What is the South Sacramento HCP?

​The South Sacramento Habitat Conservation Plan (SSHCP) streamlines federal and state permitting processes for SSHCP-covered development and infrastructure projects while protecting habitat, open space and agricultural lands.  The SSHCP plan area encompasses 317,656 acres that are bordered by Highway 50 on the north, San Joaquin County on the south, El Dorado County and Amador County to the east, and the Sacramento River to the west, including Galt and most of Rancho Cordova.  Within the SSHCP plan area, 36,282 acres -- about 1.2 times the size of San Francisco -- will become part of an interconnected preserve system, including approximately 1,000 acres of vernal pool habitat.  Twenty-eight plant and wildlife species, and their natural habitats, will be conserved under the plan.

​The SSHCP is led by a multi-jurisdiction collaborative that includes Sacramento County; the cities of
Rancho Cordova and Galt; the Sacramento County Water Agency; the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District; and the Capital SouthEast Connector Joint Powers Authority.

The Opportunity

Sacramento County has grown significantly in recent decades.  Additional necessary growth is anticipated into the future and new development is subject to sensitive-species, wetlands and water-quality regulation. 
​1990 Sacramento County population: 1.04 million

2016 Sacramento County population: 1.5 million​​

2060 projected Sacramento County population (Calif. Dept. of Finance): 2.26 million

SSHCP Key Benefits

Previous processes for obtaining regulatory permits from federal agencies were handled on a project-by-project basis, making them time consuming, costly and unpredictable.  They also resulted in piecemeal mitigation and fragmented conservation. Implementation of the South Sacramento HCP: 
  • Improves species and aquatic protection on a regional scale
  • Integrates Endangered Species Act and Clean Water Act Sec. 404 permitting 
  • Saves time in securing federal and state permits related to sensitive species, wetlands and water quality impacts
  • Provides greater certainty for those subject to regulation
  • Moves decision making to local level
  • Ensures the long-term viability of 28 plant and wildlife species