards.
Policy S-87. Implement and update the City of Wildomar’s Local Hazard Mitigation Plan, as directed by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and maintain mutual-aid agreements with federal, state, and local agencies, as well as the private sector, to assist in:
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a) Clearance of debris in the event of widespread slope failures, collapsed buildings or structures, or other circumstances that could result in blocking emergency access or regress. b) Heavy search and rescue
c) Fire suppression
d) Hazardous materials response
e) Temporary shelter
f) Geologic and engineering needs
g) Traffic and crowd control
h) Building inspection
Policy S-88. Provide alerts about potential, developing, and ongoing emergency situations through extensive early-warning and notification systems that convey information to all residents, in multiple languages and formats to ensure it is widely accessible. Policy S-94. Maintain and continue to improve management and emergency dissemination of information using portable computers with geographic information systems (GIS) and disaster-resistant Internet access, to obtain:
a) Hazardous Materials Disclosure Program Business Plans regarding the location and type of hazardous materials;
b) Real-time information on seismic, geologic, or flood hazards; and The locations of high-occupancy, immobile populations, potentially hazardous building structures, utilities, and other lifelines.
Policy S-97. Maintain a City Emergency Operations Plan to include the National Incident Management System (N.I.M.S.).
Policy S-98. Coordinate with local and State Emergency Management agencies using the Standardized Emergency Management System (S.E.M.S.) and N.I.M.S. to facilitate multi-agency emergency response. Policy S-99. Monitor the effectiveness of public safety, preparedness, and hazard mitigation policies under changing climate conditions to continue to protect the community as local and regional conditions change.
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Policy S-100. Regularly update all appropriate planning documents, including the Safety Element, the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan, emergency operations plans, and other public safety plans, and ensure these updates integrate adaptation considerations for climate-related hazards. Policy S-118. Maximize use of technology and the Internet to effectively distribute emergency communications and alerts to members of the public to improve resiliency. Policy S-119. Ensure that communication systems used by emergency responders and key City staff have sufficient redundancy and resiliency to meet City needs during and after a hazard event. Policy S-128. Ensure that unhoused persons or groups in the City of Wildomar have access to temporary and/or emergency housing, food, and other essential living materials to keep them safe during anticipated hazard events.
City of Wildomar Municipal Code
Chapter 2.32, Disaster Relief. The purpose of this Chapter is to provide for the preparation and carrying out of plans for the protection of persons and property within the City in the event of an emergency.
Chapter 8.28, Fire Code. The City adopted the 2022 California Fire Code. The State adopts a new California Fire Code every three years.
Chapter 8.52, Hazardous Waste Control. The intent of this chapter is to administer a program for the purpose of monitoring establishments where hazardous waste is generated, stored, handled, disposed, treated, or recycled, and to regulate facilities by the issuance of permits.
5.9.1.3 EXISTING CONDITIONS
Hazardous Materials
Hazardous materials include, but are not limited to, hazardous substances, hazardous wastes, and any material that a business or implementing agency has a reasonable basis for believing would be injurious to public health and safety or harmful to the environment if released into the workplace or the environment.
Hazardous wastes are hazardous substances that no longer have practical use, such as materials that have been discarded, discharged, spilled, or contaminated or are being stored until they can be disposed of properly (22 CCR Chapter 11, Article 2, Section 66261.10). Soil that is excavated from a site containing hazardous materials is a hazardous waste if it exceeds specific CCR Title 22 criteria.
Past industrial or commercial activities on a site could have resulted in spills or leaks of hazardous materials to the ground, resulting in soul and/or groundwater contamination. Hazardous materials may also be present in building materials of older structures and released during building demolition activities. If improperly handled, hazardous materials and wastes can cause public health hazards when released to the soil, groundwater, or air. The four basic exposure pathways through which an individual can be exposed to a chemical agent include inhalation, ingestion, bodily contact, and injection. Exposure can come as a result of 475
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an accidental release during transportation, storage, or handling of hazardous materials. Disturbance of subsurface soil during construction can also lead to exposure of workers or the public from stockpiling, handling, or transportation of soils contaminated by hazardous materials or waste from previous spills or leaks.
Hazardous Waste Generators
The EPA regulates generators of hazardous waste based on the amount of waste generated. Large quantity generators produce 1,000 kilograms or more per month, or more than one kilogram per month of acutely hazardous waste. Small quantity generators produce between 100 and 1,000 kilograms of hazardous waste per month.
Hazardous Materials Sites
California Government Code Section 65962.5 directs CalEPA to compile, maintain, and update specified lists of hazardous material release sites. CEQA (California Public Resources Code Section 21092.6) requires the lead agency to consult the lists compiled pursuant to Government Code Section 65962.5 to determine whether the project and any alternatives are identified on any of the following lists:
EPA NPL. The EPA’s NPL includes all sites under the EPA’s Superfund program, which was established to fund cleanup of contaminated sites that pose risks to human health and the environment. EPA Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Information System (CERCLIS) and Archived Sites. The EPA’s CERCLIS includes a list of 15,000 sites nationally identified as hazardous sites. This would also involve a review for archived sites that have been removed from CERCLIS due to No Further Remedial Action Planned status. EPA RCRIS (RCRA Info). The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Information System (RCRIS or RCRA Info) is a national inventory system about hazardous waste handlers. Generators, transporters, handlers, and disposers of hazardous waste are required to provide information for this database. DTSC Cortese List. DTSC maintains the Hazardous Waste and Substances Sites (Cortese) list as a planning document for use by the State and local agencies to comply with CEQA requirements by providing information about the location of hazardous materials release sites. This list includes the Site Mitigation and Brownfields Reuse Program Database.
DTSC HazNet. DTSC uses this database to track hazardous waste shipments. SWRCB LUSTIS. Through the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Information System (LUSTIS), SWRCB maintains an inventory of USTs and LUSTs, which tracks unauthorized releases.
The required lists of hazardous material release sites summarized above are commonly and collectively referred to as the “Cortese List,” named after the legislator who authored the legislation. Because the statute was enacted more than 20 years ago, some of the provisions refer to agency activities that were conducted many years ago and are no longer being implemented and, in some cases, the information required in the 476
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Cortese List does not exist. Those requesting a copy of the Cortese Lists are now referred directly to the appropriate information resources on websites hosted by the boards or departments referenced in the statute, including DTSC’s online EnviroStor database and the SWRCB’s online GeoTracker database. These two databases include hazardous material release sites, along with other categories of sites or facilities specific to each agency’s jurisdiction.
A search of the online EnviroStor and GeoTracker databases on October 26, 2023, identified six hazardous materials sites within the City of Wildomar, as shown in Table 5.9-1, Hazardous Sites in the City of Wildomar (SWRCB 2023; DTSC 2023). All six sites are designated as “closed,” “completed–case closed,” “no action required,” or “no further action.”
Table 5.9-1 Hazardous Sites in the City of Wildomar
ID Site Name Address Site Type Status
SITES LISTED ON ENVIROSTOR
33650001 Elementary School No. 15 La Estrella Road/George Porras Road School Investigation No Action Required
60000994 Donald Graham Medical
Therapy Unit 35450 Frederick Street School Investigation No Action Required 33010015 Elsinore High School
Expansion Bundy Canyon Road/Orchard Street School Investigation No Action Required
SITES LISTED ON GEOTRACKER
T0606500259 Elsinore Valley Municipal
Water District 33751 Mission Trail LUST Cleanup Site Case Closed T0606599151 NAZM Group Inc. DBA Arco
AMPM 33986 Orange Street LUST Cleanup Site Case Closed
T0606599184 Inland Valley Regional Med
Center 36485 Inland Valley Drive LUST Cleanup Site Case Closed Source: SWRCB 2023; DTSC 2023.
The City of Wildomar has minimal industrial development within its City limits. The City currently has a small portion of land zoned light industrial (LI) on the western edge of the City, mostly contained within the bounding streets of Mission Trail, Corydon Road, and Guffy Lane. The other sizable location zoned as LI is located in the southeastern portion of the City, north of I-15. A release or spill of hazardous materials within these areas may put people and properties in hazardous and dangerous situations. Most hazardous materials in the area are those transported on main roadways through the City and on I-15, which runs directly through Wildomar. There have been no reported roadway hazardous material incidents since 1970 in the City (Wildomar 2021).
Potential Hazardous Building Materials
Some buildings in the City were built before the 1970s; based on the ages of these buildings, there is a potential for building materials to contain asbestos or lead-based paint (LBP). A potential release of hazardous materials could occur when ACM or LBP are disturbed during renovation or demolition activities. 477
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This disturbance could be harmful to human health. Typical hazardous materials of concern for existing older structures in the City include the following:
Asbestos is a mineral fiber that is carcinogenic and harmful to respiratory health. Because of its fiber strength and heat resistance, it was widely used in a variety of building construction materials for insulation and as a fire-retardant, as well as in friction and heat-resistant products. Use of asbestos in the manufacturing of these products was common throughout California, until 1977, when it was banned.
Older buildings constructed prior to 1978 could contain ACM. Asbestos can be released when ACMs are disturbed by cutting, sanding, drilling, or other remodeling activities. Improper attempts to remove these materials can release asbestos fibers into the air, increasing asbestos levels and affecting indoor air quality. Lead is a recognized harmful environmental pollutant that can pose a hazard when exposed through air, drinking water, food, contaminated soil, deteriorating paint, and dust. Lead was widely used in paint, gasoline, water pipes, and many other products prior to documentation of its health hazards. The use of LBP was banned in California in 1978, and therefore, buildings constructed prior to 1978 could contain LBP. If LBP is improperly removed from surfaces by dry scraping or sanding, LBP can be inhaled or otherwise absorbed into the body and could pose a potential public health risk. Mold can impair indoor air quality. The presence of visible water damage, damp materials, visible mold, or mold odor in buildings increases the potential risks of respiratory disease of occupants. According to the California Department of Public Health, known health risks include the development of asthma, allergies, and respiratory infections, the triggering of asthma attacks, and increased wheezing, coughing, difficulty breathing, and other symptoms.
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) are synthetic chemicals that were manufactured for use in various industrial and commercial applications––including oil in electrical and hydraulic equipment, and plasticizers in paints, plastics, and rubber products––because of their non-flammability, chemical stability, high boiling point, and electrical insulation properties. When released into the environment, PCBs persist for many years and bioaccumulate in organisms. The EPA has classified PCBs as probable human carcinogens. In 1979, the EPA banned the use of PCBs in most new electrical equipment and began a program to phase out certain existing PCB-containing equipment. Radon is a naturally-occurring odorless, tasteless, and invisible gas produced from the decay of uranium in soil and water. Structures placed on native soils with elevated levels of radon can be impacted by the intrusion of radon gas into breathing spaces of the overlying structures, which can cause lung cancer.
Riverside County is listed as a Zone 2 county, which predicts an average indoor radon screening level between 2 and 4 pCi/L, which is within the recommended levels assigned by the EPA (EPA 2014).
Schools
As described in Chapter 5.3, Air Quality, of this Draft EIR, some land uses are considered more sensitive to airborne hazardous materials than others due to the types of population groups or activities involved.
Because sensitive population groups include children, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) 478
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requires an evaluation of hazardous emissions or handling hazardous materials, substances, or waste within
0.25 miles of an existing or proposed school, private or public.
There are currently nine existing schools in the City of Wildomar, including seven public schools and two private schools.
Pipelines
Pipelines of concern carry hazardous liquids and/or gases that can be harmful to life and property. The City of Wildomar does not contain any hazardous pipelines that run through the City. Through a search on the US DOT National Pipeline Mapping System, the closest gas transmission pipeline is approximately 2.6 miles south/southeast of the City, in the City of Murrieta (DOT 2023).
Airports
Airport operations and their accompanying safety hazards require careful land use planning on adjacent and nearby lands to protect the residential and business communities from the potential hazards that could be created by airport operations. There are no airports in the City of Wildomar. The nearest airport to the City is Skylark Airport (publicly known as Skydive Elsinore), which is a private airstrip in Lake Elsinore, approximately 425 feet west of the City’s western boundary. The nearest public airport, which is approximately 4.8 miles southeast of Wildomar, is the French Valley Airport in Murrieta.
Wildfire
The eastern and western portions of the City are within a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (See Figure
5.20-1, Fire Hazard Severity Zones). As stated in Section 5.20.1.2, Existing Conditions, in Section 5.20, Wildfire, undeveloped areas in and adjacent to the City, along with the eastern and western portions of the City, could lead to a serious wildland fire due to threats of dry summers and strong winds. Wildland fire protection is the primary responsibility of Riverside County Fire Department with assistance provided by CAL FIRE under an agreement for fire protection of wildlands.
5.9.2 Thresholds of Significance
According to Appendix G of the CEQA Guidelines, a project would normally have a significant effect on the environment if the project would:
H-1 Create a significant hazard to the public or the environment through the routine transport, use, or disposal of hazardous materials.
H-2 Create a significant hazard to the public or the environment through reasonably foreseeable upset and accident conditions involving the release of hazardous materials into the environment.
H-3 Emit hazardous emissions or handle hazardous or acutely hazardous materials, substance, or waste within one-quarter mile of an existing or proposed school. 479
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H-4 Be located on a site which is included on a list of hazardous materials compiled pursuant to Government Code Section 65962.5 and, as a result, would create a significant hazard to the public or the environment.
H-5 For a project located within an airport land use plan or, where such a plan has not been adopted, within two miles of a public airport or public use airport, would result in a safety hazard or excessive noise for people residing or working in the project area.
H-6 Impair implementation of or physically interfere with an adopted emergency response plan or emergency evacuation plan.
H-7 Expose people or structures, either directly or indirectly, to a significant risk of loss, injury, or death involving wildland fires.
5.9.3 Proposed General Plan Policies
The following are relevant policies from the Proposed General Plan. The 2021-2029 Safety Element also includes applicable policies which are listed under Section 5.9.1.2, Local Regulations, above.
Land Use Element
GOAL LU 6 Maintenance and Compatibility With Other Uses: Development is located and designed to maintain the qualities that distinguish Wildomar and to ensure effective transitions between neighborhoods and districts.
Policy LU-6.1. Protect from Adverse Impacts. Retain and enhance the integrity of existing residential, employment, and open space areas by protecting them from encroachment of land uses that would result in impacts from noise, noxious fumes, glare, shadowing, and traffic.
GOAL LU 11 Industrial Uses: Light industrial uses are accommodated to enhance economic activity and are located and designed in a compatible manner with surrounding land uses. Policy LU-11.1. Protect from Incompatible Uses. Protect industrial lands from encroachment of incompatible or sensitive uses, such as residential or schools, that could be impacted by industrial activity. Policy LU-11.4. Distribution Centers and Warehouses. Limit the development of distribution centers and warehouses to discourage such uses and their significant environmental impacts.
GOAL LU 12 Public Facilities: Governmental, utility, institutional, educational, recreational, cultural, religious, and social facilities and services are located and designed to complement Wildomar’s neighborhoods, centers, and corridors.
Policy LU-12.3. Development Impact Fees. Explore all options for new projects to build associated public improvements up front. When that is infeasible, require that new development contribute their fair share to fund infrastructure and public facilities such as parks and police and fire facilities. 480
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Open Space and Conservation Element
GOAL OS 2: Air quality is protected from adverse environmental factors that contribute to poor air quality. Policy OS-2.3 Compatible Development Siting. Require that siting for new developments is compatible with the existing land uses and ensure that land uses for sensitive receptors such as daycares, schools, hospitals, and elderly housing are separated and protected from polluting point sources using pollution control measures such as distance, barriers, and landscaping.
Recreation and Community Services Element
GOAL RC 4: Community services and recreational programs that support a high quality-of-life and healthy lifestyles.
Policy RC-4.7 Police, Fire and Emergency Medical Services. Work with the Riverside County Sheriff ’s Department and CAL FIRE Riverside County Fire Department to continue to provide effective law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical services.
5.9.4 Environmental Impacts
The applicable thresholds are identified in brackets after the impact statement.
Impact 5.9-1: Project construction and operations would not create a significant impact due to the transport, use, and/or disposal of hazardous materials or due to reasonably foreseeable upset and accident conditions; and would not impact an existing or proposed school. [Thresholds H-1, H-2, and H-3]
Construction
Potentially hazardous materials used during construction include substances such as paints, sealants, solvents, adhesives, cleaners, and diesel fuel. There is potential for these materials to spill or to create hazardous conditions. However, the materials used would not be in such quantities or stored in such a manner as to pose a significant safety hazard. These activities would also be short-term or one time in nature. In the event of a potential release and cleanup of a hazardous material in the construction process, the DEH’s Environmental Cleanup Program (ECP) would provide oversight of environmental investigations and cleanup of contaminated sites. Project construction workers would be trained in safe handling and hazardous materials use pursuant to Cal/OSHA requirements.
To prevent hazardous conditions, existing local, state, and federal laws—such as those listed under Section
5.9.1.2, Regulatory Background—are to be enforced at construction sites, as well as during the transport and disposal of hazardous materials. For example, compliance with existing regulations would ensure that construction workers and the public are not exposed to any risks related to hazardous materials during construction activities. Cal/OSHA has regulations concerning the use of hazardous materials, including requirements for safety training, exposure warnings, availability of safety equipment, and preparation of emergency action/prevention plans. For example, all spills or leakage of petroleum products during 481
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construction activities are required to be immediately contained, the hazardous material identified, and the material remediated in compliance with applicable state and local regulations for the cleanup and disposal of that contaminant. All contaminated waste encountered would be required to be collected and disposed of at an appropriately licensed disposal or treatment facility. Furthermore, strict adherence to all emergency response plan requirements set forth by the Riverside County Fire Department would be required throughout the duration of project construction. Therefore, impacts would be less than significant.
Operations
The proposed project would allow for the development of a variety of land uses, including industrial, residential, commercial, office, civic, and open space uses. Industrial uses and some commercial uses utilize greater amounts of hazardous materials than other uses, such as residential uses and schools. Operation of future residential and some commercial uses that would be accommodated would involve the use of small quantities of hazardous materials for cleaning and maintenance purposes, such as paints, household cleaners, fertilizers, and pesticides. Operation of future industrial and some types of commercial uses would involve use of larger amounts of hazardous materials, such as fuel/diesel, and commercial grade chemicals, solvents, cleaners, etc. These types of industrial and commercial uses, and therefore, the specific types of hazardous materials to be used, are not yet known.
The use, storage, transport, and disposal of hazardous materials by future residents and commercial and industrial tenants/owners would be required to comply with existing regulations of several agencies, including the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, US Environmental Protection Agency, California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, California Department of Transportation, and Riverside County Fire Department. Regulations that would apply to the uses that involve transporting, using, or disposing of hazardous materials include RCRA, which provides the “cradle to grave” regulation of hazardous wastes; CERCLA, which regulates closed and abandoned hazardous waste sites; the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act, which governs hazardous materials transportation on U.S. roadways; International Fire Code (IFC), which creates procedures and mechanisms to ensure the safe handling and storage of hazardous materials; CCR Title 22, which regulates the generation, transportation, treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous waste; and CCR Title 27, which regulates the treatment, storage, and disposal of solid wastes. For development in California, Government Code Section 65850.2 requires that no final certificate of occupancy or its substantial equivalent be issued unless there is verification that the owner or authorized agent has met, or is meeting, the applicable requirements of the Health and Safety Code, Sections 25500 through 25520.
Chapter 8.52 of the City’s Municipal Code requires monitoring establishments where hazardous waste is generated, stored, handled, disposed, treated, or recycled, and to regulate the issuance of permits for certain facilities.
Compliance with applicable laws and regulations governing the use, storage, transport, and disposal of hazardous materials would ensure that all potentially hazardous materials are used and handled in an appropriate manner and would minimize the potential for safety impacts. Additionally, future residential and nonresidential uses under the proposed project would be constructed and operated with strict adherence to all emergency response plan requirements set forth by the Riverside County DEH and the Riverside County Fire Department.
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CalEPA has designated the Riverside County DEH as the CUPA, responsible for managing the following programs in the County:
Underground Storage Tank Program
Aboveground Petroleum Storage Act Requirements
Hazardous Waste Generator and Onsite Hazardous Waste Treatment Programs Hazardous Materials Release Response Plans and Inventories (Business Plan) California Accidental Release Prevention
Hazardous Material Management Plans
Additionally, several policies in the Safety Element and Proposed General Plan would minimize risks from businesses that use hazardous materials. For Example, Policy S-74 aims to enforce land use policies and siting criteria related to hazardous materials and waste through ongoing implementation of the programs identified in the County of Riverside Hazardous Waste Management Plan. Therefore, impacts would be less than significant.
Demolition
Future development projects under the Proposed General Plan may involve demolition of existing buildings and structures associated with a specific development site. Some building materials used in the mid- and late1900s are considered hazardous to the environment and harmful to people. For example, while asbestos was generally not used in building materials by 1980, it was still occasionally used until the late 1980s. Lead-based paint was banned for residential use in 1978 and phased out for commercial structures in 1993.
Typical hazardous materials of concern for existing older structures in the City include asbestos, lead, mold, PCBs, and radon.
For buildings constructed before the 1950s, it is likely that some may contain ACMs and LBP, as well as other building materials containing lead (e.g., ceramic tile and insulation). Demolition of these buildings could cause encapsulated ACM (if present) to become friable (i.e., easily crumbled or pulverized); once airborne, they are considered a carcinogen. Demolition could also cause the release of lead into the air. The EPA has classified lead and inorganic lead compounds as “probable human carcinogens,” and such releases could pose significant risks to persons living and working in and around a proposed development site (EPA 2004).
The presence of visible water damage, damp materials, visible mold, or mold odor in buildings increases the potential risks of respiratory disease of occupants. According to the California Department of Public Health, known health risks include the development of asthma, allergies, and respiratory infections, the triggering of asthma attacks, and increased wheezing, coughing, difficulty breathing, and other symptoms.
PCBs are synthetic chemicals that were manufactured for use in various industrial and commercial applications––including oil in electrical and hydraulic equipment, and plasticizers in paints, plastics, and rubber products––because of their non-flammability, chemical stability, high boiling point, and electrical insulation properties. When released into the environment, PCBs persist for many years and bioaccumulate in organisms. The EPA has classified PCBs as probable human carcinogens. In 1979, the EPA banned the use 483
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of PCBs in most new electrical equipment and began a program to phase out certain existing PCB-containing equipment.
State agencies, in conjunction with the federal EPA and OSHA, regulate removal, abatement, and transport procedures for asbestos-containing materials. Releases of asbestos from industrial, demolition, or construction activities are prohibited by these regulations; medical evaluation and monitoring are required for employees performing activities that could expose them to asbestos. The regulations include warnings and practices that must be followed to reduce the risk for asbestos emissions and exposure. Finally, federal, state, and local agencies must be notified prior to the onset of demolition or construction activities with the potential to release asbestos. Requirements for limiting asbestos emissions from building demolition and renovation activities are specified in South Coast AQMD Rule 1403 (Asbestos Emissions from Demolition/Renovation Activities). California Government Code Sections 1529 and 1532.1 provide for exposure limits, exposure monitoring, respiratory protection and good working practice by workers exposed to lead and ACM. Therefore, impacts would be less than significant.
Accidental Release
The use, storage, and transport of hazardous materials and hazardous wastes in compliance with the laws and regulations mentioned above would minimize the potential for releases of hazardous materials that could pose substantial hazards to the public or the environment and would entail prompt containment and cleanup of spills. Residential uses, some civic uses such as schools and parks, and some commercial uses utilize only small amounts of hazardous materials—such as cleansers, paints, fertilizers, and pesticides—and mostly or entirely for cleaning and maintenance purposes. Use of such small amounts of hazardous materials would not pose substantial hazards to the public or the environment through accidental releases. Businesses handling reporting quantities of hazardous or extremely hazardous materials would maintain business plans including:
procedures in the event of a hazardous materials release, procedures for immediate notification of all appropriate agencies and personnel, identification of local emergency medical assistance, contact information for company emergency coordinators, a listing and location of emergency equipment at the business, an evacuation plan, and a training program for business personnel.
CalARP aims to be proactive and therefore requires businesses to prepare risk management plans, which are detailed engineering analyses of the potential accident factors present at a business and the mitigation measures that can be implemented to reduce this accident potential. The Riverside County Environmental Health Division is the CUPA designated as the administering agency for CalARP. Therefore, impacts would be less than significant.
Pipelines
As noted in Section 5.9.1.3, Existing Conditions, Wildomar does not contain any hazardous pipelines that run through the City, and the closest gas transmission pipeline is approximately 2.6 miles south/southeast of the City in Murrieta (DOT 2023). Therefore, impacts would be less than significant.
Level of Significance Before Mitigation: Impact 5.9-1 would be less than significant. 484
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Mitigation Measures
No mitigation measures are required.
Level of Significance After Mitigation: Impact 5.9-1 would be less than significant.
Impact 5.9-2: The City is on a list of hazardous materials sites, but would not create a significant hazard to the public or environment. [Threshold H-4]
As identified in Table 5.9-1, Hazardous Sites in the City of Wildomar, a search of the online EnviroStor and GeoTracker databases on October 26, 2023, identified six hazardous materials sites within the City (SWRCB 2023; DTSC 2023). All six sites are designated as either “case closed” or “no action required.” Although there are six hazardous waste sites in the City, development on other sites in the City may result in hazardous materials impacts. However, properties contaminated by hazardous substances are regulated at the local, state, and federal level and are subject to compliance with stringent laws and regulations for investigations and remediation. For example, compliance with the CERCLA, RCRA, CCR Title 22, and related requirements would remedy all potential impacts caused by hazardous substance contamination. Additionally, there are several policies in the Proposed General Plan and Safety Element that would ensure impacts as a result of hazardous materials would be reduced. For example, Policy S-76 requires discretionary development projects that will generate hazardous wastes or materials to include detailed information on reduction, recycling, and storage of the hazardous materials. Therefore, buildout of the Proposed General Plan would result in a less than significant impact upon compliance with existing laws and regulations.
Level of Significance Before Mitigation: Impact 5.9-2 would be less than significant.
Mitigation Measures
No mitigation measures are required.
Level of Significance After Mitigation: Impact 5.9-2 would be less than significant.
Impact 5.9-3: The City is not located in the vicinity of an airport or within the jurisdiction of an airport land use plan. [Threshold H-5]
Airport operations and their accompanying safety hazards require careful land use planning on adjacent and nearby lands to protect the residential and business communities from the potential hazards that could be created by airport operations. Pursuant to Section 21096 of the Public Resources Code, the lead agency must consider whether the project would result in a safety hazard for persons using the airport or for persons residing or working in a project area.
The City of Wildomar is not within the vicinity of any airports or within the jurisdiction of an airport land use plan. Therefore, no impacts would occur.
Level of Significance Before Mitigation: Impact 5.9-3 would have no impact. 485
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Mitigation Measures
No mitigation measures are required.
Level of Significance After Mitigation: Impact 5.9-3 would have no impact.
Impact 5.9-4: Project development would not affect the implementation of an emergency responder or evacuation plan. [Threshold H-6]
Regional access to and from Wildomar is limited to I-15. Several arterials in the City funnel traffic to larger arterials and freeways. Several major roadways and transit routes within and adjacent to the City are crossed by one or more disaster prone areas—including Alquist Priolo zones, very high fire hazard severity zones, 100-year flood zones, dam inundation zones, and other hazards (see Figure 5.7-2, Regional Fault Location Map; Figure 5.10-3, FEMA Flood Zones; 5.10-4, Dam Inundation Zones; and 5.20-1, Fire Severity Zones). Any of these disasters can cause damage to transportation infrastructure, preventing or impeding access by emergency responders and evacuation by residents.
As indicated in Section 2.32.080, Emergency Plan, of the Wildomar Municipal Code, the Wildomar Disaster Council is responsible for the development of the City’s emergency plan, which shall provide the effective mobilization of all the resources of the City, both public and private, to meet any condition constituting a local emergency. Furthermore, the City of Wildomar is covered under its LHMP and EOP which provide strategies to address emergencies in the City.
The City of Wildomar Emergency Services Department strives to promote a secure and resilient City with capabilities required across the whole community to prevent, mitigate, prepare, respond to, and recover from natural and man-made disasters.
The Community Emergency Response Team was placed on hold due to the pandemic. The City anticipates a new emergency response program that will help residents of the community with the skills to respond to an emergency situation (Wildomar 2022). Furthermore, the purpose of Wildomar Municipal Code Chapter 2.32, Disaster Relief, is to provide for the preparation and carrying out of plans for the protection of persons and property within the City in the event of an emergency.
To ensure the effectiveness of emergency planning and hazard mitigation, the local and regional fire department works with an array of community partners. These include utility service providers (water, power, and sanitation), schools, community organizations, residents, and other local entities. Mutual and automatic aid agreements are also maintained with numerous surrounding local, state, and federal agencies to allow for appropriate backup services in case of an emergency, disaster, or other similar event.
Wildomar has also implemented Government Code Section 65302 which requires that the safety element of a general plan address evacuation routes. The CAL FIRE safety element checklist also requires cities to address evacuation routes. During an emergency, CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department would provide emergency services within the City. Future development under the proposed project would be required to comply with applicable fire and building codes to meet minimum standards for fire safety.. In addition, the 486
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Wildomar Safety Element includes information identifying residential developments in hazard areas that do not have at least two emergency evacuation routes, per Senate Bill 99 (2018). According to the Safety Element, the Farm Specific Plan, east of I-15 and south of Bundy Canyon, is within a hazard-prone area that lacks multiple emergency access points. The areas of concern have been identified and with use of the City’s EOP and Policies S-97 and S-98, which would aim to correspond citizens with emergency notifications and plans to safely respond to emergencies, the impacts would be reduced to less than significant.
Additionally, implementation of the Safety Element policies would ensure impacts are reduced during an emergency evacuation. For example, Policies S-97 and S-98 aim to maintain a City EOP which includes the National Incident Management System (N.I.M.S.) and to coordinate with local and State Emergency Management agencies using the Standardized Emergency Management System (S.E.M.S.) and N.I.M.S. to facilitate multi-agency emergency response. These policies would ensure adequate communication in the event of an emergency. Therefore, compliance with applicable regulations, and implementation of emergency and evacuation plans as well as the policies in the General Plan would reduce impacts to less than significant.
Level of Significance Before Mitigation: Impact 5.9-4 would be less than significant.
Mitigation Measures
No mitigation measures are required.
Level of Significance After Mitigation: Impact 5.9-4 would be less than significant.
Impact 5.9-5: Portions of the City are in a very high fire hazard severity zones and could expose structures and/or residences to fire hazards. [Threshold H-7] Wildland fires are uncontrolled fires typically in areas of little to no development, but these fires can spread quickly to the urban/wildland interface where development meets expanses of vegetative fuels. Wildomar is an interface area where a proactive approach to preventing the start and spread of wildland fire is vital to protecting lives and property. As shown on Figure 5.20-1, Fire Hazard Severity Zones, the eastern and western portions of the City are within Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones. Additionally, there is some risk of landslides and flooding, after the occurrence of wildfire.
Although wildfire risks are present in the City, adherence to applicable building practices and the Proposed General Plan and Safety Element policies, such as Policy S-67, which aims to coordinate with the Riverside County Fire Department to implement a long-term fire protection training and education program for the City of Wildomar and its citizens, would reduce impacts. Additionally, implementation of Mitigation Measure HAZ-1, which requires compliance with the 2022 California Building Code and the 2022 California Fire Code (or most recent versions), and Mitigation Measure HAZ-2, which requires that an applicant demonstrate that a project is in compliance with the vegetation management requirements, would ensure that buildout under the Proposed General Plan would be less than significant upon implementation of mitigation measures.
Level of Significance Before Mitigation: Impact 5.9-5 would be potentially significant. 487
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Mitigation Measures
HAZ-1 Prior to the issuance of building permits for all projects, the project applicant/developer shall demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the City Building Official and the Riverside County Fire Chief, compliance with the 2022 California Building Code (or the most recent edition) (Part 2 of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations) and the 2022 California Fire Code (or the most recent edition) (Part 9 of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations), including those regulations pertaining to materials and construction methods intended to mitigate wildfire exposure as described in the 2022 California Building Code and California Residential Code (or most recent edition); specifically California Building Code Chapter 7A; California Residential Code Section R327; California Residential Code Section R337; California Referenced Standards Code Chapter 12 7A; and California Fire Code HAZ-2 Prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy for all projects, the applicant shall demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the City Building Official and the County Fire Chief, compliance with the vegetation management requirements prescribed in California Fire Code Section 4906 and California Government Code Section 51182.
Level of Significance After Mitigation: Impact 5.9-5 would be less than significant.
5.9.5 Cumulative Impacts
The geographic scope of analysis for cumulative hazards and hazardous materials impacts encompasses the entirety of the City of Wildomar. While some impacts relative to hazardous materials are generally sitespecific and depend on the nature and extent of the hazardous materials release, other impacts, including the transport of hazardous materials across regional transportation systems and wildfire impacts, have the potential to impact areas outside of the City.
Hazardous Materials
Construction activities for all projects in the County, including within incorporated jurisdictions, would be subject to the same regulatory requirements discussed for the project for compliance with existing hazardous materials regulations, including the management of hazardous materials and spill response within the respective jurisdictions. Cumulative projects that transport, use, store, or dispose of hazardous materials would be required to comply with the same regulations as the proposed project. Entities that use hazardous materials would be required to prepare and implement Hazardous Materials Business Plans that would describe procedures for the safe and legal transportation, storage, use, and disposal of hazardous materials.
Based upon these considerations, the cumulative effect of the proposed project’s implementation would be less than significant.
Emergency Response and Evacuation
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vehicles or evacuation and would therefore not create a cumulatively considerable effect. While additional traffic volumes are expected under the planning horizon of the Proposed General Plan, the EOP, LHMP and the Safety Element policies would ensure adequate emergency response and evacuation. Based upon these considerations, the cumulative effect of the proposed project’s implementation would be less than significant.
Fire Hazards
Cumulative impacts with respect to wildfire are addressed in Section 5.20.
5.9.6 Level of Significance Before Mitigation
Upon implementation of regulatory requirements and standard conditions of approval, some impacts would be less than significant: 5.9-1, 5.9-2, 5.9-3, and 5.9-4.
5.9.7 Mitigation Measures
HAZ-1 Prior to the issuance of building permits for all projects, the project applicant/developer shall demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the City Building Official and the Riverside County Fire Chief, compliance with the 2022 California Building Code (or the most recent edition) (Part 2 of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations) and the 2022 California Fire Code (or the most recent edition) (Part 9 of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations), including those regulations pertaining to materials and construction methods intended to mitigate wildfire exposure as described in the 2022 California Building Code and California Residential Code (or most recent edition); specifically California Building Code Chapter 7A; California Residential Code Section R327; California Residential Code Section R337; California Referenced Standards Code Chapter 12 7A; and California Fire Code Chapter 49.
HAZ-2 Prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy for all projects, the applicant shall demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the City Building Official and the County Fire Chief, compliance with the vegetation management requirements prescribed in California Fire Code Section 4906 and California Government Code Section 51182.
5.9.8 Level of Significance After Mitigation
Impact 5.9-5
Mitigation Measure HAZ-1 requires compliance with the 2022 California Building Code and the 2022 California Fire Code (or most recent versions), and Mitigation Measure HAZ-2 requires that an applicant demonstrate that a project is in compliance with the vegetation management requirements. Therefore, Mitigation Measures HAZ-1 and HAZ-2 would reduce potential impacts associated with wildfires to a level that is less than significant.
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5.9.9 References
California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle). 2023, July 19. Solid Waste Information System (SWIS). http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/swfacilities/directory/.
California Department of Transportation (DOT). 2011, October. California Airport Land Use Planning Handbook. https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/aeronautics/documents/ californiaairportlanduseplanninghandbook-a11y.pdf.
Department of Environmental Health (DEH), County of Riverside. 2015, May 15. Transporters and Facilities Accepting Universal Waste.
http://www.rivcoeh.org/Portals/0/documents/guidance/hazmat/list_waste_uwastetransporter.pdf. ———. 2023, November. Registered Hazardous Waste Transporters Serving Riverside County. http://www.rivcoeh.org/Portals/0/documents/guidance/hazmat/list_waste_transporters.pdf.
Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC). 2023. EnviroStor. https://www.envirostor.dtsc.ca.gov/public/.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 2004. Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) on Lead and Compounds (Inorganic). National Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, Washington, DC. https://iris.epa.gov/static/pdfs/0277_summary.pdf. ———. 2024. Underground Storage Tank (UST) Finder. https://epa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/ index.html?id=b03763d3f2754461adf86f121345d7bc.
———. 2014. Map of Radon Zones.
https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2014-08/documents/california.pdf.
California Air Resources Board (CARB). 2023, July 27. Pollution Mapping Tool. https://www.arb.ca.gov/ei/tools/pollution_map/.
Office of Statewide Health Policy Development (OSHPD). 2023, July 10. Healthcare Atlas. List of Hospitals in California, USA. http://gis.oshpd.ca.gov/atlas/places/list-of-hospitals.
State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB). 2023. GeoTracker. https://geotracker.waterboards.ca.gov/.
US Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (USDOT). 2017, October. Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002. https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/pipeline /congressional-mandates/pipeline-safety-improvement-act-2002. ———. 2023, December 19 (Accessed). National Pipeline Mapping System Public Viewer- Riverside County. https://pvnpms.phmsa.dot.gov/PublicViewer/.
Wildomar, City of. 2021, October 13. 2021-2029 Safety Element. https://www.cityofwildomar.org/205/ 2021-to-2029-Housing-Element-2021-Safety.
———. 2022. Local Hazard Mitigation Plan.
https://www.cityofwildomar.org/314/Local-Hazard-Mitigation-Plan. 490
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5.10 HYDROLOGY AND WATER QUALITY
This section of the DEIR evaluates the potential impacts of the Proposed General Plan to hydrology and water quality conditions in the City of Wildomar. Hydrology deals with the distribution and movement of water, both on land and underground as well as the impact of human activity on water conditions. Water quality refers to the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water based on water quality standards. Surface water includes lakes, rivers, streams, and creeks; groundwater is under the earth’s surface. A summary of the relevant regulatory framework and existing conditions is followed by a discussion of potential impacts and cumulative impacts related to implementation of the Proposed General Plan.
FOCAL POINT
Future development projects under the Proposed General Plan would involve ground disturbance during construction that could affect stormwater runoff and water quality and would increase impervious surfaces and increase runoff post-construction. However, compliance with State, regional and local regulations require the implementation of best management practices for stormwater runoff and erosion, including the preparation of project-specific Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plans for construction and Water Quality Management Plans for post-construction, would reduce impacts to water quality and the storm drainage infrastructure. The determined increase in groundwater pumping needed for buildout of the Proposed General Plan would not exceed the safe yield pumping rate for the groundwater basin, and the Proposed General Plan would not interfere with groundwater recharge. Although there are areas of the City subject to flooding, the City’s Municipal Code contains requirements pertaining to construction in flood hazard areas that reduce potential impacts from flooding or the release of pollutants due to flooding. In addition, the Proposed General Plan includes policies related to drainage, water quality, and flood control that would contribute to minimizing impacts on hydrology and water quality. Impacts to hydrology and water quality with implementation of the Proposed General Plan would be less than significant.
5.10.1 Environmental Setting
5.10.1.1 REGULATORY BACKGROUND
Federal Regulations
Clean Water Act
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the lead federal agency responsible for water quality management and the Clean Water Act (CWA) is the principal statute governing water quality. It establishes the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the waters of the United States and gives the EPA authority to implement pollution control programs. In California, the authority is delegated to the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) and Regional Water Quality Control Boards (RWQCB).
The CWA regulates direct and indirect discharge of pollutants; sets water quality standards for all contaminants in surface waters; and makes it unlawful for any person to discharge any pollutant from a point source into navigable waters unless a permit is obtained under its provisions. The CWA mandates permits for 491
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wastewater and stormwater discharges; requires states to establish site-specific water quality standards; and regulates other activities that affect water quality, such as dredging and the filling of wetlands. The CWA also provides loans for the construction of wastewater treatment plants as well as nonpoint source pollution control and estuary protection projects through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund.
Permits to dredge or fill waters of the United States are administered by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) under Section 404 of the CWA. “Waters of the United States” are defined as territorial seas and traditional navigable waters, perennial and intermittent tributaries to those waters, lakes and ponds and impoundments of jurisdictional waters, and wetlands that have a surface connection with and are adjacent to jurisdictional waters. The regulatory branch of the USACE is responsible for implementing and enforcing Section 404 of the CWA and issuing permits. Any activity that discharges fill material and/or requires excavation in waters of the United States must obtain a Section 404 permit. Before issuing the permit, the USACE requires that an analysis be conducted to demonstrate that the proposed project is the least environmentally damaging alternative. Also, the USACE must comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) before it can issue an individual Section 404 permit.
Under Section 401 of the CWA, every applicant for a Section 404 permit that may result in a discharge to a water body must first obtain State Water Quality Certification that the proposed activity will comply with State water quality standards. Certifications are issued in conjunction with USACE Section 404 permits for dredge and fill discharges. In addition, an application for Individual Water Quality Certification and/or Waste Discharge Requirements must be submitted for any activity that would result in the placement of dredged or fill material in waters of the State that are not jurisdictional to the USACE, such as isolated wetlands, to ensure that the proposed activity complies with State water quality standards. In California, the authority to grant water quality certification or waive the requirement is delegated by the SWRCB to its nine RWQCBs.
Under federal law, the EPA has published water quality regulations under Volume 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Section 303 of the CWA requires states to adopt water quality standards for all surface waters of the United States. As defined by the CWA, water quality standards consist of two elements: (1) designated beneficial uses of the water body in question and (2) criteria that protect the designated uses.
Section 304(a) requires the EPA to publish advisory water quality criteria that accurately reflect the latest scientific knowledge on the kind and extent of all effects on health and welfare that may be expected from the presence of pollutants in water. Where multiple uses exist, water quality standards must protect the most sensitive use. In California, the EPA has delegated authority to the SWRCB and its RWQCBs to identify beneficial uses and adopt applicable water quality objectives.
When water quality does not meet CWA standards and compromises designated beneficial uses of a receiving water body, Section 303(d) of the CWA requires that water body be identified and listed as “impaired.” Once a water body has been designated as impaired, a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) must be developed for the impairing pollutant(s). A TMDL is an estimate of the total load of pollutants from point, nonpoint, and natural sources that a water body may receive without exceeding applicable water quality standards, with a factor of safety included. Once established, the TMDL allocates the loads among current and future pollutant sources to the water body.
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National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program was established by the CWA to regulate municipal and industrial discharges to surface waters of the United States, including discharges from municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4). Federal NPDES permit regulations have been established for broad categories of discharges, including point-source municipal waste discharges and nonpoint-source stormwater runoff. NPDES permits generally identify effluent and receiving water limits on allowable concentrations and/or mass emissions of pollutants in the discharge; prohibitions on discharges not specifically allowed under the permit; and provisions that describe required actions by the discharger, including industrial pretreatment, pollution prevention, self-monitoring, and other activities. Under the NPDES Program, all facilities that discharge pollutants into waters of the United States are required to obtain a NPDES permit. Requirements for stormwater discharges are also regulated under the NPDES permit program. In California, the NPDES permit program is administered by the SWRCB through the nine RWQCBs.
Under the MS4 Permit, the co-permittees use their planning authorities to include appropriate source control, site design, and stormwater treatment measures in new development and redevelopment projects to address both soluble and insoluble stormwater runoff pollutant discharges and prevent increases in runoff flows from new development and redevelopment projects. This goal is accomplished primarily through the implementation of low impact development techniques. In addition, all priority projects must comply with the hydromodification requirements specified in the MS4 permit unless exempt. These requirements include implementing stormwater control measures such that post-project runoff flow rates and durations must not exceed pre-project runoff flow rates and durations by more than 10 percent for the 2-year runoff event up to the 10-year runoff event.
Federal Urban Flooding Awareness Act
Under the Urban Flooding Awareness Act of 2015, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Academy of Sciences will conduct a study on urban flooding. It defines “urban flooding” as the inundation of property in a built environment, particularly in more densely populated areas, caused by rain falling on increased amounts of impervious surface and overwhelming the capacity of drainage systems.
The bill directs FEMA and the National Academy of Sciences to evaluate the latest research, laws, regulations, policies, best practices, procedures, and institutional knowledge regarding urban flooding. The findings from this assessment will direct future federal policies on identifying, preventing, and mitigating urban flooding.
National Flood Insurance Program
FEMA administers the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to provide subsidized flood insurance to communities that comply with FEMA regulations limiting development in floodplains. FEMA also issues Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) that identify which land areas are subject to flooding. These maps provide flood information and identify flood hazard zones in the community. The design standard for flood protection is established by FEMA. FEMA’s minimum level of flood protection for new development is the 100-year flood event, also described as a flood that has a 1-in-100 chance of occurring in any given year. 493
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As required by the FEMA regulations, all development constructed within the 100-year floodplain (as delineated on the FIRM) must be elevated so that the lowest floor is at or above the base flood elevation level. The term “development” is defined by FEMA as any human-made change to improved or unimproved real estate, including but not limited to buildings, other structures, mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation or drilling operations, and storage of equipment or materials. Per these regulations, if development in these areas occurs, a hydrologic and hydraulic analysis must be performed prior to the start of development and must demonstrate that the development does not cause any rise in base flood elevation levels, because no rise is permitted within regulatory floodways. Upon completion of any development that changes existing Special Flood Hazard Area boundaries, the NFIP directs all participating communities to submit the appropriate hydrologic and hydraulic data to FEMA for a FIRM revision, as soon as practicable, but not later than six months after such data become available.
Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act
The Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act provides the basic authority for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to evaluate impacts to fish and wildlife from proposed water resource development projects. This act requires that all federal agencies consult with the USFWS, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and state wildlife agencies (i.e., the California Department of Fish and Wildlife or CDFW) for activities that affect, control, or modify waters of any stream or bodies of water. Under this act, the USFWS has responsibility for reviewing and commenting on all water resources projects. For example, it would provide consultation to the USACE prior to issuance of a Section 404 permit.
If a project may result in the “incidental take” of a listed species, an incidental take permit is required. An incidental take permit allows a developer to proceed with an activity that is legal in all other respects but that results in the “incidental taking” of a listed species. A habitat conservation plan must also accompany an application for an incidental take permit. The purpose of a habitat conservation plan is to ensure that the effects of the permitted action on listed species are adequately minimized and mitigated.
State Regulations
Porter-Cologne Water Quality Act
The Porter-Cologne Water Quality Act (Water Code Sections 13000 et seq.) is the basic water quality control law for California. This act established the SWRCB and divided the state into nine regional basins, each under the jurisdiction of an RWQCB. The SWRCB is the primary State agency responsible for the protection of California’s water quality and groundwater supplies. The RWQCBs carry out the regulation, protection, and administration of water quality in each region. Each regional board is required to adopt a water quality control plan or basin plan that recognizes and reflects the regional differences in existing water quality, the beneficial uses of the region’s ground and surface water, and local water quality conditions and problems.
Although Wildomar is within the boundaries of two RWQCBs, an agreement has been reached between the City and the two RWQCBs that the San Diego RWQCB (Region 9) will have primary jurisdiction within the City for all stormwater and water quality issues. However, any project that discharges stormwater from the northern portion of the City that flows into the Santa Ana River Watershed and ultimately into Lake Elsinore 494
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may be required to meet requirements issued by the Santa Ana RWQCB to ensure compliance with the Lake Elsinore-Canyon Lake TMDLs
The Porter-Cologne Act also authorizes the SWRCB and RWQCBs to issue and enforce waste discharge requirements, NPDES permits, Section 401 water quality certifications, or other approvals. Other State agencies with jurisdiction over water quality regulation in California include the California Department of Water Resources, the SWRCB’s Division of Drinking Water, the CDFW, and the Department of Toxic Substances Control.
State Water Resources Control Board
Regional authority for planning, permitting, and enforcement is delegated to the nine RWQCBs. Regional boundaries are based on watersheds and water quality requirements which are based on the unique differences in climate, topography, geology, and hydrology for each watershed. Each RWQCB makes water quality decisions for its region, including setting standards, issuing waste discharge requirements, determining compliance with these requirements, and taking appropriate enforcement actions. The regional boards are required to formulate and adopt water quality control plans for all areas in the region and establish water quality objectives in the plans.
Although the City of Wildomar is within the boundaries of two RWQCBs, the San Diego RWQCB (Region 9) has primary jurisdiction for compliance with the MS4 permit and other water-quality related issues within the City. However, any project that discharges stormwater from the northern portion of the City that flows into the Santa Ana River Watershed and ultimately into Lake Elsinore must address the Santa Ana RWQCB’s requirements to ensure compliance with the Lake Elsinore-Canyon Lake TMDLs.
SWRCB General Construction Permit
Construction activities that disturb one or more acres of land that could impact hydrologic resources must comply with the requirements of the newly reissued SWRCB Construction General Permit (Order WQ 2022- 0057-DWQ), which became effective on September 1, 2023. Under the terms of the permit, applicants must file Permit Registration Documents (PRD) with the SWRCB prior to the start of construction. The PRDs include a Notice of Intent, risk assessment, site map, Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP), annual fee, and a signed certification statement. The PRDs are submitted electronically to the SWRCB via the Stormwater Multiple Application and Report Tracking System (SMARTS) website.
Applicants must also demonstrate conformance with applicable best management practices (BMP) and prepare a SWPPP containing a site map that shows the construction site perimeter, existing and proposed buildings, lots, roadways, stormwater collection and discharge points, general topography both before and after construction, and drainage patterns across the project site. The SWPPP must list BMPs that will be implemented to prevent soil erosion and discharge of other construction-related pollutants that could contaminate nearby water resources. Additionally, the SWPPP must contain a visual monitoring program, a sampling program to ensure compliance with water quality standards, and on-site collection of samples and inspection of BMPs during a qualifying precipitation event. 495
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The City of Wildomar also requires submission of a Construction Runoff Management Plan for all construction projects that identifies BMPs to be used during the construction phase of projects to protect natural hydrologic features, riparian buffers and corridors, and stormwater retention and reduction (Wildomar 2024a).
SWRCB Board General Industrial Permit
The Statewide General permit for Storm Water Discharges Associated with Industrial Activities, Order No. 2014-0057-DWQ and amended by 2015-0122-DWQ (2018), implements the federally required stormwater regulations in California for stormwater associated with industrial activities that discharge to waters of the United States. This regulation covers facilities that are required by federal regulations or by the RWQCBs to obtain an NPDES permit. Dischargers are required to eliminate nonstorm water discharges, develop SWPPPs that include BMPs, conduct monitoring of stormwater runoff, and submit all compliance documents via the SWRCB’s SMARTS program.
SWRCB Trash Amendments
On April 7, 2015, the SWRCB adopted an amendment to the Water Quality Control Plan for Ocean Waters of California to control trash and Part 1, Trash Provisions, of the Water Quality Control Plan for Inland Surface Waters, Enclosed Bays, and Estuaries of California. They are collectively referred to as “the Trash Amendments.” The Trash Amendments apply to all surface waters of California and include a land-use-based compliance approach to focus trash controls on areas with high trash-generation rates. Areas such as high density residential, industrial, commercial, mixed urban, and public transportation stations are considered priority land uses. There are two compliance tracks for Phase I and Phase II MS4 permittees:
Track 1. Permittees must install, operate, and maintain a network of certified full capture systems in storm drains that capture runoff from priority land uses. Track 2. Permittees must implement a plan with a combination of full capture systems, multi-benefit projects, institutional controls, and/or other treatment methods that have the same effectiveness as Track 1 methods.
The Trash Amendments provide a framework for permittees to implement their provisions. Full compliance must occur within 10 years of the permit, and permittees must also meet interim milestones such as average load reductions of 10 percent per year. The amendment mandates that the City needs to install certified full trash capture systems in all City applicable storm drain infrastructure by December 2, 2030 (SWRCB 2023).
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
The CDFW protects streams, water bodies, and riparian corridors through the streambed alteration agreement process under Sections 1600 to 1616 of the California Fish and Game Code. The Fish and Game Code stipulates that it is “unlawful to substantially divert or obstruct the natural flow or substantially change the bed, channel or bank of any river, stream or lake” without notifying the CDFW, incorporating necessary 496
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mitigation, and obtaining a streambed alteration agreement. CDFW’s jurisdiction extends to the top of banks and often includes the outer edge of riparian vegetation.
Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014
In the midst of a major drought in 2014, a three-bill legislative package consisting of Assembly Bill (AB) 1739, Senate Bill (SB) 1168, and SB 1319, collectively known as the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), was signed into law on September 16, 2014 (DWR 2023a). The Governor’s signing message states “a central feature of these bills is the recognition that groundwater management in California is best accomplished locally.” Under SGMA, in groundwater basins that are designated as medium and high priority, local public agencies and groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs) must assess conditions in their local groundwater basins and then prepare groundwater sustainability plans (GSPs).
California Water Code Section 13751: Water Wells
Section 13751 of the Water Code requires a Well Completion Report from each person who digs, bores, or drills a water well, cathodic protection well, groundwater monitoring well, or geothermal heat exchange well or abandons or modifies an existing well. The report must be filed with the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) within 60 days of the date that construction, alteration, abandonment, or destruction of a well is completed (DWR 2023b). Completed reports are sent to and maintained at the DWR regional office that serves the area where the well is located.
Water Conservation in Landscaping Act of 2006
The Water Conservation in Landscaping Act includes the State of California’s Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO), which requires cities and counties to adopt landscape water conservation ordinances. The MWELO was revised in July 2015 via Executive Order B-29-15 to address the ongoing drought and build resiliency for future droughts. State law requires all land use agencies, which includes cities and counties, to adopt an ordinance that is at least as efficient as the MWELO.
The 2015 revisions to the MWELO promote water conservation in the landscaping sector by promoting efficient landscapes in new developments and retrofitted landscapes. The revisions increase water efficiency by requiring more efficient irrigation systems, incentives for grey water usage, improvements in on-site stormwater capture, and limiting the portion of landscapes that can be covered in high-water-use plants and turf. New development projects that include landscape areas of 2,500 square feet or more are subject to the MWELO. This applies to residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional projects that require a permit, plan check, or design review. Wildomar Municipal Code Chapter 17.276, Water-Efficient Landscapes, adopts these requirements.
Regional Regulations
San Diego RWQCB
Wildomar lies within the boundaries of two different RWQCBs: Santa Ana RWQCB (Region 8) and San Diego RWQCB (Region 9). However, pursuant to California Water Code section 13228, the City submitted a 497
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written request that one RWQCB be designated to regulate its Phase I Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) discharges. In 2015, the two RWQCBs entered an agreement that Wildomar would be regulated by the San Diego RWQCB, including the parts of the City within the Santa Ana RWQCB boundaries.
Therefore, the City is subject to the waste discharge requirements for the MS4 Permit (Order No. R9-2013- 0001, as amended by Order Nos. R9-2015-0001 and R9-2015-0100, and NPDES Permit No. CAS0109266) and issued by the San Diego RWQCB.
The San Diego RWQCB addresses regionwide water quality issues through the creation and triennial update of the “Water Quality Control Plan for the San Diego Basin” (Region 9 Basin Plan), which was adopted in 1995 and most recently amended in September 2021 (RWQCB 2021). This Basin Plan designates beneficial uses of the State waters in Region 9; describes the water quality that must be maintained to support such uses; and provides programs, projects, and other actions necessary to achieve the standards in the Region 9 Basin Plan. The southern part of the City is within the Santa Margarita River Watershed (see Figure 5.10-1, Watersheds).
Santa Ana RWQCB
The northern portion of Wildomar is within the Santa Ana River Watershed (see Figure 5.10-1, Watersheds).
New projects that generate stormwater in this portion of the City that drains north into the Santa Ana River Watershed with ultimate discharge into Lake Elsinore are subject to some restrictions issued by the Santa Ana RWQCB (Region 8). To minimize nutrient loading and eutrophication in Lake Elsinore, project applicants within the Lake Elsinore subwatershed of the Santa Ana River Watershed need to obtain a waiver for mitigation volume from the Santa Ana RWQCB prior to the issuance of grading permits by the City.
Regional MS4 Permit
The MS4 Permit issued by the San Diego RWQCB lists the City of Wildomar as one of the permittees (Order No. R9-2013-0001, last amended in 2015, and NPDES Permit No. CAS0109266). The San Diego RWQCB’s authority under the MS4 permit extends to all properties within the City of Wildomar, including the northern areas of the City that are within the Santa Ana River Watershed. However, the City must comply with the Lake Elsinore-Canyon Lake TMDLs issued by the Santa Ana RWQCB, which impacts projects in the northern portion of the City that discharge stormwater that drains north into the Santa Ana River Watershed.
As discussed above, new project applicants in this portion of the City must obtain a waiver for mitigation volume from the Santa Ana RWQCB prior to the issuance of grading permits by the City.
All new development projects that create 10,000 square feet or more of impervious surfaces and all redevelopment projects that create and/or replace 5,000 square feet or more of impervious surfaces are considered to be priority projects and are required to prepare a WQMP. In addition, all priority projects that do not meet exemption criteria must comply with the hydromodification requirements specified in the MS4 permit. These requirements include implementing stormwater control measures such that post-project runoff flow rates and durations must not exceed pre-project runoff flow rates and durations by more than 10 percent for the 2-year runoff event up to the 10-year runoff event 498
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All priority projects must implement site design, source control, and stormwater treatment BMPs. The treatment control BMPs should be properly selected, designed, inspected, and maintained to ensure that the design capture volume (DCV) is captured on-site. Low-impact development (LID) methods are the primary mechanisms for implementing such controls. The City has prepared a template for water quality management plans (WQMP) and a checklist for identifying priority projects and submittal requirements to assist developers in properly designing and sizing BMPs for new development and redevelopment projects.
Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District The Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District (RCFCWCD) is the regional drainage authority for the western portion of Riverside County. The RCFCWCD was created to keep residents safe from flood hazards and enforces regulations pertaining to stormwater drainage and new development, floodplains, construction of flood control structures and facilities, flood warning and early detection, and maintenance and operation of completed structures (RCFCWCD 2023). The RCFCWD publishes design standards for storm drains and related stormwater infrastructure throughout the County.
RCFCWCD Master Drainage Plans and Area Drainage Plans
The RCFCWCD addresses existing and future drainage needs within its watershed limits with Master Drainage Plans (MDP). The MDPs are prepared to resolve flooding issues within a community and provide cost estimates for improvements to channels, storm drains, levees, basins, dams, wetlands or any conveyance system capable of relieving flooding impacts (RCFCWCD 2023). Wildomar is within the following MDP areas: Wildomar Area, Sedco Area, and Murrieta Creek Area (RCFCWCD 2024).
The RCFCWCD creates area drainage plans as a financial mechanism to offset taxpayer costs for proposed drainage facility improvements. These fees are imposed on new development within each plan area. The area drainage plan is similar to the MDP but with additional information to support costs and distribution of fees within the plan area. Wildomar is within the following area drainage plan areas: Murrieta Creek/Wildomar Valley and Murrieta Creek/Murrieta Valley.
RCFCWCD Stormwater and Water Conservation Tracking Tool The RCFCWCD developed an online geodatabase to support stormwater management tracking for copermittees of the Regional MS4 permit (Riverside County 2024a). The Stormwater and Water Conservation Tracking Tool shows the locations of stormwater infrastructure throughout the County, including storm drains, detention and retention basins, dams, debris basins, levees, spreading grounds, areas exempt from hydromodification, proposed new facilities, and hydrological units and flood plain data.
Riverside County LID BMP Handbooks
The RCFCWCD developed the LID BMP Handbook for Riverside County development projects (Riverside County 2024b). The LID BMP Handbook supplements information provided in the WQMP prepared for each watershed in Riverside County. Guidance for BMP selection, design, and maintenance is provided in the LID BMP Handbook. Sizing calculation methodologies for the Santa Ana River and Santa Margarita River 500
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Watersheds are provided in the LID BMP Handbooks for capturing runoff generated from an 85th percentile, 24-hour storm event (RCFCWCD 2011, 2018).
Integrated Regional Water Management Plan for the Santa Ana River Watershed In 2018, an Integrated Regional Water Management Plan (IRWM Plan) was prepared for the Santa Ana River Watershed—"One Water One Watershed” (SAWPA 2019). The City of Wildomar was a stakeholder in the IRWM planning process. The IRWM Plan is a guide for long range improvements in watershed sustainability, resilience, and quality of life through collaborative watershed planning, water and land management and project implementation (SAWPA 2019). The IRWM Plan provides guiding principles, goals, and planning targets for long term watershed management.
Upper Santa Margarita Watershed Integrated Regional Water Management Plan An IRWM Plan for the Upper Santa Margarita Watershed was prepared in 2014 by RCFCWCD, Riverside County, the Rancho California Water District, and a stakeholder advisory committee (RCFCWCD 2014). The City of Wildomar was also a stakeholder in the Upper Santa Margarita Watershed IRWM planning process.
The IRWM Plan for the Upper Santa Margarita Watershed enhanced the region’s collaboration to ensure sustainable water supply and water efficiency; protect and ensure water quality; improve outreach to disadvantaged communities and tribal stakeholders; and update and refine the region’s needs, goals, and objectives (RCFCWCD 2014).
Santa Margarita Watershed Water Quality Improvement Plan Agencies involved in the development of the Santa Margarita Water Quality Improvement Plan (WQIP) include the California Department of Transportation, Riverside County, RCFCWCD, San Diego County, and cities in Riverside County, including the City of Wildomar. The WQIP is a requirement of updated stormwater regulations adopted by the Regional MS4 Permit. The ultimate goal of the WQIP is to protect, preserve, enhance, and restore water quality of receiving water bodies. The highest priority water quality condition is excessive nutrients in water bodies due to stormwater runoff, which causes algae growth and stress to aquatic organisms due to a lack of oxygen. The Middle Santa Margarita River subwatershed, which includes the City of Wildomar, has adopted an alternative approach to traditional TMDLs with the goal of reducing dry weather stormwater flow volumes to address nutrient loading and eutrophication in the Santa Margarita River Estuary. . Receiving water bodies are assessed and monitored through water sampling programs during dry and wet weather conditions. MS4 outfalls are also monitored to ensure that pollutants in stormwater discharge are reduced to the maximum extent possible (Riverside County 2024). According to the latest Annual Report, the permittees in the Middle Santa Margarita River Subwatershed have met their interim goal with a reduction in loadings of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) at the receiving water outfall.
Elsinore Valley Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan As a requirement of SGMA, high and medium priority basins must create and implement groundwater sustainability plans. Because the Elsinore Valley Groundwater Subbasin is designated a medium priority basin, a GSP was prepared in 2022 and approved by DWR in October 2023. The Elsinore Valley Municipal Water 501
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District (EVMWD) is the single GSA for this basin. The GSP describes current and historical groundwater conditions, prepares a water budget, establishes sustainable yield criteria and a groundwater monitoring network, and develops management programs to ensure that the basin will meet its sustainability goals (DWR 2023c). Some of the specific project management actions for the Elsinore Valley Subbasin include groundwater well replacement, managed groundwater pumping with recharge, and septic tank conversions (EVMWD 2021a).
Local Regulations
City of Wildomar Jurisdictional Runoff Management Program The Jurisdictional Runoff Management Plan (JRMP) gives an overview of the runoff management programs and activities that have been implemented by the City to comply with the requirements of the Regional MS4 Permit. The JRMP describes the LID measures, BMPs and compliance procedures implemented by the City as well as ordinances, plans, policies, and procedures to manage stormwater runoff (Wildomar 2023). Each project application for new development or redevelopment is reviewed by the City’s Public Works/Engineering Department to determine if a proposed project is a priority development which requires a project-specific WQMP. Project-specific WQMPs would include LID BMPs and identify entities responsible for BMP implementation and maintenance and funding mechanisms (Wildomar 2023).
The main MS4 facilities owned and operated by the City and regulated under the Regional MS4 Permit consist of underground storm drains, open channels, and streets; additional MS4 facilities and discharges are owned and operated by RCFCWCD (Wildomar 2023). The main receiving waters downstream of the City of Wildomar’s jurisdiction include Lake Elsinore, Murrieta Creek, Santa Margarita River, and Santa Margarita Lagoon.
City of Wildomar WQMP Template
The City provides a WQMP template for preparing project-specific WQMPs for priority development projects in Wildomar (Wildomar 2024). The WQMP template is a step-by-step guide to ensure priority development projects meet the Regional MS4 Permit requirements in the Santa Margarita River Watershed.
The WQMP template includes site plans, hydromodification requirements, identification of receiving water bodies and designated beneficial uses, additional permits/approvals needed for the project, and LID BMP information. Section G of the WQMP template includes a methodology for implementing Trash Capture BMPs
City of Wildomar Master Drainage Plan
The 2019 Master Drainage Plan was developed to identify local flood control facilities that are required to meet the RCFCWCD flood control protection criteria (Wildomar 2019). The RCFWCD flood control criteria state that stormwater runoff must be controlled for the 10-year storm event within street curbing and runoff and for the 100-year storm event within the street rights-of-way. The City was divided into four drainage regions: Region A in the north; Region S (Sedco) in the northwest (Sedco); Region W (Wildomar) in the central part of the City; and Region M (Murietta) in the south. Each region was further divided into 502
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subregions. The maps in the Master Drainage Plan show the stormwater infrastructure for each region and subregion and identify existing RCFWCD facilities and City-maintained facilities. Stormwater flow rates were modeled to determine if the existing infrastructure meets the RCFWCD storm drain facility criteria, and costs to expand and upgrade storm drains or channels in each subregion are included in the report. The Master Drainage Plan also addresses financing sources for the storm drain improvements. The plan acts as an implementation guide for the City and future developers.
City of Wildomar Local Hazard Mitigation Plan
The purpose of hazard mitigation planning is to reduce the loss of life and property by minimizing the impact of disasters. The City of Wildomar Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP), updated in 2022, in accordance with the federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, provides an assessment of natural hazards in the City and a set of actions to reduce or alleviate the loss of life, personal injury, and property damage from fire hazards, flooding, dam inundation and other hazard scenarios. The LHMP was reviewed and approved by the FEMA in April 2023 in order for the City to maintain eligibility for disaster relief funding.
City of Wildomar Municipal Code
The Municipal Code includes various directives that pertain to hydrology and water quality. Most provisions are found in Title 13, Public Services; Title 15, Building and Construction; Title 16, Subdivisions; and Title 17, Zoning.
Chapter 13.12, Stormwater Drainage System Protection, contains provisions to reduce pollutants in stormwater discharge, regulate illicit connections and discharges to the storm drain system, and regulate non-stormwater discharges to the storm drain system. It is consistent with the requirements of State regulations and the MS4 permit.
Chapter 13.20, Water Wells, provides the standards for the construction, rehabilitation, abandonment, and destruction of wells and requires permits to be obtained from the Riverside County Department of Environmental Health.
Chapter 15.96, Flood Hazard Area Regulations, regulates development in flood hazard areas to protect public health, safety, and welfare and minimize public and private costs caused by flooding. Chapter 16.12.110, Flood Protection Study Fee, states that upon submittal of a tentative map to the Planning Director, a flood protection study fee shall be paid, which is given to the RCFCWCD or the flood control district that performs the flood protection study. This regulation complies with the requirements of the NFIP and requires submittal of a permit application and fee. All new construction and substantial improvements must have the lowest floor elevated to or above the base flood level or be designed so that the structure is watertight with impermeable wall and structural components that resist hydrostatic and hydrodynamic loads and the effects of buoyancy. Chapter 16.32, Flood Control and Drainage, describes the drainage fees that are required to be paid with the construction of a subdivision within an area drainage plan, with the fees paid to the RCFCWCD. The 503
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chapter also establishes design requirements for the construction of drainage facilities within a subdivision that must be approved by the RCFCWCD. The City also imposes separate drainage fees to fund improvements identified in the 2019 Wildomar Master Drainage Plan, based on the type of development and amount of impervious surfaces.
Chapter 17.276, Water-Efficient Landscapes, adopts the State MWELO and applies to new landscapes or rehabilitation projects with an area equal or greater than 2,500 square feet. A landscape documentation package, which includes a landscape design plan, soil management plan, irrigation design plan, and water use calculations must be submitted to the City for review and approval prior to the issuance of permits to install or construct landscape improvements.
5.10.1.2 EXISTING CONDITIONS
Topography and Climate
Wildomar has a desert climate with arid, hot summers and mild winters. The mean annual precipitation is 12 inches per year, with most of the rainfall occurring between the months of October and April (WRCC 2024).
Regional and Local Hydrology
The northwestern portion of Wildomar is within the Santa Ana River Watershed, which encompasses approximately 2,650 square miles and includes much of Orange County, the northwestern portion of Riverside County, the southwestern portion of San Bernardino County, and a small portion of Los Angeles County. Water features within the Santa Ana River Watershed include the San Jacinto River, Lake Elsinore, Temescal Creek, and the Santa Ana River. The stormwater runoff in the northwestern portion of the City flows northwest to Lake Elsinore.
The central and southern portions of the City are in the Santa Margarita Watershed, which encompasses a land area of roughly 750 square miles in northern San Diego and southwestern Riverside Counties. About 200 square miles, or 27 percent, is in San Diego County. Stormwater runoff in the central and southern portions of the City flows to Wildomar Channel/Murrieta Creek and ultimately to the Santa Margarita River and the Pacific Ocean. The two watersheds are shown on Figure 5.10-1, Watersheds.
The City’s stormwater infrastructure consists of a combination of drainage channels, storm drains, detention and debris basins, and creeks (Wildomar 2019). Drainage criteria for the City are that runoff for a 10-year storm event must be contained within street curbing and for a 100-year storm event within the street rightsof-way. The City’s drainage system is divided into four regions based on the boundaries established by drainage master plans prepared by RCFCWCD and the City of Wildomar. Deficiencies in stormwater infrastructure and prioritization of improvement projects and cost estimates are provided in the City’s Master Drainage Plan, as updated by the Development Impact Fee Study (2021), and implemented through the City’s CIP program.
The SWRCB, as the implementing agency for the Trash Amendments, mandates that all MS4 permittees, which includes the City of Wildomar, must install certified trash treatment control systems on all catch basins no later than December 2, 2030.
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Groundwater Basins
The City of Wildomar is in the Elsinore Valley Groundwater Subbasin and the Temecula Valley Groundwater Subbasin, as shown on Figure 5.10-2, Groundwater Subbasins. The Elsinore Valley Subbasin is approximately 23,600 acres and is bounded by the Willard fault and Santa Ana and Elsinore Mountains to the southwest; the Temescal Subbasin on the northwest; and non-water-bearing rocks of the Peninsular Ranges on the northeast (EVMWD 2011). General groundwater flow direction is to the southeast due to groundwater extraction in the Lake Elsinore area of the subbasin (EVMWD 2021b). The Elsinore Valley Subbasin is a medium priority basin and is regulated under SGMA (DWR 2023c). As previously stated, the Elsinore Valley GSA consists solely of EVMWD. The GSP was approved by DWR in October 2023.
The Temecula Valley Subbasin is designated as a very low priority basin and therefore is not regulated under SGMA (DWR 2023c). The subbasin underlies southwestern Riverside County and northern San Diego County and is bounded by non-water-bearing rocks of the Peninsular Ranges. The total surface area of the Temecula Valley Subbasin is approximately 87,800 acres, and groundwater flows to the southeast in the area of Wildomar (DWR 2004). The Rancho California Water District manages and pumps from the Temecula Valley Subbasin but is not a water purveyor for Wildomar.
The majority of the EVMWD water supply is from imported water. Local groundwater pumped from EVMWD wells accounted for approximately 22 percent of the total District water supply between 2016 and 2020 (EVMWD 2021a). The EVMWD has 10 wells in the Elsinore Valley Subbasin that extract water from a deep aquifer for potable water supply. Depth to groundwater in the southeastern portion of the Subbasin, nearest Wildomar, shows shallow groundwater between 30 to 40 feet below ground surface (bgs) and a deeper aquifer between 80 and 110 feet bgs (EVMWD 2021b).
Shallow groundwater may be present in perched aquifers in Wildomar. However, groundwater wells installed as part of remediation actions as reported in GeoTracker showed groundwater levels at 20 to 30 feet bgs (GeoTracker 2024). Therefore, construction dewatering will probably not be required with future new development in the City. The City requires project applicants to evaluate dewatering options that avoid discharge to surface waters or the storm drain. According to Wildomar Municipal Code Chapter 13.12.090, “Discharges in violation of permit,” any discharges due to construction dewatering are to comply with the Statewide general dewatering permit (Attachment J of the Statewide Construction General Permit Order No.
WQ 2022-0057-DWQ).
Water Quality
Surface water quality is affected by point-source and nonpoint-source pollutants. Point-source pollutants are emitted at a specific point, such as a pipe, and nonpoint-source pollutants are typically generated by surface runoff from diffuse sources, such as streets, paved areas, and landscaped areas. Point-source pollutants are controlled with pollutant discharge regulations or water discharge requirements. Nonpoint-source pollutants are more difficult to monitor and control, although they are important contributors to surface water quality in urban areas.
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Stormwater runoff pollutants vary based on land use, topography, the amount of impervious surface, the amount and frequency of rainfall, and irrigation practices. Runoff in developed areas typically contains oil, grease, and metals accumulated in streets, driveways, parking lots, and rooftops, as well as pesticides, herbicides, particulate matter, nutrients, animal waste, and other oxygen-demanding substances from landscaped areas. The highest pollutant concentrations usually occur at the beginning of the wet season during the “first flush,” when early rainfall flushes out pollutants that have accumulated on hardscape surfaces during the preceding dry months.
The RWQCBs monitor surface water quality through implementation of each region’s Basin Plan and designate beneficial uses for individual surface water bodies and groundwater within their jurisdiction.
Although the San Diego RWQCB has primary jurisdiction for the City of Wildomar, the northern portion of the City is within the Santa Ana River Watershed, for which the Santa Ana RWQCB has responsibility for water quality issues. Therefore, the beneficial uses for surface water bodies and groundwater basins identified in each RWQCB’s Basin Plans are listed in Table 5.10-1, Designated Beneficial Uses.
Table 5.10-1 Designated Beneficial Uses
Hydrologic Subarea Beneficial Use
Santa Ana RWQCB Basin Plan
Lake Elsinore Existing Beneficial Uses: REC-1, REC-2, COMM, WARM, WILD; RARE Elsinore Valley Groundwater
Subbasin Existing Beneficial Uses: MUN, AGR, PRO
San Diego RWQCB Basin Plan
Murrieta Creek Existing Beneficial Uses: MUN, AGR, IND, PRO, REC-2, WARM, WILD; REC-1 potential beneficial use Santa Margarita River Existing Beneficial Uses: MUN, AGR, IND, REC-1, REC-2, WARM, COLD, WILD, RARE Pacific Ocean Existing Beneficial Uses: IND, NAV, REC-1, REC-2, COMM, BIOL, WILD, RARE, MAR, AQUA, MIGR,
SPWN, SHELL
Sources: Santa Ana RWQCB 2019; San Diego RWQCB 2021.
Note: Designated Beneficial Use abbreviations:
AGR – Agricultural supply COLD – Cold freshwater habitat COMM – Commercial and sport fishing FRSH – Freshwater replenishment GWR – Groundwater recharge IND – Industrial service supply MAR – Marine Habitat BIOL – Preservation Habitats of Special Significance AQUA - Aquaculture MIGR – Fish migration MUN – Municipal and domestic supply PRO – Industrial process supply RARE – Preservation of rare and endangered species REC-1 – Water contact recreation REC-2 – Non-contact water recreation SPWN – Fish spawning WARM – Warm freshwater habitat WILD – Wildlife habitat NAV – Navigation POW – Hydropower generation SHELL – Shellfish harvesting In addition to the establishment of beneficial uses and water quality objectives, another approach to improve water quality is a watershed-based methodology that focuses on all potential pollution sources and not just those associated with point sources. If a body of water does not meet established water quality standards under traditional point source controls, it is listed as an impaired water body under Section 303(d) of the CWA. For 303(d) listed water bodies, a limit is established that defines the maximum amount of pollutants that can be received by that water body. Listed impaired water bodies that could be impacted by stormwater discharge from the City and their associated pollutants of concern are presented in Table 5.10-2, Listed Impaired Water Bodies.
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Table 5.10-2 Listed Impaired Water Bodies
Name Pollutants of Concern
Murrieta Creek Copper, Phosphorus, Iron, Manganese, Indicator Bacteria, Chlorpyrifos, Nitrogen, Toxicity Upper Santa Margarita River Phosphorus, Toxicity, Nitrogen, Iron, Manganese, Indicator Bacteria Lower Santa Margarita River Benthic Community Effects, Chlorpyrifos, Indicator Bacteria, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Toxicity Lake Elsinore PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), Organic Enrichment/Low Dissolved Oxygen, Nutrients, Toxicity, DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane)
Source: SWRCB 2024.
Once a water body has been placed on the 303(d) list of impaired waters, states are required to develop a TMDL threshold to address each pollutant causing impairment. A TMDL defines how much of a pollutant a water body can tolerate and still meet water quality standards. Not all of the impaired water bodies have established TMDLs. However, Lake Elsinore has approved TMDLs for the following pollutants: nutrients and organic enrichment/low dissolved oxygen. Neither Murietta Creek nor Santa Margarita Creek have established TMDLs. Nutrient loading and eutrophication issues for these water bodies are being addressed through TMDL alternatives and municipalities that discharge to these water bodies are required to reduce their dry weather stormwater flow volumes to minimize discharges of nutrients to the receiving water bodies.
Flood Zones
FEMA 100-Year Flood Zones
FEMA identifies floodplain zones to assist cities with mitigating flooding hazards through land use planning.
FEMA also outlines specific regulations for any construction within a 100-year floodplain. The 100-year floodplain is defined as an area that has a 1 percent chance of being inundated in any given year. FEMA also prepares maps for 500-year floods that indicate a risk of 0.2 percent of flooding in any given year.
In some locations, FEMA also provides measurements of base flood elevations for the 100-year flood, which is the minimum height of the flood waters during a 100-year event. Base flood elevation is reported in feet above sea level. Depth of flooding is determined by subtracting the land’s height above sea level from the base flood elevation. Areas within the 100-year flood hazard area that are financed by federally backed mortgages are subject to mandatory federal insurance requirements and building standards to reduce flood damage.
A map of the City locations that are within the 100-year floodplains is shown on Figure 5.10-3, FEMA Flood Zones. FEMA maps areas at risk from inundation from a 100-year flood, which has a 1 percent chance of occurring in any year. These areas are primarily located along Murrieta Creek in the central and southern portions of the City. A few scattered areas within 100-year floodplains are located within a mile to the west or northwest of Murrieta Creek, and one small area that extends into the northern portion of the City from Lake Elsinore. The majority of the City is not located in a 100-year floodplain. 508
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The 100-year flood zone is also known as a Special Flood Hazard Area; homeowners with mortgages within the Special Flood Hazard Area are required to be protected by flood insurance. Serious damage occurred in Wildomar during a January 2010 rain event, resulting in $317,000 in repairs due to flooding, debris flow and silt buildup, and unpaved road repairs (Wildomar 2022). The most recent flooding occurred in February 2019 when 3.84 inches of rain over two days caused flooding to surface streets (Wildomar 2022). Climate change may result in more frequent intense storms, resulting in an increased risk of flooding in the future.
Dam Inundation
Dam failure is the uncontrolled release of impounded water behind a dam. Partial or complete dam failures can occur from one or more of the following causes:
Earthquake
Overtopping caused by floods that exceed the dam capacity due to inadequate spillway capacity. Internal erosion caused by embankment or foundation leakage due to piping or rodent activity. Improper design resulting in structural failure.
Movement or failure of the foundation.
Inadequate operation, maintenance, and upkeep.
Settling and cracking of concrete or embankment dams. Failure of upstream dams on the same waterway.
Flash floods can occur within six hours of the beginning of heavy rainfall, and dam failure may occur within hours of the first signs of breaching. Other types of failures and breaches can take much longer to occur, from days to weeks. However, dam failure is a very rare occurrence. There have been no dam failure incidents that have impacted the City of Wildomar or Riverside County (Riverside County EMD 2023).
California Water Code requires owners of all dams under California Division of Safety of Dams (DSOD) jurisdiction (except dams classified as low downstream hazard) to prepare dam inundation maps. These maps must be updated every ten years or when there are changes to downstream development or terrain. The dam inundation maps are submitted to DSOD for review and approval. Once the maps are approved, the dam owner must submit the map with the Emergency Action Plan to the California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) for review and approval. CalOES is required by State law to work with State and federal agencies, dam owners and operators, municipalities, floodplain managers, planners, and the public to make available dam inundation maps. Dam inundation maps are used in the preparation of Local Hazard Mitigation Plans (LHMPs) and General Plan Safety Element updates.
The inundation zones within the City are shown on Figure 5.10-4, Dam Inundation Zones. The only dam with inundation zones that reach Wildomar is the Diamond Valley Lake Dam, which is under the jurisdiction of the DSOD. There are several dam breach scenarios for the Diamond Valley Lake Dam. According to inundation maps from DSOD, the inundation zone for failure of the Main Dam would not reach the City.
However, failure of the Saddle Dam or East Dam (an auxiliary dam) would reach the City by first flooding areas west of Diamond Valley Lake toward Lake Elsinore and then to the southeast and toward Wildomar along the northwest portion of the City and then along areas adjacent to Murrieta Creek. The inundation 510
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zone for the East Dam failure is shown on Figure 5.10-4, since the inundation areas for the Main Dam and Saddle Dam are much smaller than the inundation area for the East Dam.
Hazard classifications are based on potential downstream impacts to life and property if a dam were to fail when operating at full capacity. The hazard classification is not related to the condition of the dam. High hazard indicates that the dam failure could result in the loss of at least one human life and extremely high hazard indicates that the dam failure is expected to cause considerable loss of human life or would result in an inundation area with a population of 1,000 people or more (DSOD 2021). The Diamond Valley Lake Dam is listed by DSOD as extremely high hazard (DSOD 2024).
The DSOD inspects and monitors all jurisdictional dams through the Dam Safety Program. The dams are inspected twice a year and continually monitored for seepage and settlement. The Riverside County Department of Emergency Management coordinates preparedness efforts to mitigate against, plan for, respond to, and recover from natural hazards, including the possibility of dam failure.
There are no state or local restrictions for development in dam inundation zones; however, each dam owner is required to prepare an emergency action plan (EAP) and coordinate its response to a dam incident with local authorities. The EAP is required to include warning and notification procedures that would involve the Alert RivCo system, Riverside County’s emergency notification system, the Riverside County Emergency Management Department (EMD), Riverside County Sheriff ’s Department, RCFCWCD, and the City’s Emergency Services Department.
Tsunami and Seiches
A tsunami is a series of traveling ocean waves generated by a rare, catastrophic event, which could include an earthquake, submarine landslide, or volcanic eruption. The City is approximately 22 miles from the Pacific Ocean and is not within any mapped tsunami inundation zone.
A seiche is an oscillation of a body of water in an enclosed or semi-enclosed basin, such as a reservoir, harbor, lake, or storage tank. Seiches can be created by winds, earthquakes, or tsunamis. Bodies of water such as reservoirs, ponds, lakes, or large aboveground storage tanks can experience seiche waves up to several feet in height during a strong earthquake. The water sloshes back and forth until the wave motion is dampened by friction.
The absence of any large bodies of water within the City precludes the possibility of damage from seiches.
Seismic activity could result in seiches occurring and impacting the aboveground water tanks in the City.
However, the tanks are constructed to withstand seismic events and would not result in failure that would cause significant flooding.
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5.10.2 Thresholds of Significance
According to Appendix G of the CEQA Guidelines, a project would normally have a significant effect on the environment if the project would:
HYD-1 Violate any water quality standards or waste discharge requirements or otherwise substantially degrade surface or ground water quality.
HYD-2 Substantially decrease groundwater supplies or interfere substantially with groundwater recharge such that the project may impede sustainable groundwater management of the basin.
HYD-3 Substantially alter the existing drainage pattern of the site or area, including through the alteration of the course of a stream or river or through the addition of impervious surfaces, in a manner which would:
i) Result in a substantial erosion or siltation on- or off-site. ii) Substantially increase the rate or amount of surface runoff in a manner which would result in flooding on- or offsite.
iii) Create or contribute runoff water which would exceed the capacity of existing or planned stormwater drainage systems or provide substantial additional sources of polluted runoff.
iv) Impede or redirect flood flows.
HYD-4 In flood hazard, tsunami, or seiche zones, risk release of pollutants due to project inundation.
HYD-5 Conflict with or obstruct implementation of a water quality control plan or sustainable groundwater management plan.
5.10.3 Proposed General Plan Goals and Policies
Land Use Element
GOAL LU 2 Development Capacity: Responsible growth through well-planned development provides for the needs of Wildomar’s residents and businesses, makes efficient use of land and infrastructure, protects important environmental resources, promotes the health of the community, and maintains the unique character distinguishing the City as a special place in the region. Policy LU-2.1 Adequate Service Provision for New Development. Coordinate with local agencies, service providers and utilities to ensure adequate service provision for new development.
GOAL LU 3 Focus Areas: Unique areas of the City are enhanced to meet residents’ needs. 513
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Policy LU-3.2 Sedco Neighborhood. Work with utility providers to improve infrastructure in the Sedco area and explore opportunities to expand the provision of public services. Explore opportunities to ensure current residents, including renters, benefit from investments in infrastructure improvements.
GOAL 7 Compatibility with the Natural Environment: Land uses and development intensities are compatible with scenic and natural resources and encourage environmental preservation. Policy LU-7.1 Design to Respect Natural Settings. Require that new development conform building massing to topographic forms and minimize alteration of natural landforms and vegetation, incorporating natural drainage systems, allowing development clustering to maintain slopes, restricting grading of steep slopes, and encouraging the preservation of significant hillsides, canyon edges and hilltops as prominent visual features.
GOAL LU-13 Open Spaces. Open space lands are preserved as natural resources, utilized to buffer land uses and enhance community aesthetics, and protected from adverse impacts of new development. Policy LU-13.1 Preservation of Open Space Lands. Provide for permanent preservation of open space lands that contain important natural resources, hazards, water features, watercourses, and scenic and recreational value.
Circulation Element
GOAL CI 8: A robust network of infrastructure and utility systems supports the City’s growth. Policy CI-8.2 Adequate Storm Drainage. Implement, and periodically update, the 2019 City of Wildomar Master Drainage Plan to manage storm runoff and provide flood control protection.
Open Space and Conservation Element
GOAL OS 1: Biological resources are protected from development, conserved, restored, and enhanced. Policy OS-1.6 Natural Vegetation Conservation. Maintain and conserve mature and historic examples of native trees, natural vegetation, stands of established trees, and other features for ecosystem, aesthetic, and water conservation purposes.
GOAL OS 3: Reliable and safe water supply that supports Wildomar’s current and future needs. Policy OS-3.1 Collaboration with EVMWD. Collaborate with the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District (EVMWD) to conserve and protect water quality and supply and continue to provide assistance for urban water management plans.
Policy OS-3.2 Water Quality Protection. Require that new developments do not degrade natural water bodies such as streams and rivers and protect groundwater resources. 514
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Policy OS-3.3 Water Conservation Strategies. Encourage water conserving site design and the use of water conserving fixtures in new development, and advocate for the adoption and implementation of water conservation strategies by water service agencies. Policy OS-3.4 Water Conservation in Existing Development. Encourage existing development to use water-conserving mechanisms such as stormwater capture systems, graywater systems, water-efficient appliances, and drought-tolerant landscape planting.
5.10.4 Environmental Impacts
The applicable thresholds are identified in brackets after the impact statement.
Impact 5.10-1: The proposed project would not violate any water quality standards or waste discharge requirements or otherwise substantially degrade surface or groundwater quality. [Threshold HYD-1]
Construction Impacts
Buildout under the Proposed General Plan would involve soil disturbance, construction, and operation of land uses that could generate pollutants affecting stormwater. Clearing, grading, excavation, and construction activities have the potential to impact water quality through soil erosion and increasing the amount of silt and debris carried in runoff. Additionally, the use of construction materials, such as fuels, solvents, and paints, may present a risk to surface water quality. Finally, the refueling and parking of construction vehicles and other equipment on-site during construction may result in oil, grease, or related pollutant leaks and spills that may discharge into the storm drain system.
To minimize these potential impacts, future development that involves the disturbance of one acre or more of land would require compliance with the Construction General Permit (CGP) Order WQ 2022-0057- DWQ, which includes the preparation and implementation of a SWPPP. A SWPPP requires the incorporation of BMPs to control sediment, erosion, and hazardous materials contamination of runoff during construction and prevent contaminants from reaching receiving water bodies. Examples of erosion and sediment control BMPs are silt fences, sediment basins, dust suppressants, covering stockpiles, soil stabilization for construction entrances/exits, outlet tire wash and project scheduling to reduce soil disturbance. The CGP also requires that prior to the start of construction activities, the project applicant must file PRDs with the SWRCB, which includes a Notice of Intent, risk assessment, site map, annual fee, signed certification statement, and a SWPPP. The construction contractor is required to maintain a copy of the SWPPP at the site and implement all construction BMPs identified in the SWPPP during construction activities. Prior to the issuance of a grading permit, the project applicant is required to provide proof of filing of the PRDs with the SWRCB. Submittal of the PRDs and implementation of the SWPPP throughout the construction phase of development pursuant to the Proposed General Plan would address anticipated and expected pollutants of concern from construction activities.
For future construction projects that disturb less than one acre of land, project applicants would still be required to implement an effective combination of erosion and sediment control BMPs. The City requires 515
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submittal of a Construction Runoff Management Plan for all construction sites and designates a minimum set of BMPs for erosion and sediment control, soil stabilization, and protection of natural hydrologic features (Wildomar 2023). The City confirms implementation of appropriate BMPs through construction site inspections.
As a result, water quality impacts associated with construction activities would be less than significant.
Operational Impacts
Potential future development and activities under the Proposed General Plan may result in long-term impacts to the quality of stormwater and urban runoff, subsequently impacting downstream water quality. Future development can potentially create new sources for runoff contamination through changing land uses. As a consequence, future development within the City as a whole may have the potential to increase the postconstruction pollutant loadings of certain constituent pollutants associated with the proposed land uses and their associated features, such as landscaping.
To prevent long-term impacts associated with land use changes and in accordance with the requirements of the MS4 permit (Order No. R9-2013-0001, last amended in 2015), Wildomar Municipal Code Chapter 13.12 and the City’s JRMP, all new development that involves the creation of 10,000 square feet or more of impervious surface and redevelopment projects that involve the creation and/or replacement of 5,000 square feet or more of impervious surface must incorporate LID site design, source control, and stormwater treatment measures to address post-construction stormwater runoff. These projects would be required to submit a project-specific WQMP to be reviewed and approved by the City Public Works/Engineering Department (Wildomar 2018a). For projects that create less than 10,000 square feet of impervious surface or replace less than 5,000 square feet of impervious surface, the City requires a water quality checklist for these “Other Development Projects,” which includes site design and source control BMPs (Wildomar 2018b).
Additionally, the City’s WQMP and JRMP include hydromodification requirements for future development that may impact downstream channels and creeks. The City’s JRMP is updated periodically to reflect the latest MS4 permit requirements; therefore, potential future development over the buildout horizon of the Proposed General Plan would need to comply with the latest thresholds and most current MS4 permit.
As part of the statewide mandate to reduce trash within receiving waters, the City is required to adhere to the requirements of the California Trash Amendments. The requirements include the installation of trash full capture systems by 2030. A full capture system is defined as a treatment control, or series of treatment controls, including a multi-benefit project or a LID control that traps all particles that are 5 millimeters or greater and has a design treatment capacity of 1) at least the peak flow rate from a one-year, one-hour storm event, or 2) appropriately sized to carry at least the same flows as the corresponding storm drain. Systems may be catch basin inserts or other insert systems or high flow capacity trash full capture systems that are designed to treat trash from large drainage areas.
Additionally, all potential future development pursuant to the Proposed General Plan would be required to comply with the requirements of the Wildomar Municipal Code, which prohibits illicit discharge into the storm drain system (Section 17-12.140) and includes provisions to reduce the pollutants in stormwater (Chapter 13.12.070). All development that discharges stormwater associated with industrial activity shall also 516
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comply with the requirements of the General Industrial Permit (Order No. 2014-0057-DWQ) as amended in 2018 by Order No. 2015-0122-DWQ.
Implementation of the Proposed General Plan policies, such as Policy OS-3.2, which requires new development do not degrade natural water bodies, in conjunction with adherence to MS4 permit requirements, the Statewide GCP, and the City’s JRMP and Municipal Code requirements, would ensure that potential future development under the Proposed General Plan would not violate any water quality standards or waste discharge requirements for both construction and operational phases, and impacts would be less than significant.
Level of Significance Before Mitigation: Impact 5.10-1 would be less than significant.
Mitigation Measures
No mitigation measures are required.
Level of Significance After Mitigation: Impact 5.10-1 would be less than significant.
Impact 5.10-2: The proposed project would not substantially decrease groundwater supplies or interfere substantially with groundwater recharge such that the project may impede sustainable groundwater management of the basin. [Threshold HYD-2]
Implementation of the proposed project would result in a significant environmental impact if it would substantially deplete groundwater supplies or interfere substantially with groundwater recharge such that there would be a net deficit in aquifer volume or a lowering of the local groundwater table level. Potential future development under the Proposed General Plan could result in an increase in impervious surfaces, thus reducing groundwater recharge.
Groundwater Use
A more detailed description and analysis of the City’s overall water supply and demand is provided in Section
5.19, Utilities and Service Systems. As stated in Section 5.10.1.2, Existing Setting, Wildomar is within two groundwater basins: Elsinore Valley Subbasin and Temecula Valley Subbasin. The Elsinore Valley Subbasin is designated by DWR as a medium-priority groundwater basin and is not in critical overdraft. EVMWD is the GSA for the subbasin and the GSP for the subbasin was approved by DWR in October 2023. The Temecula Valley Subbasin is designated as a very low priority basin and is not required to form GSAs or prepare GSPs.
Additionally, the Temecula Valey Subbasin is managed by a different water purveyor (Rancho California Water District) that does not provide potable or recycled water to the City.
Most of the City’s water supply (approximately 68 percent) is imported surface water supplied by EVMWD.
EVMWD supplements its supply with groundwater pumped from 10 District-owned wells. Between 2016 and 2020, the amount of groundwater pumped from the Elsinore Valley Subbasin ranged from 2,198 acrefeet per year (AFY) to 6,751 AFY, for an average of 4,070 AFY (EVMWD 2021a). The groundwater supply from the Elsinore Valley Subbasin is projected to remain constant at 5,500 AFY from 2025 to 2045, and the 517
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safe yield pumping rate projection in the GSP is 6,500 AFY for the Elsinore Management Area (EVMWD 2021a; EVMWD 2021b).
With buildout of the Proposed General Plan, the City anticipates an increase in the water demand of approximately 4,627 AFY (see Section 5.19, Utilities and Service Systems, for calculation details).. According to EVMWD’s 2020 Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP), the water agency pumps groundwater from several groundwater subbasins. Even with increases in population and water demand in their service areas, EVMWD does not intend to increase groundwater pumping during normal years through 2045. However, during single and multiple dry years, groundwater pumping would increase but it would be distributed over five different groundwater subbasins (EVMWD, 2021a). Therefore, each groundwater subbasin’s sustainable yield would not be exceeded. In addition, the GSP contains future projects that would ensure the sustainability of the groundwater subbasin, including aquifer recharge, stormwater capture and recharge, and aquifer storage and recovery.
Future development with buildout of the Proposed General Plan would also be required to implement the water-efficient requirements specified in the CALGreen and California Plumbing Codes and the MWELO requirements for water efficient landscaping. Future projects that meet the criteria under California Water Code Section 10912 would be required to prepare a Water Supply Assessment that demonstrates that project water demands would not exceed water supplies. In addition, residential, commercial, and industrial water usage can be expected to decrease in the future as a result of continued implementation of water conservation practices.
Groundwater Recharge
Although future development pursuant to the Proposed General Plan would increase the amount of impervious surfaces and could potentially impact groundwater recharge, these projects would be required to implement BMPs and LID measures in accordance with the regional MS4 permit and the City’s JRMP. New development or redevelopment projects would be required to implement site design measures, source control measures, stormwater treatment measures, and hydromodification measures and submit a WQMP subject to approval by the City. Examples of BMPs that minimize the impact of impervious surfaces include permeable pavement, drainage to landscaped areas and bioretention areas, and the collection of rooftop runoff in rain barrels or cisterns. These measures also increase the potential for groundwater recharge. In addition, the GSP prepared for the Elsinore Valley Subbasin includes future projects that would promote groundwater recharge, including aquifer recharge, stormwater capture and recharge, and aquifer storage and recovery.
Compliance with the City’s requirements for new construction, water efficient landscaping, and the Proposed General Plan policies, such as Policy LU-7.1, which requires new development minimize alteration of natural landforms and incorporate natural drainage systems, would protect future groundwater resources. Therefore, the proposed project would not significantly interfere with groundwater recharge and would not substantially deplete groundwater supplies, and impacts would be less than significant.
Level of Significance Before Mitigation: Impact 5.10-2 would be less than significant. 518
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Mitigation Measures
No mitigation measures are required.
Level of Significance After Mitigation: Impact 5.10-2 would be less than significant.
Impact 5.10-3: The proposed project would not substantially alter the existing drainage pattern of the site or area, including through the alteration of the course of a stream or river or through the addition of impervious surfaces, in a manner which would: i) result in substantial erosion or siltation on- or off-site; ii) substantially increase the rate or amount of surface runoff in a manner which would result in flooding on- or off-site; iii) create or contribute runoff water which would exceed the capacity of existing or planned stormwater drainage systems or provide substantial additional sources of polluted runoff; or iv) impede or redirect flood flows. [Threshold HYD-3]
New development or redevelopment within the City and changes in land use could result in an increase in impervious surfaces. This, in turn, could result in an increase in stormwater runoff, higher peak discharges to storm drains, the potential to cause nuisance flooding in areas without adequate drainage facilities, and the potential to cause erosion or siltation in streams. Increases in tributary flows can exacerbate creek bank erosion or cause destabilizing channel incision.
Erosion and Siltation
All potential future development pursuant to the Proposed General Plan would be required to implement construction-phase BMPs as well as post-construction site design, source control measures, and treatment controls in accordance with the requirements of the CGP, the Wildomar Municipal Code Chapter 13.12, the MS4 Permit, and the City’s Construction Runoff Management Plan. Typical construction BMPs include silt fences, fiber rolls, catch basin inlet protection, water trucks, street sweeping, and stabilization of truck entrance/exits. Each new development or redevelopment project that disturbs one or more acre of land would be required to prepare and submit a SWPPP to the SWRCB that describes the measures to control erosion and sedimentation due to construction activities. For projects of less than one acre, the City’s Construction Runoff Management Plan and Municipal Code requirements would still apply.
Once future development projects have been constructed, the MS4 permit requirements for new development or redevelopment projects must be implemented and include site design measures, source control measures, LID, and treatment measures that address stormwater runoff and would reduce the potential for erosion and siltation. LID measures include the use of permeable pavements, directing runoff to pervious areas, and the construction of bioretention areas. Project-specific WQMPs submitted to the City must include BMPs that are maintained in perpetuity in accordance with the San Diego RWQCB MS4 Permit. Adherence to the streambed alteration agreement process under Sections 1600 to 1616 of the California Fish and Game Code would further reduce erosion and siltation impacts that may occur due to streambed alterations. Compliance with these regional and local regulatory requirements will ensure that erosion and siltation impacts from new development and redevelopment projects would be less than significant.
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Flooding On- or Off-site
New development and/or redevelopment and changes in land uses could result in an increase in impervious surfaces, which in turn could result in an increase in stormwater runoff, higher peak discharges to drainage channels, and the potential to cause nuisance flooding in areas without adequate drainage facilities. All potential future development under the Proposed General Plan must comply with the requirements of the MS4 Permit and the City’s JRMP. Regulated projects must implement BMPs, including LID BMPs and site design BMPs, which effectively minimize imperviousness, retain or detain stormwater on-site, decrease surface water flows, and slow runoff rates. Projects that may impact downstream channels and creeks must also adhere to the hydromodification requirements of the MS4 permit and the City’s JRMP to ensure that post-project runoff conditions (flow rates and durations) do not exceed pre-development runoff conditions by more than 10 percent for the 2-year, 24-hour up to the 10-year, 24-hour runoff event (Wildomar 2023).
Adherence to these regulatory requirements would minimize the amount of stormwater runoff from new development and redevelopment within the EIR Study Area. Therefore, potential future development under the Proposed General Plan would not result in flooding on- or off-site, and impacts would be less than significant.
Stormwater Drainage System Capacity
As stated in the impact discussions above, an increase in impervious surfaces with new development or redevelopment could result in increases in stormwater runoff, which in turn could exceed the capacity of existing or planned stormwater drainage systems.
Potential future development that involves the creation of 10,000 square feet or more of impervious surfaces or replacement of 5,000 square feet or more of impervious surfaces would trigger the implementation of site design, source control, and stormwater treatment measures to reduce stormwater runoff, pursuant to the MS4 Permit and the City’s JRMP. Prior to the issuance of grading permits, the City will require completion and submittal of a Final WQMP report for review and approval to ensure that these requirements are met.
Stormwater treatment measures are required to temporarily detain site runoff for priority projects, using specific numeric sizing criteria based on volume and flow rate. Implementation of these stormwater measures will reduce the amount of stormwater runoff that is ultimately discharged to the City’s storm drain system and to Lake Elsinore and the Murrieta Creek. Projects that are subject to the hydromodification requirements of the MS4 permit must demonstrate post-project runoff conditions (flow rates and durations) do not exceed pre-development runoff conditions by more than 10 percent. For projects that create less than 10,000 square feet of impervious surface or replace less than 5,000 square feet of impervious surface, the City requires a water quality checklist for these “Other Development Projects” which includes site design and source control BMPs (Wildomar 2018b).
Projects that meet the MS4 regulatory criteria would need to demonstrate that the regulatory requirements for the sizing and temporary on-site retention of stormwater runoff have been met by submitting a WQMP report to the City for review and approval prior to the issuance of grading permits. This would minimize the amount of stormwater runoff from new development and redevelopment sites within the City. Also, as part of the permitting process, future development would be required to pay drainage fees and development 520
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impact fees, pursuant to Wildomar Municipal Codes 33.44.040 and 16.32.040, which are designed to mitigate the impacts of stormwater that is discharged to local drainage facilities under the jurisdiction of RCFCWCD and the City of Wildomar. The fees are used to evaluate and maintain the storm drain system, implement flood control improvements, respond to flooding issues, and restore creeks and habitat.
In addition, new development and redevelopment within the City would not create substantial additional sources of polluted runoff. During the construction phase, projects would be required to prepare SWPPPs (for projects disturbing one acre or more) and the City’s Construction Runoff Management Plan (for projects disturbing less than one acre), thus limiting the discharge of pollutants from the site. During operation, projects must implement BMPs and LID measures through WQMPs that minimize the amount of stormwater runoff and associated pollutants.
With implementation of these provisions for new development and redevelopment projects, the proposed project would not result in significant increases in runoff that would exceed the capacity of existing or planned storm drain facilities, and the impact is less than significant.
Redirecting Flood Flows
The discussion above regarding on- and off-site flooding is also applicable to the analysis of impeding or redirecting flood flows. Since new development projects are required to comply with the MS4 Permit and retain stormwater on-site via the use of bioretention facilities or other stormwater treatment measures, any flood flows would also be retained temporarily on-site, which would minimize the potential for flooding impacts. Impact 5.10-4 discusses the potential for impeding or redirecting flood flows with development in areas within the 100-year floodplain. Based on these discussions, impacts related to impeding or redirecting flood flows would be less than significant.
With compliance with the MS4 permit, the City’s stormwater requirements, and Proposed General Plan goals and policies, such as Policy CI-8.2, which implements the City’s Master Drainage Plan projects to improve stormwater runoff and flood control, potential future development under the proposed project would not result in substantial erosion or siltation and would not substantially increase the rate of surface runoff which would result in flooding, impede or redirect flood flows, or exceed the capacity of the drainage system.
Impacts would be less than significant.
Level of Significance Before Mitigation: Impact 5.10-3 would be less than significant.
Mitigation Measures
No mitigation measures are required.
Level of Significance After Mitigation: Impact 5.10-3 would be less than significant. 521
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Impact 5.10-4: The proposed project would not, in a flood hazard, tsunami, or seiche zones, risk release of pollutants due to project inundation. [Threshold HYD-4] Pollutant Release in Flood Hazard Zones
Buildout pursuant to the Proposed General Plan could involve development of some projects in FEMA 100- year flood zones. As shown on Figure 5.10-3, the land that borders Murrieta Creek that runs through the southern portion of Wildomar is within the 100-year floodplain. Also, smaller areas west and northwest of Murrieta Creek within the City are within 100-year floodplains.
Future development within the 100-year flood zones would be subject to the floodplain requirements in Wildomar Municipal Code Chapter 15.96 and Chapter 16.32, which require new construction to be built above the base flood elevation or be designed to mitigate flooding impacts. Prior to the start of construction or development within a Special Flood Hazard Area (i.e., 100-year floodplain), the City requires project applicants to obtain a permit from the City and construct new development in accordance with the standards in Wildomar Municipal Code Title 15, Buildings and Construction. The standards of construction vary depending on whether the proposed structure is residential or non-residential. In general, the standards of construction include provisions for flood risk reduction, including anchoring and flood-resistant materials and construction methods, with the lowest floors elevated at or one foot above the base flood elevation. The City does not allow for structures to be bult within floodways, i.e., the drainage area necessary for a 100-year floodplain. Compliance with FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program requirements and Wildomar Municipal Code requirements would reduce potential flood hazards and ensure that pollutants are not released during flood inundation.
Additionally, as discussed in Section 5.10.1.1, Regulatory Framework, the City of Wildomar LHMP includes hazard mitigation actions to help reduce the risk of damage or injury from floods. These actions include continued implementation of floodplain management measures, incorporation of FEMA guidelines into the planning process, and the assessment and mitigation of urban drainage flooding.
Pollutant Release in Dam Inundation Zones
As shown in Figure 5.10-4, areas of Wildomar are within the inundation zones for the Diamond Valley Lake East Dam. The probability of dam failure is very low, and Wildomar and Riverside County have never been impacted by a major dam failure (EMD 2023). In addition, dam owners are required to maintain emergency action plans (EAPs) that include procedures for damage assessment and emergency warnings. An EAP identifies potential emergency conditions at a dam and specifies preplanned actions to help minimize property damage and loss of life should those conditions occur. EAPs contain procedures and information that instruct dam owners to issue early warning and notification messages to downstream emergency management authorities, such as the City’s Emergency Services Department. Because the likelihood of catastrophic dam failure is very low, impacts related to the release of pollutants due to dam inundation are considered less than significant.
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Pollutant Release from Tsunamis and Seiches
Wildomar is approximately 22 miles from the Pacific Ocean and is not within any mapped tsunami inundation zone. Therefore, there is no potential for the release of pollutants due to a tsunami.
Additionally, as discussed in Section 5.10.1.2, Existing Conditions, there are no large water bodies within the City that preclude the possibility of seiches. Although seiches could theoretically occur at Lake Elsinore, the wave heights are usually one foot or less and lakes or reservoirs are typically designed with a freeboard height of at least three feet. In addition, the City of Wildomar is at a higher elevation than Lake Elsinore and in the event of a seiche, water would not flow toward the City. Aboveground water storage tanks within the City could experience a seiche associated with a large earthquake. However, the tanks are constructed to withstand seismic events and would not result in failure that would cause significant flooding or the release of pollutants.
The Proposed General Plan policies would serve to minimize potential adverse impacts related to erosion, flood flows, and storm drain capacity, which in turn would address the potential for flooding, dam inundation, and seiches. Additionally, Chapter 15.96 of the Wildomar Municipal Code regulates development in flood hazard areas to protect public health and safety. In conjunction with the implementation of the City’s floodplain management requirements, and activation of the County’s emergency response system in the case of a dam failure, the potential impact that there would be a release of pollutants from flooding, dam inundation, or seiches would be less than significant.
Level of Significance Before Mitigation: Impact 5.10-4 would be less than significant.
Mitigation Measures
No mitigation measures are required.
Level of Significance After Mitigation: Impact 5.10-4 would be less than significant.
Impact 5.10-5: The proposed project would not conflict with or obstruct implementation of a water quality control plan or sustainable groundwater management plan. [Threshold HYD-5] Adherence to the State CGP, the Wildomar Municipal Code, the Regional MS4 Permit, and the City’s Jurisdictional Management Runoff Program would ensure that surface and groundwater quality are not adversely impacted during construction and operation of new development pursuant to the Proposed General Plan. As a result, site development would not obstruct or conflict with the implementation of the San Diego RWQCB’s Basin Plan or the Santa Ana RWQCB’s Basin Plan.
The majority of the City’s potable water supply is provided by EVMWD, which is mostly imported surface water purchased from the Metropolitan Water District. The City supplements its surface water supplies with groundwater, which is obtained from local groundwater wells and accounts for about 22 percent of its total water demand (EVMWD 2021a). The City’s groundwater supplies are from the Elsinore Valley Groundwater Subbasin, which has been designated by DWR as a medium priority basin and is not in critical overdraft.
EVMWD is the GSA for the subbasin and prepared a GSP that was approved by DWR in October 2023. 523
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With buildout of the Proposed General Plan, the City anticipates an increase in the groundwater pumping rate of approximately 1,020 AFY. When added to the existing groundwater pumping rate of 4,070 AFY, the future groundwater demand is less than the sustainable yield in the GSP of 6,500 AFY for the Elsinore Management Area. A pumping rate increase of up to 1,020 AFY is not anticipated to exceed the groundwater subbasin’s sustainable yield. In addition, the GSP contains future projects that will ensure the sustainability of the groundwater subbasin, including aquifer recharge, stormwater capture and recharge, and aquifer storage and recovery. Therefore, the Proposed General Plan would not obstruct or conflict with a groundwater management plan.
With adherence to the Proposed General Plan policies—such as Policy LU-7.1, which requires new development to minimize alteration of natural landforms and incorporate natural drainage systems—and continued compliance with State and City regulatory requirements, the proposed project would not obstruct or conflict with a water quality control plan or groundwater management plan, and impacts would be less than significant.
Level of Significance Before Mitigation: Impact 5.10-5 would be less than significant.
Mitigation Measures
No mitigation measures are required.
Level of Significance After Mitigation: Impact 5.10-5 would be less than significant.
5.10.5 Cumulative Impacts
The geographic context used for the cumulative assessment of hydrology, drainage, flooding, and water quality is the Santa Ana River Watershed and the Santa Margarita River Watershed, as shown on Figure
5.10-1. New development in these watersheds could increase impervious areas, thus increasing runoff and flows into the storm drainage systems. However, future development would be required to comply with the MS4 Permit, implement BMPs that direct drainage to landscaped areas, and integrate bioretention facilities into the site design. Implementation of these BMPs on a regional basis would reduce cumulative impacts to hydrology and drainage to less than cumulatively considerable.
All cumulative projects would be required to comply with various federal, state, and local (City and county) water quality regulations that control construction-related and operational discharge of pollutants into stormwater. The water quality regulations implemented by the San Diego RWQCB take a basin-wide approach and consider water quality impairment in a regional context. For example, the NPDES Construction Permit ties receiving water limitations and basin plan objectives to terms and conditions of the permit, and the MS4 Permit encompasses all of the surrounding municipalities to manage stormwater systems and be collectively protective of water quality. Projects in these watersheds would implement structural and nonstructural source-control BMPs that reduce the potential for pollutants to enter runoff, and treatment control BMPs that remove pollutants from stormwater. Therefore, cumulative water quality impacts would be less than significant after compliance with these permit requirements, and impacts would not be cumulatively considerable.
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Projects in the watersheds may be constructed within 100-year flood zones or dam inundation zones. Projects within the 100-year flood zone would be mandated to purchase flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program. In addition, Riverside County and other jurisdictions within these watersheds regulate development within flood zones in a similar manner as Wildomar Municipal Code Chapter 15.96 and 16.32 and in compliance with FEMA standards to limit cumulative flood hazard impacts.
There have been no dam failures in Wildomar or Riverside County and the risk of a catastrophic dam failure causing flooding to downstream residents is very low. In addition, in the case of an imminent dam failure, the Riverside County and Wildomar’s Emergency Operations Plans would be activated to ensure that residents and businesses are notified and if necessary evacuated in a timely manner. Therefore, cumulative impacts to hydrology, drainage, and flooding would be less than significant, and impacts of the proposed project would not be cumulatively considerable.
5.10.6 Level of Significance Before Mitigation
Upon implementation of regulatory requirements and standard conditions of approval, the following impacts would be less than significant: 5.10-1, 5.10-2, 5.10-3, 5.10-4, and 5.10-5.
5.10.7 Mitigation Measures
No mitigation measures are required.
5.10.8 Level of Significance After Mitigation
Impacts would be less than significant.
5.10.9 References
California Division of Safety of Dams (DSOD). 2021. Downstream Hazard. Accessed January 3, 2024. https://water.ca.gov/-/media/DWR-Website/Web-Pages/Programs/All-Programs/Division-of -Safety-of-Dams/Files/Publications/Division-of-Safety-of-Dams-Definitions-for-Downstream -Hazard-and-Condition-Assessment.pdf.
———. 2024. California Dam Breach Inundation Maps. Accessed January 3, 2024. https://fmds.water.ca.gov/maps/damim/.
California Department of Water Resources (DWR). 2004. California Groundwater Bulletin 118, Temecula Valley Groundwater Basin.
———. 2023a. Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). Accessed on December 28, 2023. https://water.ca.gov/programs/groundwater-management/sgma-groundwater-management. ———. 2023b. Well Completion Reports. Accessed December 28, 2023. https://water.ca.gov/Programs/Groundwater-Management/Wells/Well-Completion-Reports. 525
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———. 2023c. SGMA Data Viewer. Accessed on December 28, 2023. https://sgma.water.ca.gov/webgis/?appid=SGMADataViewer#boundaries. ———. 2023d. Groundwater Sustainability Plan Assessment, Elsinore Valley. Accessed on December 28, 2023. https://sgma.water.ca.gov/portal/gsp/assessments/119.
California Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB). 2021 Water Quality Control Plan for the San Diego Basin (Basin Plan). Accessed December 28, 2023. https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/sandiego/ water_issues/programs/basin_plan/docs/cover_and_title_pgs.pdf.
Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District (EVMWD). 2011, July. 2010 Elsinore Basin Status Report. ———. 2021a, June. 2020 Urban Water Management Plan.
———. 2021b, December. Elsinore Valley Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan.
GeoTracker, 2024. State Water Resources Control Board Website of LUST and cleanup program sites.
Accessed January 11, 2024. https://geotracker.waterboards.ca.gov/.
Riverside County. 2019 (revised). Santa Margarita River Watershed Management Area Water Quality Improvement Plan.
———. 2024a. Riverside County Stormwater & Water Conservation Tracking Tool. Accessed on January 10, 2024. https://rcwatershed.org/permittees/water-conservation-tool/. ———. 2024b. Riverside County LID BMP Handbook. Accessed on January 10, 2024. https://rcwatershed.org/permittees/riverside-county-lid-bmp-handbook/.
Riverside County Emergency Management Department (EMD). 2023, April. County of Riverside Operational Area, Multi-Jurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan.
Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District (RCFCWCD). 2011. Design Handbook for Low Impact Development Best Management Practices.
———. 2014. Upper Santa Margarita Watershed Integrated Regional Water Management Plan Update.
Prepared by RCFCWCD, Rancho California Water District, Riverside County, and Stakeholder Advisory Committee.
———. 2018. Riverside County Santa Margarita Watershed Region Design Handbook for Low Impact Development Best Management Practices.
———. 2023. District Overview. Accessed on December 22, 2023. https://rcflood.org/district-overview. ———. 2024. Master Drainage Plan and Area Drainage Plan GIS-map. Accessed on January 10, 2024. https://content.rcflood.org/MDPADP/.
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Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority (SAWPA). 2019. One Water One Watershed Plan Update 2018:
Integrated Regional Water Management Plan for the Santa Ana River Watershed.
State Water Resources Quality Control Board (SWRCB). 2023. Storm Water Program: Trash Implementation Program.
https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/stormwater/trash_implementation.html. ———. 2024. 2018 Integrated Report Map. https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/ water_quality_assessment/2018_integrated_report/2018IR_map.html.
US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). 2012, September 26. Water Permitting 101. https://www3.epa.gov/npdes/pubs/101pape.pdf.
Western Regional Climate Center (WRCC). 2024. Period of Record Monthly Climate Summary. Accessed January 2, 2024. https://wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ca2805.
Wildomar, City of. 2018a. Project Specific Water Quality Management Plan (WQMP). Accessed January 2, 2024. https://www.cityofwildomar.org/199/NPDES.
———. 2018b. “Other Development Project” Water Quality Checklist. Accessed January 2, 2024. https://www.cityofwildomar.org/199/NPDES.
———. 2019, December 11. Master Drainage Plan.
———. 2022, September 19. Local Hazard Mitigation Plan.
———. 2023, June 14. Capital Improvement Program, Fiscal Year 2023-2024 through 2027-2028. ———. 2024a. For Contractors: City Required Minimum BMPs for Construction. Accessed on January 2, 2024. https://www.cityofwildomar.org/246/For-Contractors. ———. 2024b. Jurisdictional Runoff Management Program Santa Margarita Region, Order NO.
R9-2013-0001, as Amended by Order NOS. R9-2015-0001 and R9-2015-0100. 527
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5.11 LAND USE AND PLANNING
This chapter evaluates the potential environmental effects related to land use and planning associated with implementation of the Proposed General Plan.
FOCAL POINT
The Proposed General Plan aims to create a more connected City while ensuring land use compatibility; therefore, no aspect of the proposed project would divide the existing City. Additionally, the proposed project would require an update to the City’s Municipal Code and zoning map, and possibly other development regulations to be consistent with the community vision. As indicated in this chapter, the proposed project is consistent with the goals of the 2020-2045 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy (RTP/SCS) and would further State goals through the emphasis on design and reduction in VMT. Overall, land use and planning impacts as a result of implementation of the proposed project would be less than significant.
5.11.1 Environmental Setting
5.11.1.1 REGULATORY BACKGROUND
State Regulations
State Planning Law and California Complete Streets Act
State Planning Law (California Government Code Section 65300) requires every city in California to adopt a comprehensive, long-term general plan for physical development of a city and its sphere of influence. A general plan should consist of an integrated and internally consistent set of goals and policies that are grouped by topic into a set of elements and are guided by a citywide vision. State law requires that a general plan address eight required elements (Land Use, Circulation, Housing, Conservation, Open Space, Noise, Safety, and Environmental Justice1), but allows some discretion on the arrangement and content. Additionally, each of the specific and applicable requirements in the state planning law should be examined to determine if there are environmental issues within the community that the general plan should address, including but not limited to hazards and flooding.
Additionally, on September 30, 2008, Assembly Bill (AB) 1358, the California Complete Streets Act, was signed into law, becoming effective January 1, 2011. AB 1358 places the planning, designing, and building of complete streets into the larger planning framework of the general plan by requiring jurisdictions to amend their circulation elements to plan for multimodal transportation networks. 1 Senate Bill 1000 (SB 1000) requires local governments to identify environmental justice communities (disadvantaged communities) in their jurisdictions and address environmental justice in their general plans in order to facilitate transparency and public engagement in local governments’ planning and decision-making processes, reduce harmful pollutants and the associated health risks in environmental justice communities, and promote equitable access to health-inducing benefits. 528
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Airport Land Use Compatibility
Pursuant to Section 21676 of the Public Utilities Code, prior to the amendment of a general plan or specific plan, or the adoption or approval of a zoning ordinance or building regulation within the planning boundary established by the airport land use commission pursuant to Section 21675 of the Public Utilities Code, the local agency shall first refer the proposed action to the Airport Land Use Commission. If the commission determines that the proposed action is inconsistent with the commission’s plan, the referring agency shall be notified. The local agency may, after a public hearing, propose to overrule the commission by a two-thirds vote of its governing body if it makes specific findings that the proposed action is consistent with the intent to minimize the public’s exposure to excessive noise and safety hazards within areas around public airports.
Regional Regulations
Western Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan The City of Wildomar is within the Western Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP). The Western Riverside County MSHCP is a plan to conserve species and their habitats in western Riverside County. It covers 146 species, of which 118 are considered to be adequately conserved. The goal of the MSHCP is to maintain biological diversity while improving future economic development in the county.
The MSHCP allows signatories to issue "take" authorizations for all species covered by the MSHCP, including state- and federally listed species, as well as other identified sensitive species and/or their habitats. Each city or local jurisdiction will impose a Development Mitigation Fee for projects within their jurisdiction. With payment of the mitigation fee to the county and compliance with the survey requirements of the MSHCP where required, full mitigation in compliance with CEQA, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), California Endangered Species Act (CEQA), and Federal Endangered Species Act (FESA) will be achieved.
Stephens’ Kangaroo Rat Conservation Plan
Within Riverside County is an established long-term Stephens’ kangaroo rat habitat conservation plan (HCP).
The Stephens’ kangaroo rat HCP is administered by the Riverside County Habitat Conservation Agency (RCHCA) and aims to conserve 15,000 acres of occupied Stephens’ kangaroo rat habitat. To date, more than 46,000 acres have been assembled in western Riverside County for this species. The RCHCA has a Section 10A permit granted by USFWS that allows for take of Stephens’ kangaroo rat as part of development activity. FESA defines take as any attempt to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct as it relates to Stephens’ kangaroo rat. As individual projects are proposed and approved in the Stephens’ kangaroo rat HCP area, public and private land developers are required to pay a Stephens’ kangaroo rat mitigation fee for land that is developed and removes Stephens’ kangaroo rat habitat. This streamlined process benefits developers in the Stephens’ kangaroo rat HCP area because projects in this area do not require individual review and approval by the wildlife agencies.
The activities covered by the plan fall into three categories:
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1. Actions by private landowners, local and regional public agencies, public and private utilities, and farmers that are otherwise lawful but constitute incidental take of Stephens’ kangaroo rat as defined by the FESA and CESA.
2. Establishment and management of permanent Stephens’ kangaroo rat reserves by the RCHCA in cooperation with other public agencies and individual landowners.
3. Implementation by the RCHCA and its member agencies of the conservation, mitigation, and monitoring measures specified in this plan.
The current Mitigation Fee is $500 per gross acre of the parcels proposed for development within the Stephens’ kangaroo rat HCP fee area.
Western Riverside Council of Governments
The purpose of the Western Riverside Council of Governments (WRCOG) is to unify Western Riverside County. WRCOG is comprised of representatives from 18 cities, Riverside County Board of Supervisors, and the Eastern and Western Municipal Water Districts. WRCOG’s 2022-2027 Strategic Plan establishes the following seven goals and provides strategies to meet these goals:
1. Serve as an advocate at the regional, state, and federal level for the Western Riverside subregion.
2. Identify and help secure grants and other potential funding opportunities for projects and programs that benefit member agencies.
3. Ensure fiscal solvency and stability of the WRCOG.
4. Communicate proactively about the role and activities of the Council of Governments.
5. Develop projects and programs that improve infrastructure and sustainable development in the subregion.
6. Develop and implement programs that support resilience of the region.
7. Provide a safe, inclusive environment that values employees.
WRCOG implements two transportation plans––the Transportation Uniform Mitigation Fee (TUMF) program, which ensures that new development pays its fair share for the increased traffic that it creates on regional infrastructure, and the Western Riverside County Active Transportation Plan (ATP), which aims to improve transportation choices in the subregion and benefit all residents, employees, and visitors by identifying regional facilities to provide more transportation options.
Southern California Association of Governments
SCAG is a council of governments representing Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Ventura counties. SCAG is the federally recognized metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for this region, which encompasses over 38,000 square miles. SCAG is a regional planning agency and a forum for 530
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addressing regional issues concerning transportation, the economy, community development, and the environment. SCAG is also the regional clearinghouse for projects requiring environmental documentation under federal and state law. In this role, SCAG reviews proposed development and infrastructure projects to analyze their impacts on regional planning programs. As the southern California region’s MPO, SCAG cooperates with the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the California Department of Transportation, and other agencies in preparing regional planning documents. SCAG’s regional plans aim to achieve specific regional objectives. The plans most applicable to the proposed project are discussed below.
Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strateg y On September 3, 2020, SCAG adopted the 2020-2045 RTP/SCS which encompasses four principles–– mobility, economy, healthy/complete communities, and environment––that are important to the region’s future. The 2020 RTP/SCS explicitly lays out goals related to housing, transportation technologies, equity, and resilience in order to adequately reflect the increasing importance of these topics in the region.
Local Regulations
City of Wildomar Municipal Code
Title 17, Zoning, of the Wildomar Municipal Code, identifies the types of permitted land uses on all parcels throughout the various assigned zoning districts. The current Zoning Ordinance identifies development standards and requirements per zoning district, such as building height limit, setback requirements, landscaping, parking, and so forth.
Specific Plans
Specific plans allow for flexibility in design and customized development standards tailored to specific needs and conditions. The specific plan is one of the most creative tools available for guiding and regulating development, but also requires considerable attention to detail. As specified by the California Government Code, a specific plan must be consistent with the General Plan and must respond to all the required General Plan topics to the extent that they apply to the area in question.
5.11.1.2 EXISTING CONDITIONS
The City occupies approximately 24 square miles, the majority of which is developed with established residential, commercial, industrial, recreational, and institutional uses. The I-15, which runs in a north-south direction, physically divides the City. There are no airports in the City of Wildomar. The nearest airport to the City is Skylark Airport (publicly known as Skydive Elsinore), which is a private airstrip in Lake Elsinore, approximately 425 feet west of the City’s western boundary. The nearest public airport, which is approximately 4.8 miles southeast of Wildomar, is the French Valley Airport in Murrieta.
Figure 3-3, Existing Land Use Plan, shows the existing land use designations in the City, and Table 3-1, Proposed General Plan Buildout, shows the existing and proposed buildout in the City. 531
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5.11.2 Thresholds of Significance
According to Appendix G of the CEQA Guidelines, a project would normally have a significant effect on the environment if the project would:
LU-1 Physically divide an established community.
LU-2 Cause a significant environmental impact due to a conflict with any land use plan, policy, or regulation adopted for the purpose of avoiding or mitigating an environmental effect.
5.11.3 Proposed General Plan Goals and Policies
Land Use Element
GOAL LU 1 Administration: The General Plan is utilized as the guiding planning document for the City and as the basis for regional collaboration.
Policy LU-1.1 Regional Planning Efforts. Wildomar shall participate in regional efforts to address issues of mobility, transportation, traffic congestion, economic development, air and water quality, and watershed and habitat management with Riverside County, neighboring cities, local and regional agencies, stakeholders, and tribal governments.
Policy LU-1.2 Specific, Master and Corridor Plans. Specific, Master and Corridor Plans may be utilized to facilitate more detailed land use and planning for targeted sites or areas of the City, insofar as they are consistent with the goals and policies of the General Plan. Policy LU-1.3 Development Clustering and Density Transfers. Allow development clustering and/or density transfers to preserve open space, natural resources, cultural and/or biologically sensitive resources.
Policy LU-1.4 Internal Consistency. All General Plan elements must be internally consistent and hold equal status. Updates to individual elements or the General Plan in its entirety, shall ensure that internal consistency is maintained between all elements.
Policy LU-1.5 Lot Mergers. Where lot sizes impede redevelopment opportunities, encourage merging of adjacent lots to provide sites of adequate size and dimension to allow for redevelopment.
GOAL LU 2 Development Capacity: Responsible growth through well-planned development provides for the needs of Wildomar’s residents and businesses, makes efficient use of land and infrastructure, protects important environmental resources, promotes the health of the community, and maintains the unique character distinguishing the City as a special place in the region. Policy LU-2.2 Population Density Standard. Pursuant to State law, each land use designation that provides for residential development is assigned a population density standard for the purposes of projection and infrastructure planning. These population density standards are relevant only for general 532
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planning purposes, and shall not be interpreted as constituting legal limitations on the number of persons who may reside at any particular location or parcel.
Policy LU-3.1 Cottonwood Canyon. Encourage lot mergers consistent with the land use and zoning designations for this area to establish developable lots that meet minimum thresholds for health and safety of onsite water treatment or require new development to provide for the extension or development of full public sewerage and water services. Policy LU-3.2 Sedco. Work with utility providers to improve infrastructure in the Sedco area and explore opportunities to expand the provision of public services. Explore opportunities to ensure current residents, including renters, benefit from investments in infrastructure improvements. Policy LU-3.3 Old Town. Recognize Old Town as the traditional heart of Wildomar and explore opportunities to enhance the area as a center of activity reflecting the City’s heritage. Seek to leverage vacant and underutilized sites and publicly-owned parcels to activate the area with an events and community space reflecting a unique character and identity. Policy LU-3.4 Hidden Springs/Wyman Road Specific Plan Area. Prior to any development within this 160+/- acre area, require preparation of a Specific Plan and accompanying EIR for the redevelopment area generally south of Clinton Keith Road, west of I-15 freeway, and east of Palomar Street that accommodates a mixed-use development reflecting a high quality of design that enhances the City’s visibility and identity, provides housing opportunities in close proximity to resources, and contributes to the City’s economic development goals. Light industrial/business park uses are permitted as long as they occupy not more than 35 percent of the area and are located and designed to be compatible with other uses.
Policy LU-3.5 Wildomar Trail/I-15 Project Area. The area bounded by the I-15 freeway, Wildomar Trail, Susan Drive and La Estrella Street is recognized as a unique economic development opportunity zone in the City and warrants a coordinated planning and development approach (such as a Specific Plan, Area Plan or Vision Plan) to maximize the potential to establish a mixed-use community that enhances the City’s visibility and identity.
Policy LU-3.6 Clinton Keith Corridor. Engage in an advance planning process (such as a Specific Plan, Corridor Plan or Vision Plan) to identify goals and actions to improve the economic and community development qualities of the Clinton Keith Road Corridor and ensure that uses that meet the community’s objectives are developed.
Policy LU-3.7 Mission Trial Corridor. Engage in an advance planning process (such as a Specific Plan, Corridor Plan or Vision Plan) to identify goals and actions to improve the economic and community development qualities of the Mission Trail Corridor.
GOAL LU 4 Urban Form: A City of distinct centers and corridors surrounded by neighborhoods and connected to a network of parks and open spaces.
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Policy LU-4.1 Patterns and Distribution of Uses and Density. Accommodate land use development in accordance with the patterns and distribution of use and density depicted on the General Plan Land Use Plan (Figure LU-1) to promote efficient development; reduce automobile dependence and greenhouse gas emissions; ensure compatibility among uses; enhance community livability and health; and sustain economic vitality.
GOAL LU 8 Residential Neighborhoods: A City composed of neighborhoods with a variety of housing types that are desirable places to live, contribute to the quality of life, and are well maintained. Policy LU-8.2 Connections and Linkages. Integrate networks of parks, plazas, public squares, bicycle trails and pedestrian paths into new residential development to provide both connections within each community and linkages with surrounding features and neighborhoods.
GOAL LU-9 Commercial Areas: Vital, active, prosperous, and well-designed commercial centers and corridors offer a diversity of goods, services, and entertainment and contribute a positive experience for Wildomar’s residents and visitors.
Policy LU-9.4 Internal and External Connections. Encourage the provision of non-vehicular access between commercial uses and adjoining neighborhoods and the development of internal crossconnections between commercial uses so as to reduce the number of curb cuts and number of vehicle trips on adjacent roadways.
GOAL LU-11 Industrial Uses: Light industrial uses are accommodated to enhance economic activity and are located and designed in a compatible manner with surrounding land uses. Policy LU-11.1 Protect from Incompatible Uses. Protect industrial lands from encroachment of incompatible or sensitive uses, such as residential or schools, that could be impacted by industrial activity. Policy LU-11.3 Integration of Complimentary Uses. Support the integration of complimentary uses in areas designated as “Light Industrial” supporting local employees and that may attract active use, such as “maker” spaces, arts & crafts, point of sale retail and recreation facilities, provided that these are compatible and do not detrimentally impact the primary industrial function of the area.
Circulation Element
Policy CI-1.8 Enhance Connectivity. When feasible, require developments to incorporate short block spacing and a strong street grid network as a means to enhance connectivity for all travel modes.
Encourage the inclusion of non-motorized transportation corridors, such as paseos, promenades, and multi-use paths to improve connectivity along long blocks or non-continuous streets.
GOAL CI 2: Pedestrian infrastructure that is safe, connected, and comfortable for users of all ages and abilities, inclusive of accessible curb ramps and sidewalks, marked crosswalks, trail connections, lighting, and pedestrian crossing features.
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