The project entails replacement of the existing Lake Wohlford Dam, which is a City-owned facility located in the rural foothills of unincorporated County of San Diego, approximately 0.5 miles east of the City’s incorporated boundaries and 5 miles northeast of the City’s downtown center. The City proposes to construct a new dam downstream (west) of the existing dam and partially deconstruct the existing dam. The replacement dam would feature an outlet tower that is integrated into the dam’s upstream face; the top of the existing outlet tower would be demolished, and the bottom of the existing outlet tower and the outlet pipe would be filled with sand and abandoned in place. The project would entail improvement and extension of an existing unpaved access road located west of the Lake Wohlford Marina, extending it to the right (north) abutment of the replacement dam. The road would provide equipment and material access from the project’s primary staging yard, located west of the marina, to the dam construction zone. Following completion of the project, the road would provide permanent maintenance and inspection access to the right abutment and the dam crest. To accommodate the replacement dam’s configuration, the project also entails realignment of the portion of Oakdale Road near the dam’s left (south) abutment. This portion of the road would be realigned south of its current location, requiring excavation into the adjacent hillside. The replacement dam would be constructed so the resultant storage capacity and maximum reservoir level would be equal to the capacity and elevation prior to the water level restriction, at 6,500 acre-feet and 1,480 feet AMSL, respectively, so the project proposes no changes to Lake Wohlford’s historic high water level or storage capacity. After completion of the replacement dam, the hydraulic fill portion of the existing dam would be removed down to 1,450 feet AMSL, with material hauled off site for disposal and reuse.
Final EIR Material (2020)
The Final EIR consists of the Response to Comments and includes text revisions to the Draft EIR in response to input received during the public review period.
Recirculated EIR Material (2020)
The Draft EIR was previously circulated for public review from October 4, 2016 to November 17, 2016. Since the original public review period, the City has revised the Biological Resources Section of the EIR (Section 3.3) based on public comments that were received from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The City has also revised the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Section (Section 3.6) and the Effects Found Not to be Significant Chapter (Chapter 4.0) of the EIR due to new regulatory requirements since the Draft EIR was circulated for public review. The Executive Summary and the Project Description Chapter (Chapter 2.0) are also being recirculated for public review to reflect the changes to the mitigation measures in the biological resources section and to clarify two changed existing conditions related to the project. The public can provide their comments to only the portions of the Draft EIR that have changed and are included in the Draft Revised documents, pursuant to §15088.5(f)(2) of the CEQA Guidelines. Both sets of comments, from the Draft EIR (circulated from October 4, 2016 to November 17, 2016) and the Draft Revised documents, will be included in the Final EIR. For more information, please refer to the Preface on page v of the Recirculated Draft EIR.