23 ATTACHMENT 1 - Laserfiche WebLink

Draft 14. Subregional Planning Element In 2005 the Tri-Valley area contained about 5,000 acres of irrigated farmland, most of it in grape production for wine. These lands provide a scenic and valuable buffer to areawide urban development. The Tri Valley Business Council Working Lanclrcape Plans identifies three areas for possible irrigated agricultural expansion: South Livermore, Greenville, and North Livermore. Implementation of the Working Lanclrcape Plan would result in about 12,000 to 17,000 total acres of irrigated agricultural land in the Tri-Valley area. Visual Resources The Tri Valley contains visual resources representative of California's northern coast range and inland valley landscapes. These resources include expansive grass-covered grazing lands, steep and rolling hills, broad valleys, meandering tree-lined creeks, oak woodlands, pasturelands, dryland farmlands, orchards, row croplands, and vineyards. Peaks and ridgelines of the Diablo Range and the Las Trampas/Pleasanton/Sunol Range axe visually prominent landforms. The aesthetic quality of the area is based largely on its rural, pastoral character and its topographic diversity. I-580 and I-680 provide panoramic views of outlying areas. I-680 is an officially designated State Scenic Highway, which requires special measures by local governments to protect views along the travel corridor. Air Quality The combination of light winds, high terrain, and frequent temperature inversions still gives the Tri- Valley air basin a higher potential for air pollution than most other locations in the Bay Area. During the summer, conditions are conducive to the creation of ozone, and during the winter, accumulations of pollutants such as carbon monoxide and particulate matter. Consequently, the Tri-Valley area has more days when State air quality standards are not met than most other parts of the Bay Area. The Tri-Valley area is located generally downwind with respect to the rest of the Bay Area, so that pollutants released upwind contaminate the air stream into the Tri Valley. In turn, winds transport pollutants generated within the Tri Valley easterly through the Altamont Pass into the San Joaquin Valley. Since 1995, ozone levels in the Tri Valley have generally decreased. During this time, the number of days violating State standards averaged about seven (over the last three years) compared to an average of about 15 during the mid-1990s. In addition to criteria pollutants, the Tri Valley contains numerous stationary sources of air pollutants that emit toxic air contaminants. (See the Local and Regional Meteorological Influences, the Recent Air Quality Conditions, and the Hazardous Pollutant sections of the Air Quality Element for further discussion of these issues.) In addition to air pollution, several types of land use frequently result in odor-causing operations, dust ox other nuisances. Within the Tri Valley, these operations generally include: sand-and-gravel ~ Tri Valley Business Council, Agricultural Water Task Force, Workt'ng LnncLrcape Plan, January 2005 Working Draft. 5ubregioral %anning 060507, clean 14-I 2 City Council 6/5/2007