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W A T E R E NE R G Y I T F F <br />� . RIVERSIDE PUBLIC UTILITIES <br />kd& Board Memorandum <br />P U B L I C U T I L I I I L S <br />BOARD OF PUBLIC UTILITIES DATE: MAY 24, 2021 <br />SUBJECT: UPPER SANTA ANA RIVER HABITAT CONSERVATION PLAN AND THE <br />RIVERSIDE HABITAT, PARKS, AND WATER PROJECT UPDATE <br />ISSUE: <br />Receive this update on the Upper Santa Ana River Habitat Conservation Plan and the Riverside <br />Habitat, Parks, and Water Project. <br />RECOMMENDATION: <br />That the Board of Public Utilities receive this update on the Upper Santa Ana River Habitat <br />Conservation Plan and the Riverside Habitat, Parks, and Water Project. <br />BACKGROUND: <br />On September 5, 2014, the Board of Public Utilities recommended that Council approve an <br />expenditure not to exceed $325,000 for Riverside Public Utilities (RPU) share in participating in <br />the planning efforts for the Upper Santa Ana River Habitat Conservation Plan. City Council <br />approved the expenditure on October 7, 2014. <br />A Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) is a planning level document that ensures that the anticipated <br />take of a listed (threatened or endangered) species be minimized or mitigated by conserving the <br />habitat upon which the species depend, thereby contributing to the recovery of the species as a <br />whole. Developing a HCP is an approach to gain regulatory approval for construction and /or <br />maintenance activities that require an Incidental Take Permit, a permit issued under the United <br />States Endangered Species Act (ESA) to non-federal agencies undertaking projects that might <br />result in the destruction of an endangered or threatened species or its habitat. <br />Many listed species such as the Santa Ana Sucker fish and the San Bernardino Kangaroo Rat <br />occupy key locations within the Watershed that have caused new water supply projects and <br />maintenance activities to be put on hold. The intent behind creating the Upper Santa Ana River <br />HCP is to find a regional, sustainable, and cost-effective approach to improve the occurrence of <br />these species while also pursuing needed infrastructure projects. San Bernardino Valley <br />Municipal Water District took the lead in developing the HCP for the team, which is made up of <br />11 funding agencies. <br />Over the last six years, the HCP team has been working diligently at collecting scientifically <br />defensible data and evaluating this data to identify the current state of all of the listed species in <br />