UC expansion plans again run up against protected fairy shrimp

[XemaSab]

Endangered fairy shrimp, those tiny vernal pool dwellers that have bedeviled planners at UC Merced for years, are flexing their protected status again.

The half-inch-long crustaceans are in the path of the campus' long-range development plans and, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, their environmental standing might force the university to expand elsewhere -- possibly 15 miles away.

The campus, which opened in 2005 and is 6 miles from downtown Merced, wants to grow directly to the north and east with new dorms, lecture halls, classroom buildings and other facilities needed to accommodate a projected enrollment of 25,000 students by 2030.

The expansion would involve 910 adjacent acres, including 86 acres of seasonal wetlands over which the Corps of Engineers holds authority to regulate development or reject it outright.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/02/20/BAGGBO7I5V1.DTL

Cross-posted in E/E:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x84131

[alfredo]

1. I remember the Fairy Shrimp in the ponds and pools around my

home town. The ones I saw were translucent. Compared to tadpoles, they were rare.

[Porcupine]

2. It's just stupid engineering aside from environmental concerns.

Let me start by stating that the environmental concerns are enough to stop these projects all by themselves.

Aside from that concern projects built on vernal pool areas NEVER drain properly once built. On a normal building site builders are required to "perc test" the property and prove that when it rains the water will drain into the ground in a reasonable period of time. On vernal pool grounds this does not happen and after a short saturation period shallow pools of water collect in low spots of 2-3 inches until they evaporate or transpirate away.

Here in Chico that means that houses and business can be surrounded by standing water for 3-6 months of the year depending on the length of the rainy season. That water wicks into concrete pads and foundations causing mold, dry-rot and promotes termite colonies. In late spring and summer lawn watering results in permanent mosquito breeding patches.

Trees planted on such land are weak and frequently die due to bug infestation or root problems. Mulberries will grow there but the roots surface and present a hazard to foot traffic and lawn mowers. Don't get me started on the nightmare of trying to repair water lines in such soil.

Now engineers will tell you that proper grading and drainage will eliminate all these problems. Then again engineers are in the habit of promising conditions on building sites that are never really met. Next time it rains I could take some engineers on a wet-foot tour of some badly placed projects.

No building on vernal pools. Period.

[musiclawyer]

3. Exactly

There are lots of places in the central valley, many near Merced, where UC could have situated the new campus with much less environmental problems. Bad decision made many years ago.

[XemaSab]

4. I was particularly irritated that they had the gall to mention vanishing farmland

They care about farmland when it's time to build the UC, but not when it's time to build tract houses? :eyes: