Zentner Planning and Ecology was hired to complete due diligence biological work on a potential solar site located south of the Napa Airport in Napa County. This was a complex site with horse pastures, seasonal wetlands, and other sensitive habitat. Our preliminary delineation work determined that the site contained a portion of a tidal marsh and a number of seasonal wetlands. As well, we determined that sensitive species could be an issue depending upon project design and layout. However, we were able to show that a good portion of the site was likely upland and, therefore, could be developed with little to no impacts to wetlands or other jurisdictional areas, while keeping potential species issues to a minimum.
Multi-Faceted Corps Permits
Creating the Laguna Creek Complex
Today, Laguna Creek is a complex, diverse riparian landscape with thriving neighborhoods on either side. Twenty years ago, it was a farm ditch with a number of small vernal pools scattered in the heavily grazed adjacent fields. Working for the City of Sacramento, we mapped the wetland boundaries in these fields, using high-resolution, infrared aerial photography and a variety of other techniques to define wetland boundaries that had been complicated by years of farming. The Corps approved our final map and then our redesign of the creek system, which broadened and deepened the Creek to provide local flood protection while also allowing us to restore vernal pools and riparian woodlands to the landscape.