ITEM:

CONSENT CALENDAR

 

2.

CONSIDER APPROVAL OF A CEQA ADDENDUM FOR A RE-ALIGNMENT OF A PORTION OF THE MONTEREY PIPELINE (CEQA: Approve Addendum to  the Aquifer Storage and Recovery Project Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Assessment  and the Pure Water Monterey Groundwater Replenishment Project Environmental Impact Report Under CEQA Guideline Sections 15162 and 15164)

 

Meeting Date:

February 22, 2017

Budgeted: 

N/A

 

From:

David J. Stoldt,

Program/

N/A

 

General Manager

Line Item:

N/A

 

Prepared By:

Maureen Hamilton,

Cost Estimate:

N/A

 

Water Resources Engineer

 

 

 

General Counsel  Review:  Yes

Committee Recommendation:  N/A

CEQA Compliance:  Addendum to EIR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SUMMARY:  A re-alignment of a portion of the Monterey Pipeline within the City of Monterey is required.  The environmental impact of the proposed re-alignment was evaluated in Addendum No. 3 to the Aquifer Storage and Recovery Project Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Assessment and Addendum No. 2 to the Pure Water Monterey/Groundwater Replenishment Project Environmental Impact Report for the Monterey Pipeline (one document to be referred to henceforth as the “Monterey Pipeline Addendum”), Exhibit 2-A. 

 

The environmental impact evaluation documented in the Monterey Pipeline Addendum found that the proposed pipeline re-alignment does not result in new or previously unidentified adverse significant impacts, or substantially increase the severity of previously identified impacts. 

 

RECOMMENDATION:  Staff recommends:

a)      the Board approve the Monterey Pipeline Addendum; and

b)      adopt Resolution No. 2017-03 (Exhibit 2-B);

c)      authorize staff to file a Notice of Determination with the Monterey County Clerk.

 

BACKGROUND: 

California American Water (CAW) is constructing the Monterey Pipeline that will be able to convey water in two directions:

(1)   from the Carmel River via the Monterey Peninsula to the existing Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) wells and the Seaside Groundwater Basin;

(2)   and from the Seaside Basin extraction wells to the CAW distribution system.

 

The Monterey Pipeline alignment was evaluated by Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency (MRWPCA) as the Alternative Monterey Pipeline in the PWM/GWR EIR (Exhibit 2-C), certified on October 8, 2015; and in the Addendum to the Aquifer Storage and Recovery Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Assessment and Pure Water Monterey/Groundwater Replenishment Project Environmental Impact Report for the Hilby Avenue Pump Station (Exhibit 2-D), approved by MPWMD on June 20, 2016. 

 

A portion of the Monterey Pipeline must be realigned.  Please refer to Exhibit 2-E for an overview map of the Monterey Pipeline, and to Exhibit 2-F for a detailed map of the proposed re-alignment location.  The following is true regarding the proposed realignment:

·         There is no change in linear feet between the current alignment and proposed realignment; both alignments are approximately 2,350 linear feet. 

·         The proposed realignment is located within the City of Monterey Public Right-of-Way in paved streets. 

·         All appurtenances (valves, etc.) are located within the City of Monterey Public Right-of-Way. 

·         No additional staging area is proposed. 

·         No relocation of existing utilities or facilities is anticipated.

 

When MPWMD approved CAW’s application to Amend the Water Distribution System Permit #M16-01-L3 to include the Hilby Avenue Pump Station and Monterey Pipeline, MPWMD became the lead agency for the Monterey Pipeline under CEQA; please refer to Exhibit 2-G Section 5.3.  CEQA Section 15164 (a) states (Exhibit 2-H):

 

“(a) The lead agency or responsible agency shall prepare an addendum to a previously certified EIR if some changes or additions are necessary but none of the conditions described in Section 15162 calling for preparation of a subsequent EIR have occurred.”

 

Based on a review of the proposed re-alignment, the preliminary determination was that none of the conditions described in Section 15162 (Exhibit 2-H) was met and that an addendum would be appropriate. 

 

The Monterey Pipeline Addendum evaluated potential environmental effects associated with the proposed re-alignment. The environmental factors discussed in the evaluation of environmental impacts are aesthetics, agricultural resources, air quality, biological resources, cultural resources, geology and soils, greenhouse gas emissions, hazards and hazardous materials, hydrology and water quality, land use and planning, mineral resources, noise, population and housing, public services, recreation, transportation and traffic, utilities and service systems.

 

The analysis performed as a part of the Monterey Pipeline Addendum found that the proposed re-alignment overall construction impacts would be substantially the same as those disclosed in prior environmental documentation prepared for the project.  The Monterey Pipeline Addendum concludes that no new impacts would occur in connection with the proposed re-alignment and all previously identified impacts would remain substantially unchanged. Existing mitigation that is applicable to the Monterey Pipeline is applicable to proposed re-aligned segment (Exhibit 2-I).

 

The Monterey Pipeline Addendum was reviewed by MPWMD staff, CAW staff and their agents, and was submitted to MRWPCA for their information and reviews.  No comments were received from MRWPCA as of the writing of this staff report.

 

Based on the Monterey Pipeline Addendum, MPWMD has determined that:

 

·         No substantial changes have occurred or would occur with respect to the circumstances under which the ASR Project or PWM/GWR Project were originally undertaken, which would require major revisions to the previously certified ASR EIR/EA and/or the PWM/GWR EIR due to the involvement of new significant environmental effects or a substantial increase in the severity of previously identified significant effects; and

·         No new significant environmental effects or substantial increase in the severity of previously identified significant effects would occur as a result of the construction and operation of the proposed re-alignment of the Monterey Pipeline; and

·         No new information of substantial importance has been received or discovered, which was not known and could not have been known with the exercise of reasonable diligence at the time the previous ASR EIR/EA and the PWM/GWR EIR were certified as complete.

 

Resolution 2017-03 includes a series of Findings that lead to statements that approve the Monterey Pipeline Addendum.

 

CEQA COMPLIANCE:

Please refer to Exhibit 2-H.  CEQA Section 15164 (a) states:

 

“(a) The lead agency or responsible agency shall prepare an addendum to a previously certified EIR if some changes or additions are necessary but none of the conditions described in Section 15162 calling for preparation of a subsequent EIR have occurred.”

 

Based on a review of the proposed re-alignment, the preliminary determination was that none of the conditions described in Section 15162 was met and that an addendum would be appropriate. 

 

EXHIBITS

2-A      Administrative Draft Addendum No. 2 to the Aquifer Storage and Recovery Project Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Assessment and the Pure Water Monterey/Groundwater Replenishment Project Environmental Impact Report for the Monterey Pipeline.

2-B      Resolution 2017-03.

2-C      Pure Water Monterey Groundwater Replenishment Project Final Environmental Impact Report (PWM/GWR EIR).

2-D      Addendum to the Aquifer Storage and Recovery Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Assessment and Pure Water Monterey/Groundwater Replenishment Project Environmental Impact Report for the Hilby Avenue Pump Station.

2-E      Proposed Alignment Revision to Pure Water EIR.

2-F      Proposed Alignment Revision to Pure Water EIR - Overview.

2-G      Decision on California-American Water Company’s Application for Approval of the Monterey Peninsula Supply Project Specifically in Regards to Phase 2.

2-H      CEQA Sections 15162 and 15164.

2-I       Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program for the Monterey Pipeline Exhibit 16-B

 

 

 

 

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