(a) The department may authorize, under this chapter, the take of the unarmored threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus williamsoni) resulting from impacts attributable to the habitat restoration project to restore, maintain, and improve riparian habitat on public lands in the geographic area defined in paragraph (1) and projects to restore the flow capacity to Bouquet Creek in Bouquet Canyon on public lands, undertaken by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and the United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, if all of the following conditions are satisfied:

(1) The take authorization is limited to the portion of Bouquet Creek located from a position normal to mile marker 8.3 on Bouquet Canyon Road to a position normal to mile marker 16.3 on Bouquet Canyon Road, inclusive.

(2) The department has determined that the appropriate agreements have been executed to address environmental impacts at the Bouquet Canyon area, including, but not limited to, Bouquet Creek.

(3) The requirements of subdivisions (b) and (c) of Section 2081 are satisfied for the take of the unarmored threespine stickleback.

(4) The department ensures that all further measures necessary to satisfy the conservation standard of subdivision (d) of Section 2805 are incorporated into the projects.

(5) A biologist will be on duty whenever an activity is conducted that may affect the unarmored threespine stickleback.

(6) The take authorization provides for the development and implementation, in cooperation with federal and state agencies, of a monitoring program and an adaptive management process that satisfy the conservation standard of subdivision (d) of Section 2805 for monitoring the effectiveness of, and adjusting, as necessary, the measures to minimize and fully mitigate the impacts of the authorized take.

(7) The take authorization provides for the development and implementation, in cooperation with state and federal agencies, of an adaptive management process that substantially contributes to the long-term conservation of the unarmored threespine stickleback.

(b) This section shall not be construed to exempt the projects described in subdivision (a) from any other law.

(c) This section shall not be construed to affect the contractual obligations of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to provide water from Bouquet Reservoir.

(Added by Stats. 2015, Ch. 620, Sec. 2. (AB 353) Effective October 8, 2015.)