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City of Santa Ana California Environmental Quality Act <br />Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration <br />Discussion: <br />a) <br />i) The Project site is located in Southern California, a seismically active region. The City of <br />Santa Ana and the Project site are not within a known earthquake fault zone as <br />delineated on an Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zoning Map. Therefore, the potential <br />impact from fault rupture is considered less than significant. <br />ii) The Project site is located in Southern California, a seismically active area. However, the <br />likelihood of hazards related to strong seismic ground shaking, such as ground surface <br />rupture, is low. The Project will be designed and constructed in compliance with federal, <br />state, and municipal building codes governing seismic safety. Thus, the impact from <br />strong seismic ground shaking is considered less than significant. <br />iii) Liquefaction refers to the loss of soil strength in saturated, coarse -grained soils during <br />seismic activity. Liquefaction susceptibility is influenced by soil properties such as grain <br />size, relative density, fines content, and the presence of clay -size fractions. The <br />California Geological Survey indicates that although the majority of Santa Ana is in an <br />area susceptible to liquefaction, the Project location is not located within a liquefaction <br />zone. The Project will adhere to the recommendations in the Project's geotechnical <br />report to minimize and mitigate potential adverse effects from seismic activity. <br />Therefore, the impact from liquefaction is considered less than significant. <br />iv) According to the California Geological Survey, the Project site is not located in an area <br />identified as a landslide hazard zone. As such, all structures in the Project's design will <br />be protected from landslides and other ground movements. No impact from landslides is <br />anticipated. <br />b) Construction of the Project will require minimal vegetation removal and involve various earthwork <br />activities, including grading, excavation, and fill, which could result in localized soil erosion. However, <br />standard erosion control measures will be implemented during construction, including revegetation or <br />stabilization of disturbed areas following construction. Therefore, impacts related to erosion are <br />considered less than significant. <br />c) As noted in Sections 3.7(a) and (b), the Project is not in a fault, landslide, or liquefaction zone. <br />The Project will follow the requirements outlined in the geotechnical report to minimize and mitigate <br />potential adverse impacts related to soil stability. Therefore, the potential hazards associated with <br />soil stability are considered less than significant. <br />d) Expansive soils, which tend to swell when wet and shrink when dry, can cause uneven movement of <br />structures, potentially leading to cracking. According to the October 2021 geotechnical report by <br />Terracon, the Project site is composed of sandy silty clay, silty sand, clayey sand, sandy silt, lean <br />clay, sandy lean clay, silty clay, and poorly graded sand. These soil types are generally non - <br />expansive. While sandy silty clay may contain some clay, its sandy component reduces the potential <br />for expansive behavior. Similarly, poorly graded sand, which consists primarily of sand particles, <br />provides effective drainage and exhibits minimal shrink -swell characteristics. The report indicates <br />that the site is suitable for the proposed construction based on the geotechnical conditions <br />encountered. Measures outlined in the geotechnical report, along with any recommendations from <br />-21CWE7 <br />- <br />