Final Environmental Impact Statement - Scorpion Pier Replacement

The National Park Service (NPS or Park Service) has prepared the Scorpion Pier Replacement
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the proposed action of replacing and
potentially relocating the existing Scorpion Pier at Santa Cruz Island, as well as making
improvements to the connecting access road. The key purpose of this action is to create a safe,
high-quality, and environmentally responsible welcome and support area that connects visitors to
the history of Scorpion Ranch, the most visited destination in Channel Islands National Park. The
existing Scorpion Pier, a flatbed railcar installed in 2000 originally intended for only temporary
use, is deteriorating and in poor structural condition. Public ferry service to Scorpion Pier is
provided several times per day for most of the year by a park concessioner, and the Park Service
uses the pier several times per week to transport staff and cargo. The existing pier structure
requires visitors to climb ladders above pitching and shifting seas and is located in water that is
too shallow for NPS or concessioner boats to safely approach or dock when tides are low or when
wave heights are greater than 1 or 2 feet. The planned improvement project is to replace the
existing pier so that it provides safer and easier access for the public and NPS staff, provides
adequate water depth for concessioner and NPS vessels, and meets basic administrative
functional requirements.

This EIS analyzes the potential consequences of three alternatives: the No Action Alternative;
Alternative 1, which would replace the existing pier in the same location and make road
improvements; and Alternative 2, which would construct a new replacement pier south of the
existing location and make minor road improvements. It also proposes mitigation measures to
minimize the adverse impacts from construction or operation of the alternatives where such
impacts may occur. Road improvements would be more extensive under Alternative 1.
Based on issues identified during the public and agency scoping process, as well as public
correspondence received during the Draft EIS comment period, the impact analysis focuses on
the following resource topics: transportation and circulation; air quality; noise and vibration;
geology, soils, and seismicity; water quality and hydrology; aquatic biological resources; terrestrial
biological resources; visual resources; cultural and historic resources; recreation and visitor use;
and public health and safety.

Based on issues identified during the public and agency scoping process, as well as public
correspondence received during the Draft EIS comment period, the impact analysis focuses on
the following resource topics: transportation and circulation; air quality; noise and vibration;
geology, soils, and seismicity; water quality and hydrology; aquatic biological resources; terrestrial
biological resources; visual resources; cultural and historic resources; recreation and visitor use;
and public health and safety.

Document Content:

Scorpion_EIS_Final_041717.pdf   (52.4 MB, PDF file) Disclaimer: Links within the above document(s) were valid as of the date published. Note: Some of the files may be in PDF format and can be viewed using the Adobe Acrobat Reader software. You may download a free copy of from Adobe Systems.