Two trends are impacting long-term native habitat mitigation projects in California: (1) regulatory agency compliance checks have become more frequent, and (2) depleted municipal budgets have seriously curtailed spending on effective project oversight. The following tips for avoiding unnecessary costs due to regulatory violations, extended maintenance, or remedial repair work are offered by the habitat
Santa Margarita Water District’s new 244-million-gallon Upper Chiquita Reservoir is the largest domestic water reservoir built in south Orange County since the 1970s. Built on 27-acres of canyon slope, the reservoir is located in the South Orange County Sub-region Natural Community Conservation Plan/Master Streambed Alteration Agreement/Habitat Conservation Plan (NCCP/MSAA/HCP) and San Juan Creek and Western
Public agencies may now find it advantageous to develop wetland mitigation banks rather than pursue project-specific mitigation due to rule changes by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The regulatory change is an effort to develop watershed-based planning. Mitigation banks create larger wetlands projects with greater ecological functions and sustainability
