# 2026-14680: Sewer Fix Risks Upsetting Tiny Gnatcatcher Habitat

2026-14680, Receipt of Incidental Take Permit Application and Proposed Habitat Conservation Plan for Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts Joint Outfall J Unit 1E Trunk Sewer Rehabilitation Project, City of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA; Categorical Exclusion, is a Federal Register notice from Interior Department, Fish and Wildlife Service published 2026-07-21, effective We must receive your written comments on or before August 20, 2026.; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-07-28).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-14680
- As of: 2026-07-28
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2026-14680
- Title: Receipt of Incidental Take Permit Application and Proposed Habitat Conservation Plan for Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts Joint Outfall J Unit 1E Trunk Sewer Rehabilitation Project, City of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA; Categorical Exclusion
- Type: Notice
- Agencies: Interior Department; Fish and Wildlife Service
- Citation: 91 FR 45824
- Published: 2026-07-21
- Effective: We must receive your written comments on or before August 20, 2026.
- Comments close: 2026-08-20
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: yes
- Regulation identifier numbers: none
- Last updated: 2026-07-28

## In one line

Sewer Fix Risks Upsetting Tiny Gnatcatcher Habitat

## Summary

Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts want to fix a sewer line in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, but their work might affect a threatened bird called the coastal California gnatcatcher. They’ve asked for a special permit and shared a plan to protect the bird’s habitat while they work. The public can comment on this plan until August 20, 2026, before any final decisions are made.

## Abstract

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce receipt of an application from Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, the applicant, for an incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. The applicant requests the ITP to take the federally threatened coastal California gnatcatcher incidental to the Joint Outfall J Unit 1E Trunk Sewer Rehabilitation project, in the City of Rancho Palos Verdes, Los Angeles County, California. We request public comment on the application, which includes the applicant's proposed habitat conservation plan, and the Service's preliminary determination that the proposed permitting action may be eligible for a categorical exclusion pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Department of the Interior's (DOI) NEPA regulations, and the DOI Departmental Manual. To make this preliminary determination, we prepared a joint draft environmental action statement and low-effect screening form, which is also available for public review. We invite comment from the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies.

## Effects PRIA read

- Sewer Rehab Will Proceed With Limits: benefit, high. The county seeks a 7-year incidental take permit so crews can rehabilitate 9,362 feet of sewer line in Rancho Palos Verdes. The project would allow work that may temporarily impact 1.71 acres (about 0.84 acre of native coastal sage scrub) while restoring those areas and an additional 6 acres offsit…
- Contractors Face Monitoring & Mitigation: cost, medium. If you are a contractor on the Rancho Palos Verdes sewer rehabilitation, a biological monitor must be present during construction, vegetation impacts will be avoided during the gnatcatcher breeding season to the extent practical, and the project includes onsite restoration plus 6 acres of offsite r…
- No-Action Risks: Leak Damage Possible: cost, high. If the sewer rehabilitation is not conducted (No Action Alternative), the existing pipeline would remain susceptible to leakage and could cause extensive damage to habitat and inhabited property along the pipeline alignment in Rancho Palos Verdes.

## Related documents

- [2026-14629](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-14629): Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Regulations for Designating Critical Habitat, 2026-07-21
- [2026-14633](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-14633): Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Regulations Pertaining to Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants, 2026-07-21
- [2026-14299](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-14299): Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Revised Designation of Critical Habitat for the Contiguous U.S. Distinct Population Segment…, 2026-07-16
- [2026-14195](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-14195): Rescinding the Definition of “Harm” Under the Endangered Species Act, 2026-07-14
- [2026-12955](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12955): Process for Authorizing Seasonal Migratory Game Bird Hunting, 2026-06-26
- [2026-12951](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12951): Process for Authorizing Seasonal Migratory Game Bird Hunting, 2026-06-26

## Sources
- [2026-14680 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/07/21/2026-14680/receipt-of-incidental-take-permit-application-and-proposed-habitat-conservation-plan-for-los-angeles)
- [2026-14680 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-07-21/pdf/2026-14680.pdf)

## Related
- [Previous: 2026-14678, Notice of Agreements Filed](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-14678)
- [Next: 2026-14681, Notice of Receipt of Complaint; Solicitation of Comments Relating to the Public…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-14681)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-14680 (as of 2026-07-28).