SFPUC Habitat Conservation Plan

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is preparing a Habitat Conservation Plan for projects, maintenance, and operations in the upper Alameda Creek Watershed. The HCP will be a long-term conservation plan for land use and biological planning on SFPUC lands. The HCP will result in a federal permit allowing the SFPUC to legally "take" or harm endangered species, in exchange for conservation measures intended to protect the species and their habitats.

The HCP planning process resumed in December 2011 with new sections on the Impact Analysis and Conservation Strategy and an overview of fish issues in the HCP. The public draft of the HCP is likely to be released in fall 2012; there will be a series of public workshops and a 90-day public comment period after the draft HCP is released; there will be a draft Environmental Impact Report prepared for the HCP; the SFPUC is also planning for an independent outside review of portions of the HCP. The final HCP is scheduled for spring 2013.

The HCP will provide conservation measures and legal coverage for the SFPUC under the Endangered Species act for lawful "take" of 12 special-status wildlife species and 5 plant species:

Covered Wildlife Species
1. Callippe Silverspot Butterfly
2. California Tiger Salamander
3. California Red-legged Frog
4. Foothill Yellow-legged Frog
5. Alameda Whipsnake
6. Western Pond Turtle
7. Tricolored Blackbird
8. Western Burrowing Owl
9. Townsend's Western Big-eared Bat
10. Central California Coast Steelhead Trout
11. Pacific Lamprey
12. Central Valley Fall-run Chinook Salmon

Covered Plant Species
1. Round-Leaved Filaree
2. Fragrant Fritillary
3. Congdon's Tarplant
4. Hospital Canyon Larkspur
5. Most Beautiful Jewel-flower

The San Francisco Planning Department, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Marine Fisheries Service will be conducting the environmental review process and will determine the scope and focus of the joint Environmental Impact Statement and Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR).

For more information about the HCP visit the SFPUC web site

Draft HCP chapters released by SFPUC (as of December 2011)

Chapter 1 - Background, Scope, Regulatory Context, Table of Contents, Evaluation of Species for Consideration

Chapter 2 - Covered Activities

Chapter 3 - Physical and Biological Resources

Chapter 4 - Impact Analysis

Chapter 5 - Conservation Strategy

Map of HCP Study Area

Submitted Comments

Alameda Creek Alliance scoping comments on the HCP - January 21, 2009

California Native Plant Society scoping comments - January 2009

Holistic comments by ACA member Walter Epp - January 2009

ACA comments on grazing issues - March 2005

ACA comments on covered species and activities, Biological Inventory Report - June 2004

ACA initial comments on HCP - February 2004

Read the special report License to Kill by the Seattle Post- Intelligencer, detailing the flaws in Habitat Conservation Plans that that tip the scales in favor of development and logging over endangered species.