Page 4.C-11 OSEC-109 [See page 5-322 for the original comment] REVISE the last full paragraph as follows:
Brisbane Lagoon is a tidal lagoon feature composed of approximately 119 acres of open water subject to muted tidal influence and an additional 17.6 acres of lagoon perimeter, located at the southern end of the Project
Site. The lagoon’s shorelines are a dynamic environment and depending on the tide can include some beach during low tides. During high tides, open water can extend up to the riprap edges of the Lagoon, inundating any beach or tidal habitat contain little beach during high tides and most of the shoreline exposed during low tides is protected by riprap. Marsh areas are present at the southern end of the lagoon, which has attained marsh plain elevations and supports tidal marsh habitat dominated by pickleweed (Salicornia sp). This also occurs at the northern most portion of the Lagoon where the Guadalupe Channel drains to the Lagoon.
Page 4.C-14 BCC-87 [See page 5-181 for the original comment] REVISE the discussion of special status fish within the project site as indicated below.
The special-status fish species discussed below are assumed to be present in the Brisbane Lagoon, although species-specific surveys were not conducted, based on their known presence in the adjacent Bay waters and the lack of barriers between the lagoon and the Bay. It is plausible that individuals of the species could freely move between these two water bodies. The two large sized concrete box culverts located at the northeastern corner of the lagoon are tidally influenced with brackish conditions prevailing within the water body.
San Francisco Bay serves as a migratory pathway for two anadromous salmonid species: chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and steelhead (O. mykiss). Williams (2006) stated, “Chinook salmon and steelhead have highly variable life-history patterns, with age at spawning in Chinook varying from one year to seven years, and age at emigration to estuaries or the ocean ranging from a few days to two years. Steelhead have even more variable life histories and may omit ocean rearing altogether…” Both species spawn in gravel-bed, freshwater streams.
Juveniles return (as smolts) to the ocean. A biologically profound difference between the two species is that chinook die after spawning once (semelparous), whereas steelhead have the capacity to survive the spawning run, return to sea, and spawn again in future years (iteroparous) (for recent reviews of biological literature see Williams 2006, 2012; for recent data and discussions of out-migration of juveniles through San Francisco Bay see Hearn et al. 2010, Jahn 2011a, Hearn et al. 2013). The