HomeMy WebLinkAbout1-25-2017 PC Correspondence - Item 3 (Lazcano)Meeting: 1 2�
Item:
To: City of SLO Planning Commission (bleveille@slocity.org)
From: Cristina Lazcano PhD, Asst. Professor of Soil Science, Cal Poly
Re: Review of San Luis Ranch Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR)
Date: January 16, 2017
To the Commissioners:
RECEIVED
CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO
JAN 18 2017
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
I write to comment on the section of the DEIR addressing agricultural impacts of the project as
proposed, specifically in regard to Impact AG -4, which states "Re -grading of the project site would not
result in significant degradation of viability of on-site agricultural land. Therefore, this impact would be
Class 11I, less than significant."
Through my teaching and research, I aim to understand the role of-belowground_biological
interactions and management strategies in soil nutrient cycling and the consequences for plant
productivity and environmental quality across natural and managed soil systems. In particular, my
research focuses on the interactions between plants and microorganisms, and their role in N and C cycling
across different soil moisture conditions and management strategies. I have experience in a wide range of
agricultural systems together with natural systems such as grasslands, forests and peatlands. I am the
author of 23 published articles and referee for more than 20 scientific journals in the field.
The importance of soil organisms and their ecological interactions in the top 30 centimeters of
topsoil has recently become recognized as crucial for agricultural productivity, regenerative fertility and
general environmental health, including carbon sequestration that mitigates greenhouse gas emissions.
This recognition has come along with the realization of the limits and long term dangers of excessive
inputs of synthetic fertilizers. On the basis of my knowledge and research and that of colleagues in my
field, I must strongly disagree with the idea that any removal of topsoil, let alone to the depth two and a
half feet, would be without serious long term negative consequences for the farmland in question. Were
such removal undertaken it would require massive inputs of compost and many years of intensive soil
restoration practice to recover soil fertility, before the soil could be considered suitable for organic
farming.
I strongly urge you to require the applicant to find alternative sources of fill for construction on
sections of the property in question not reserved for agriculture and to find alternative solutions for
drainage that will not involve the waste of precious soil resources now to be found there.
Sincerely,
J� s
CALPOLY Cristina Lazcano, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Natural Resources Soil Ecology
Management &
Environmental Sciences
College of Agriculture, Food &
Environmental Sciences
soilecology.weebly.com
nres.calpoly.edu