Board affirms planning department on Sharp Park pump-house project; environmental review debate continues

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday affirmed the Planning Department's decision to issue a mitigated negative declaration (MND) for the Sharp Park pump-house safety and habitat enhancement project and denied an appeal seeking a full environmental impact report (EIR).

Supporters of the appeal, led by Brent Plater of the Wild Equity Institute, urged supervisors to require a full EIR, saying the proposed work could release toxic acid sulfides from pond sediments and would have cumulative ecological effects. "We're here to ask you today to order a full environmental impact report for the Sharp Park pump house project," Plater told the board during an hours-long hearing.

The MND covers limited work at Horse Stable Pond and the connecting channel to Laguna Salata, including removing emergent vegetation and sediment, constructing a perennial pond, and replacing a pump-house retaining wall. Planning staff and the Recreation and Park Department said the work is required by a federal biological opinion intended to protect the federally listed California red-legged frog and San Francisco garter snake, and that the…