HomeMy WebLinkAbout02160029_Sec04-00 Enviromental SettingWest Ming Specific Plan - Draft EIR General Description of Environmental Setting
Michael Brandman Associates 4-1
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SECTION 4: GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING
The project site is located in the southwestern portion of the City of Bakersfield. The Bakersfield
Metropolitan area is near the eastern edge of the broad San Joaquin Valley and at the base of the
Sierra Nevada. The Kern River is the major hydrologic feature of the area, bringing water from Lake
Isabella reservoir through the Kern River Canyon. Irrigation developed rapidly in the Bakersfield
area in the late 1880’s and large areas were converted to farmlands. After the turn of the century, the
oil and gas industry developed rapidly in the Bakersfield area. Currently, farmlands as well as oil-
related uses are being converted to urban land uses.
The approximately 2,182-acre project site is bordered by Buena Vista Road and South Allen Road to
the east, the Asphalto Branch of the Southern Pacific Railroad to the south, the proposed West
Beltway Alignment to the west, and Ming Avenue and the Kern River to the north. The project site
consists of all the area within Sections 11, 13, 14; and portions of Sections 10 and 15. Approximately
640 acres of the project site are located within the Bakersfield city limits and the remainder of the
project site (1,542 acres) is located in unincorporated Kern County.
The project site has a long history of farming and agricultural production. The majority of the project
site has been used as agricultural land from the early 1970’s to the present. Currently the project is
used for agriculture and oil production activities. As of the year 2003, 1,928 acres (88 %) of the
project site was used for agricultural production; the remaining 253 acres (12 %) of the project site
was used for oil and gas activities, water facilities, and open space/undeveloped land. There are
currently 8 active water wells, 2 inactive water wells, and 1 idle water well located on the project site.
The subject property has also been used for oil exploration and oil production activities from the
1930’s to the present. There are currently 44 abandoned oil wells, 14 inactive oil wells, 18 active oil
wells, and 77 exploratory oil wells located on the project site. High-pressure petroleum pipelines and
natural gas pipelines also traverse the project site at various locations.
In general, the area surrounding the project site is predominantly urbanized to the east and to the
north beyond the Kern River, with oil fields and farmland to the south and west. Specifically, the
land uses surrounding the project site include the following. The Kern River is adjacent to the
northeastern corner of the project site and traverses from northeast to southwest just above the project
site; residential communities exist across the Kern River and across White Lane and Allen Road to
the east; Stockdale High School is located just east of the project site at the northeastern corner of the
intersection of Ming Avenue and Buena Vista Road; residential communities exist across Buena Vista
Road to the east; agricultural land and the Cranfield Ranch Oil Field are located just south of the
project site across the Asphalto Branch of the Southern Pacific Railroad; and agricultural land and
groundwater recharge areas exist across the proposed West Beltway Alignment to the west. In
addition, the approved and not yet constructed 2,000-acre McAllister Ranch project, which is a
master-planned community that was approved in the 1990’s is located south and adjacent to the
General Description of Environmental Setting West Ming Specific Plan - Draft EIR
4-2 Michael Brandman Associates
H:\Client (PN-JN)\0216\02160029\DEIR 9-1\02160029_Sec04-00 Enviromental Setting.doc
Asphalt Branch of the Southern Pacific Railroad, McAllister Ranch is proposed to include a wide
range of residential, commercial, recreational, community facilities and open space uses.