Portola Springs Elementary School
UltraSystems Environmental Inc. prepared a Geohazard Report on behalf of the Irvine Unified School District (District), to assess the potential for earthquakes and other geological and environmental hazards that may affect the proposed Portola Springs Elementary School in Irvine, California. This assessment was needed to gain approval from the California Department of Education (CDE) for the proposed school site location and building construction and to receive State funding (CEC §§ 17212, 17212.5, and 17251 and 5 CCR §§ 14001 through 14012). The following conclusions were based on the assessment of geological and environmental hazards conducted according to CDE “School Site Selection and Approval Guidance”: (1) no active faults within an Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zone were identified within or near the proposed school property, (2) hazards from potential liquefaction, subsidence, expansive soils, and slope stability were considered low to negligible, (3) the property was not within a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 100- or 500-year floodplain, (4) flooding potential within the school property from nearby water resources and surface water runoff was considered low, and (5) hazards to the proposed property from underground pipelines and transmission lines were considered negligible. Because no hazardous conditions were identified, no mitigation measures were needed to minimize or avoid potential geologic or environmental hazards. Based on these conclusions, the proposed school site would provide a safe and supportive environment for instruction and learning (5 CCR 14010(g) and (i)) from the geologic standpoint.
