DRAFT EXISTING CONDITIONS, CONSTRAINTS AND OPPORTUNITIES REPORT

Transcription

1 2.6 SAFETY ELEMENT The Safety Element of a General Plan addresses protection from any unreasonable risks associated with hazards such as fire, flood, and earthquakes. Public safety issues related to fire and police protection are also addressed in the Safety Element of the Metropolitan Bakersfield General Plan EXISTING CONDITIONS The 2002 Metropolitan Bakersfield General Plan provides safety goals and policies in three distinct focus areas: Seismic hazards, Other geologic hazards, and Public safety. The following is a brief overview of these focus areas as described in the 2002 Metropolitan Bakersfield General Plan. Seismic Hazards The Metropolitan Bakersfield area is located near the eastern edge of the broad San Joaquin Valley, at the base of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The valley is a large, northwest-trending trough (geosyncline) between the Sierra Nevada on the east and the Coast Range mountains on the west. The valley is filled with thick sediments eroded from the mountains on both sides. There are numerous geologic fractures in the earth's crust within the San Joaquin Valley. The most prominent is the San Andreas Fault. Other fault systems in the Bakersfield region include Breckenridge, Kern Canyon, Garlock, and White Wolf faults (see Figure Major Active Faults). Potential seismic hazards existing in the planning area include strong ground shaking, fault rupture, liquefaction, earthquake induced landslides and potential inundation from the failure of Lake Isabella dam. Other geologic hazards in the planning area include flooding, landslides, and subsidence. In addressing the potential geologic and seismic hazards of the plan area, the siting and design of certain essential and critical facilities must be properly planned if public health and safety are to be maintained following a disaster. Most critical and essential facilities in, or influencing, the Metropolitan Bakersfield area (e.g. hospitals, schools, dams, etc.) are under state or federal regulation and control, and may be beyond the control of local jurisdictions. Other projects, including many critical facilities, are under local discretionary jurisdiction, and are therefore affected by the policies established in this plan

2 FIGURE MAJOR ACTIVE FAULTS 2.6-2

3 Strong Ground Shaking The principal seismic hazard affecting the planning area is the potential for strong ground shaking from any of the four major faults in the region. The most vulnerable structures in an earthquake are the unreinforced masonry buildings in Metropolitan Bakersfield, which were built before seismic codes were first instituted by the City and County. Other building types that may pose substantial hazards in an earthquake include precast concrete tilt-up buildings, and predominantly multi-story buildings of nonductile concrete frame and composite precast concrete construction types. The City s retrofit program for unreinforced masonry buildings has been very successful. A complete inventory of unreinforced masonry buildings was completed and the City conducted a very aggressive seismic retrofit construction program after Of those buildings identified as unreinforced masonry structures, 85% are now up to 1993 seismic construction standards. The County has performed a similar inventory and notified owners of the status of their buildings. Fault Rupture Fault rupture is a break in the ground's surface and associated deformation resulting from movement along an earthquake fault. Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zone Maps on file with the City of Bakersfield and Kern County show the areas mapped by the State of California where fault rupture could occur along known earthquake faults. Special studies are required prior to building structures for human occupancy within Earthquake Fault Zones to ensure that buildings are not placed directly on a fault. Liquefaction Liquefaction occurs when earthshaking causes soil to behave more like a liquid than a solid, often with the result that buildings sink into the liquefied soil and are destroyed. Areas of high groundwater are at a greater risk for liquefaction of soils during a major earthquake. Damage in urbanized areas as the result of liquefaction can be severe due to the settling of the foundations of homes, buildings, irrigation equipment, roads, and freeways. High groundwater is known to exist at depths of 5 to 15 feet below the ground surface in portions of south Bakersfield between Brundage Lane and DiGiorgio Road. This area, as depicted in the 2002 Metropolitan Bakersfield General Plan, could experience areas of liquefaction during a strong earthquake, with attendant ground rupture and potential sinking or tilting of large buildings. Areas of high groundwater are rare elsewhere in the project area because the water table has been in a condition of subsidence due to the extraction of water for irrigation since the late 1880's

4 Dam Failure Inundation Dam inundation is a threat (generally very remote) wherever dams are built. The catastrophic failure of dams as the result of poor design or natural disasters has caused the loss of thousands of lives in the US and around the world. The Bakersfield Metropolitan area is located downstream of Isabella Dam on Lake Isabella that could fail and cause severe flooding, damage, and loss of life. The dam has a capacity to hold 570,000 acre feet of water and is built near a major earthquake fault, therefore requiring special design and scrutiny to protect the safety of persons downstream. If the dam were to fail, the resulting flood would inundate some 60 square miles of Metropolitan Bakersfield and the surrounding areas of Oildale and Greenacres (see Figure Isabella Dam Inundation Areas). In 2006 the Lake Isabella Dam was found to be unstable at full capacity of Isabella Reservoir and the dam had to be drawn down to stabilize the earth works. The Army Corps of Engineers has restricted the reservoir to approximately 60% capacity until studies and repairs are made, which is estimated to take years. The objective of the existing Flood Evacuation Plans for the Metropolitan Area is to provide for the protection of life and property through evacuation of areas that would be inundated in the event of a dam failure. These major evacuation routes are identified in the 2002 Metropolitan Bakersfield General Plan. In February 2008 Kern County developed a Strategic Plan that addresses the protection of the citizens of Kern County. This plan was designed to set goals and be updated on a yearly basis. One of the goals is to enhance emergency preparedness and response and recovery efforts. A projected outcome of this goal is the development of a comprehensive dam failure evacuation plan based on new inundation maps. Earthquake Induced Landslides A strong earthquake could trigger landslides or slope failures on steeper slopes in the foothills and along the Kern River Canyon and floodplain. The common types of landslides induced by earthquakes are bluff and stream bank failures, rock falls and soil slips on steep slopes. Deep-seated landslides are not necessarily reactivated in an earthquake. Other Geologic Hazards The 2002 Metropolitan Bakersfield General Plan identifies three other geologic hazards. The following is a brief description of these hazards. Flooding Flooding in the Metropolitan Bakersfield area originates from the Kern River watershed which lies in Kern and Tulare Counties at the southern end of the Sierra Nevada Range, and from the Caliente Creek stream group which drains the west slopes of the Tehachapi Mountains. Some smaller areas are subject to flooding from localized watersheds

5 FIGURE ISABELLA DAM INUNDATION AREAS 2.6-5

6 The most severe flooding problems on the Kern River near Bakersfield have resulted from high-intensity winter rainstorms, which generally occur from November through April. Snowmelt floods, which usually occur in the late spring and early summer, generally have a longer period of runoff and also a lower peak than rain floods. As a result, these spring storms have rarely caused significant damage. In the past 40 years, seven major floods along Caliente Creek have occurred. Floods in September 1932; April 1943; March 1944; October 1945; December 1966; February 1969; March 1983 and during the El Nino of 1998, have been investigated by the Kern County Water Agency and the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE). The frequency and the magnitude of these floods, coupled with the existing development in the floodplain have caused extensive flood damage to the Lamont/Arvin area. Areas of potential flooding in the region have been delineated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Flood Insurance Program and are depicted in the 2002 Metropolitan Bakersfield General Plan (see Figure Areas of Potential Flooding). Landslides Slopes subject to failure within the Bakersfield area are predominantly found along the river terraces, bluffs and foothills to the northeast and east of the City. Investigations to date have documented two landslides in the foothills northeast of the City. Only limited exposure to landslides is predicted for the urban areas of Metropolitan Bakersfield, due to constraints on slope-side development. Some construction, however, on sloping terrain could inadvertently trigger landslides unless appropriate precautions are utilized on a site-specific basis. Land Subsidence Land subsidence is the gradual, local settling or sinking of the earth's surface. Subsidence in the Bakersfield area has historically been caused most commonly by gas, oil or water extraction. The southern part of the planning area has been undergoing gradual land subsidence though there are no recent studies indicating the exact level of subsidence. Although subsidence is not a significant hazard, damage to wells, foundations and underground utilities may occur. Public Safety The 2002 Metropolitan Bakersfield General Plan identified public safety services for the Metropolitan Bakersfield area. Police services are provided by the Bakersfield Police Department and the Kern County Sheriff's Department (see Figure Police/Sherriff and Fire Stations for the City of Bakersfield and Kern County). Fire services are provided by both the City of Bakersfield Fire Department and the Kern County Fire Department. A brief description of each follows

7 FIGURE AREAS OF POTENTIAL FLOODING 2.6-7

8 City of Bakersfield Police Department The City of Bakersfield Police Department is responsible for providing police services in the incorporated area of the City of Bakersfield and operates 25 patrol districts, maintains two substations, and one satellite office, in addition to headquarters. As the population and geographic area of the City increases, the demand for police service will similarly increase. At present, the staffing standard applied to the Police Department is a ratio of officers per thousand population in cities of comparable size. Occasionally, problems exist with regard to police services to residents in the unincorporated portions of Bakersfield. Some calls for police service must be transferred from the receiving agency to the agency with jurisdiction over the incident. Improvements in cellular telephone technology have reduce the occurrence of these issues. However, City patrol units encountering a public safety problem within an unincorporated area will take the necessary action to stabilize the situation prior to the arrival of Sheriff or Highway Patrol officers. Kern County Sheriff s Department The Kern County Sheriff s Department is the headquarter facility for law enforcement services in unincorporated Kern County. Metropolitan patrol services for unincorporated Bakersfield operates from the headquarter facility and includes community policing offices in East Bakersfield, Rosedale, and Lamont. Service to unincorporated areas of Kern County outside of the metropolitan patrol is provided through 17 substation locations, including Lamont. The Sheriff s Department cooperates with the Bakersfield Police Department in patrolling the Bakersfield urban area; however, the staffing levels are primarily tied to the population within each jurisdiction. Sheriff s patrol units traveling through the City will respond to observed public safety problems and call the City police for follow up. City of Bakersfield Fire Department The City of Bakersfield Fire Department operates 14 fire stations in the Metropolitan Bakersfield area. Fire stations inside the city have been positioned to meet an emergency response time of 7 minutes or less 90% of the time for the first arriving unit. The Fire Department provides structural protection, fire prevention service, emergency medical service (designated first responders), rescue service, hazardous materials response, arson investigation, environmental services (a unified permit/enforcement division) and safety education to the citizenry. Agreements have been adopted between the Kern County Fire Department and the City of Bakersfield Fire Department. They generally facilitate (1) Closest station response concept, (2) Dual agency training facility, and (3) Emergency radio communication and dispatching for both agencies from one center. The two agencies have also adopted non-overlapping and contiguous station response boundaries within the Bakersfield metropolitan area. With the automatic aid agreement, each fire station has the primary responsibility for its individual area and emergency services are provided without regard to City or County limits

9 FIGURE POLICE/SHERRIFF AND FIRE STATIONS FOR THE CITY OF BAKERSFIELD AND KERN COUNTY 2.6-9

10 Kern County Fire Department The Kern County Fire Department operates 13 fire stations in the Metropolitan Bakersfield area. Fire stations within the Metropolitan Bakersfield area have been situated to meet an emergency response time of 7 minutes or less. In general, the Kern County Fire Department has the capacity to protect life and property within the unincorporated portions of the study area. As new growth and development occurs, increased personnel and/or facilities will be required to meet new demands for service ISSUES Implementation of basic safety within the Metropolitan Bakersfield areas relies on the goals and policies identified in the General Plan. Goals and policies should be clear and concise to adequately relate the intent of the City and County vision for the Metropolitan Bakersfield planning areas. Specific issues have been identified that inhibit implementation of the Safety goals for the Metropolitan Bakersfield area that need to be addressed in the General Plan Update. These issues, derived from public input received through the May 2007 Phase I Town Hall Meetings and various surveys conducted in conjunction with the KernCOG Regional Blueprint process, include: Floodplains Fire and Police/Sherrif Services An evaluation of each issue relative to the existing General Plan policies is provided below. Recommendations for changes to the General Plan follow the evalutation. Floodplains Minimizing the potential hazards as a result of flooding within Metropolitan Bakersfield is a basic principle of the 2002 Metropolitan Bakersfield General Plan. With the construction of Lake Isabella Dam, hazards from a 100-year flood on the Kern River have been substantially reduced for the Metropolitan Bakersfield area. How Does The General Plan Currently Address Floodplains? The General Plan Safety Element contains the following policies pertaining to floodplains: The policies identified below are not an exhaustive list of applicable policies. Rather, they are representative of the existing policies contained in the 2002 Metropolitan Bakersfield General Plan in relation to floodplains. The General Plan also includes a number of implementation measures that provide further direction on the necessary actions to implement policies. See the 2002 Metropolitan Bakersfield General Plan for a complete list of existing General Plan policies and implementation measures

11 Safety-Flooding Policy 1: Safety-Flooding Policy 2: Safety-Flooding Policy 3: Safety-Flooding Policy 4: Safety-Flooding Policy 5: Safety-Flooding Policy 6: Develop specific standards which apply to development located in flood hazard areas, as defined by Federal Flood Insurance maps and most recent information as adopted by the responsible agency (I-1, I-2). Maintain adequate levees along the Kern River channel throughout the planning area (I-4). Prevent urban development encroachment which would impede flood flows in the Kern River designated floodway (I-3, I-5). Remove sand and excessive plant growth from the Kern River channel as required to maintain channel capacity through the planning area (I-6). Develop a program or series of programs to control and reduce flooding in the Lamont area resulting from Caliente Creek (I-7). The County s Flood Prevention Program shall be implemented for new development in areas of flooding potential. Challenges Reference is made to evacuation routes; however, there is no depiction of where those evacuation routes occur. Does not reflect the latest information from the Army Corp of Engineers studies prepared for the dam inundation area. Policy language relating to development in floodplains is too general. The 100-year floodplain is a potential constraint to development, as future development would be potentially subject to flooding. The State of California s General Plan Guidelines recommend a comprehensive approach to avoiding unreasonable flood risks. Flooding is often a regional problem that crosses multiple jurisdictional boundaries. Therefore, any approach the Metropolitan area adopts related to floodplains should be developed cooperatively with local, state and federal agencies, and with local special districts. Prevent potential loss in the event of the failure of the Lake Isabella Dam. Recommended Changes to the General Plan 1. Identify evacuation routes consistent with the 2008 Kern County Strategic Plan. 2. Update policies to reflect information from the Army Corp of Engineers studies for the dam inundation area

12 3. Enhance policies to keep intensive development out of floodplains. 4. Protect areas of natural watercourses by preventing development and designating these areas as permanent open space or park space. 5. Incorporate mitigation measures to protect against flood impacts if development is located in floodplains, minimizing impacts on existing development where possible. 6. Establish policies regarding capital improvements and acquisitions necessary to ensure flood protection. 7. Establish flood management policies that may include both structural and nonstructural approaches to flood control using a multi-objective watershed approach. 8. Limit alteration of floodways and channelization when alternative methods of flood control are not technically feasible. 9. Promote aggressive local flood mitigation activities to reduce or eliminate the need for state or federal flood disaster declarations. Fire and Police Services Police and Sheriff Services The need to expand police services for the Metropolitan Bakersfield was identified by the 2002 Metropolitan General Plan. Further, many residents of Metropolitan Bakersfield identified the following concerns related to public safety at the May 2007 public workshops: The overall deterioration of neighborhoods; The lack of public services for parts of the community, such as police protection; Physical threats such as gang activity and drug use; and Many expressed concern and a correlation of the crime and gang problems to low performing schools, poor test scores, teacher shortages and lack of activities for youth after school. Fire Services The 2002 Metropolitan Bakersfield General Plan identified the need to expand fire facilities and services based on the growth projections for the Metropolitan area. The City of Bakersfield Fire Department and Kern County Fire Department provide structural protection, fire prevention service, emergency medical service (designated first responders), rescue service, hazardous materials response, arson investigation, environmental services (a unified permit/enforcement division) and safety education to the citizenry. According to the 2005 Municipal Service Review (MSR), fire protection services would be provided per the Joint Powers Agreement between City of Bakersfield and the Kern County

13 Fire Department. These two agencies also have adopted non-overlapping and contiguous station response boundaries within the Bakersfield Metropolitan area. How Does The General Plan Currently Address Fire And Police/Sheriff Services? The General Plan Safety Element contains the following policies pertaining to fire and police services: The policies identified below are not an exhaustive list of applicable policies. Rather, they are representative of the existing policies contained in the 2002 Metropolitan Bakersfield General Plan in relation to fire and police services. The General Plan also includes a number of implementation measures that provide further direction on the necessary actions to implement policies. See the 2002 Metropolitan Bakersfield General Plan for a complete list of existing General Plan policies and implementation measures. Safety-Public Safety Policy 1: Safety-Public Safety Policy 2: Safety-Public Safety Policy 3: Safety-Public Safety Policy 4: Safety-Public Safety Policy 5: Safety-Public Safety Policy 6: Safety-Public Safety Policy 7: Safety-Public Safety Policy 8: Identify future site locations, projected facility expansions, projected site acquisition costs, construction costs and operational costs in a manner that would maximize the efficiency of new public safety services (I-1, I-2, I-3). Require discretionary projects to assess impacts on police and fire services and facilities (I-3). Adopt uniform metropolitan area standards for fire and police services, and undertake continuing metropolitan area-wide planning programs for public safety facilities (I-3). Monitor, enforce and update as appropriate all emergency plans as needs and conditions in the planning area change, including the California Earthquake Response Plan, the Kern County Evacuation Plan, and the City of Bakersfield Disaster Plan (I-3). Promote public education about fire safety at home and in the work place (I-4). Promote fire prevention methods to reduce service protection costs and costs to the taxpayer (I-4). Enforce ordinances regulating the use/manufacture/sale/ transport/disposal of hazardous substances, and require compliance with state and federal laws regulating such substances (I-4). The Kern County and Incorporated Cities Hazardous Waste Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Report serves as the policy document guiding all facets of hazardous waste (I-7,)

14 Safety-Public Safety Policy 9: Safety-Public Safety Policy 10: Safety-Public Safety Policy 11: Restrict, after appropriate public hearings, the use of fire-prone building materials in areas defined by the fire services as presenting high-conflagration risk (I-5). Promote crime prevention through public education (I-6). Expand emergency medical services by the City and County Fire Departments, and encourage the integration of ground and air, public and private resources to achieve efficiency and effectiveness of emergency medical services (I-3). In addition to the policies contained in the Safety Element, the General Plan Land Use Element contains goals and policies as follows: Land Use Policy 50: Coordinate with the appropriate agencies so that adequate land and facilities are set aside for schools, parks, police/fire, libraries, cultural facilities, recreational facilities and other service uses to serve the community (I-2). Challenges The General Plan primarily addresses land use issues, and does not directly deal with staffing City/County departments. Nevertheless, some General Plans do indicate a desired level of staffing, and the City and County may wish to set such a standard in the General Plan. Recommended Changes to the General Plan 1. Include policies which encourage logical development and discourage leapfrog development to assist in a more efficient public safety service to the community. 2. Allow fire stations and police substations in multiple land use designations. 3. Include policies and implementing measures regarding requirements for future development to support the installation and long-term operation of new fire and police facilities