Agenda
Regular Meeting of the
Bell City Council/Bell Community Housing Authority/Successor Agency to the Bell Community Redevelopment Agency/ Bell Public Finance Authority
Wednesday, June 12, 2024
5:45 P.M. CLOSED SESSION
7:00 P.M. OPEN SESSION
BELL COMMUNITY CENTER
6250 PINE AVENUE, BELL CA 90201
Ali Saleh
Mayor
Monica Arroyo Francis Flores
Vice-Mayor Council Member
Ana Maria Quintana Alicia Romero Council Member Council Member
Welcome to the City Council Meeting
The Bell City Council and staff welcome you. This is your City Government.
Individual participation is a basic part of American Democracy and all Bell residents are encouraged to attend meetings of the City Council. Regular City Council meetings are held the second and fourth Wednesday of the m onth at 7:00 p.m., Bell Community Center, 6250 Pine Avenue. For more information, you may call City Hall during regular business hours 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday at (323) 588-6211 Extension 2615.
City Council Organization
There are five City Council members, one of whom serves as Mayor and is the presiding officer of the City Council. These are your elected representatives who act as a Board of Directors for the City of Bell. City Council members are like you, concerned residents of the community who provide guidance in the operation of your City.
Addressing the City Council
If you wish to speak to the City Council on any item which is listed or not listed on the City Council Agenda, please complete a Request to Speak Card available in the back of the City Council Chambers. Please submit the completed card to the City Clerk prior to the meeting. The Mayor will call you to the microphone at the appropriate time if you have filled out a Request to Speak Card. At that time, approach the podium and please clearly state your name and address, and proceed to make your comments.
Compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act
The City of Bell, in complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), request individuals who require special accommodation(s) to access, attend, and or participate in a City meeting due to disability. Please contact the City Clerk’s Office, (323) 588-6211, Ext. 2615, at least one business day prior to the scheduled meeting to ensure that we may assist you.
Statement Regarding Compensation for Members of the Bell City Council
Compensation for the members of the Bell City Council is $673 a month. In accordance with Government Code Section 54952.3, Councilmembers will not receive any additional compensation or stipend for the convening of the following regular meetings: Successor Agency to the Bell Community Redevelopment Agency, the Bell Community Housing Authority, the Bell Public Finance Authority, the Bell Surplus Property Authority, and the Bell Solid Waste Authority.
Meeting of the
Bell City Council and Related Agencies
June 12, 2024
REGULAR JOINT MEETING OF THE
Bell City Council/Bell Community Housing Authority/Successor Agency to the Bell Community Redevelopment Agency/Bell Public Finance Authority
June 12, 2024
5:45 P.M. Closed Session
7:00 P.M. Regular Meeting
Location: Bell Community Center, 6250 Pine Avenue, Bell CA 90201
Call to Order
Roll Call of the City Council in their capacities as Councilmembers/Members of all Related Agencies: Councilmembers Flores, Quintana, Romero, Vice-Mayor Arroyo, and Mayor Saleh
Communications from the Public on Closed Session Items
This is the time for members of the public to address the City Council and related Authorities and Agencies only on items that are listed under Closed Session.
Closed Session
The City Council and the related Authorities and Agencies will recess to closed session to confer with legal counsel regarding the following matters:
a. CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATORS (Pursuant to Government Code section 54956.8)
Properties: 6400 Atlantic Avenue, Bell CA 90201
Agency negotiators: Michael L. Antwine II (City Manager), and Dave Aleshire (City Attorney) Negotiating parties: To be Determined
b. CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATORS (Pursuant to Government Code section 54956.8)
Property: 7030 Atlantic Avenue, Bell CA 90201
Agency negotiators: Michael L. Antwine II (City Manager), and Dave Aleshire (City Attorney) Negotiating parties: To be Determined
c. CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATORS (Pursuant to Government Code
MEETING WILL BE HELD IN-PERSON AT THE BELL COMMUNITY CENTER
PUBLIC COMMENT: If you wish to make a comment on items listed on the agenda, you may attend the meeting in- person at Bell Community Center. Please complete a Request to Speak Card available in the location and wait until the mayor call s you to approach the podium. Please clearly state your name and address and proceed to make your comments .
You may also submit input electronically through a temporary public comment email established for City of Bell City Council meetings at [email protected]. Your written comment must be submitted by 4pm on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. Any emails received after the time indicated will not be included in the record. Written Comments will be subject to the three minute time limitation (approximately 350 words).
The meeting will be recorded and live streamed on the City’s website at http://www.cityofbell.org/?NavID=101
Meeting of the
Bell City Council and Related Agencies
June 12, 2024
section 54956.8)
Property: 4400-4410 Gage Avenue, Bell CA 90201
Agency negotiators: Michael L. Antwine II (City Manager), and Dave Aleshire (City Attorney) Negotiating parties: To be Determined
d. Potential Initiation of litigation pursuant Government Code Section 54956.9(d)(4): One Case
e. CONFERENCE WITH LABOR NEGOTIATORS- Government Code Section 54957.6, Agency designated representatives: Michael L. Antwine II (City Manager), and Dave Aleshire (City Attorney) Employee Organization: Bell Police Officers Association (BPOA)
f. CONFERENCE WITH LABOR NEGOTIATORS- Government Code Section 54957.6, Agency designated representatives: Michael L. Antwine II (City Manager), and Dave Aleshire (City Attorney) Employee Organization: Bell City Employee Association (BCEA)
g. CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATORS (Pursuant to Government Code section 54956.8)
Property: 4773-4777 Gage Avenue, Bell CA 90201
Agency negotiators: Michael L. Antwine II (City Manager), and Dave Aleshire (City Attorney) Negotiating parties: To be Determined
Reconvene Regular City Council Meeting
Call to Order
Roll Call of the City Council in their capacities as Councilmembers/Members of all Related Agencies: Arroyo, Flores, Romero, Saleh, and Quintana
Pledge of Allegiance
City Attorney Report
The City Attorney will report out on any action(s) to be taken by the City Council/Agencies on Closed Session matters.
Presentations and Recognitions
a. COG Executive Director Introduction – Hector De La Torre b. Recognition of Retiree of Keith Shamp
c. Community Services Director/Department Award of Excellence d. Proclamation declaring June 19, 2024 as Juneteenth Day e. Proclamation declaring June 2024 as National Flag Week f. Recognition of Bell High School Boys Baseball Team; Girls Softball Team; Girls Cheer Team; and Girl Wrestler
Communications from the Public
This is the time members of the public may address the City Council and related Authorities and Agencies on items that are on the agenda and on non- agenda items that are under the subject matter jurisdiction of City Council and/or its related authorities and agencies. (Each speaker is limited to three minutes)
Meeting of the
Bell City Council and Related Agencies
June 12, 2024
Mayor and City Council Communications
Pursuant to Assembly Bill 1234, this is the time and place to provide a brief report on meetings, seminars and conferences attended by the Mayor and City Councilmembers.
City Manager Report
In this portion of the agenda, the City Manager will provide a brief report on items of interest to the City Council and/or the community.
Public Hearing(s)
The following item has been posted as a Public Hearing as required by law. The Mayor will open the Public Hearing(s) to receive public testimony only on the item(s) listed under this section.
1. Consideration of approval of Planning Commission finding that the CEMEX Aggregate Transloading Facility Located at 5091 Rickenbacker Road in the Bell Business Center is a use customarily conducted in the open. (City Council)
Recommendation: It is recommended that the City Council:
1. Receive the staff report and receive public input: and
2. Read by title only, waive further reading and adopt Resolution 2024-24 titled:
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BELL
APPROVING PLANNING COMMISSION’S RECOMMENDATION
REGARDING FINDING AN AGGREGATE TRANSLOADING
FACILITY TO BE A USE CUSTOMARILY CONDUCTED IN THE OPEN
2. Proposition 218 Public Hearing Adopting Changes to Sewer Rates. (City Council)
Recommendation: It is recommended that the City Council:
1. Conduct a public hearing pursuant to Section 6(a)(2) of Article D of the California Constitution regarding the proposed changes to the sewer rates.
2. During the Public Hearing, consider all protests against the proposed changes to the sewer rates
3. Close the Public Hearing
4. If written protests against the proposed sewer rates are presented by a majority owners of the affected parcels of real property, comply with said Article XIII D by resolving to not impose changes to the sewer rates; and
5. If written protests against the proposed sewer rates are presented by less than a majority owners of the affected parcels of real property, take the following actions:
6. Read by title only, waive further reading and adopt Resolution 2024-25 titled:
Meeting of the
Bell City Council and Related Agencies
June 12, 2024
“A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BELL ADOPTING SEWER RATES.”
7. Introduce Ordinance 1290, waive further reading, and read by title only:
“AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF BELL ADOPTING SEWER RATES
BEGINNING JULY 1, 2024”
Business Session
3. Consideration to Cancel Four Regular Scheduled Council Meetings. (City Council)
Recommendation: It is recommended that the City Council cancel the July 10, 2024, August 14, 2024, November 27, 2024, and December 25, 2024, City Council meetings.
4. Request to Set a Public Hearing on July 24, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. to Consider the Creation of Liens/Special Assessment to Collect Delinquent Rubbish Fees. (City Council)
Recommendation It is recommended that the City Council schedule a Public Hearing on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. to consider the recording of liens to collect the delinquent rubbish fees against the properties listed on the final report of delinquent accounts.
5. Consideration of a New Agreement with California Consulting, LLC for Grant Administration Services. (City Council)
Recommendation: It is recommended that the City Council approve a New Agreement with California Consulting, LLC for two (2) years from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2026.
6. Approval of Amendment No. 6 to the Agreement with Willdan Engineering for Professional Engineering Services
Recommendation: It is recommended that the City Council approve Amendment No. 6 to the Agreement for Professional Engineering Services between the City of Bell and Willdan Engineering with following key terms:
1. Extend the term of the Agreement to June 30, 2025, with an option to renew for an additional one-year to June 30, 2026; and
2. Maintain hourly rates at the July 1, 2020 level.
7. Consideration to Approve Amendment No. 1 to the Public Works Agreement between the City of Bell and Crosstown Electrical & Data, Inc. for Traffic Signal Systems and Safety Lighting Maintenance Services. (City Council)
Recommendation: It is recommended that the City Council approve Amendment No. 1 to the Public Works Agreement between the City of Bell and Crosstown Electrical & Data Inc. (“Crosstown”) for Traffic Signal Systems and Safety Lighting Maintenance Services.
8. Atlantic Avenue Specific Plan – Extension and Budget Increase of an Agreement with The Arroyo Group (City Council)
Meeting of the
Bell City Council and Related Agencies
June 12, 2024
Recommendation: The City Council is recommended to extend the contract agreement with The Arroyo Group for an additional year and increase the contract amount by $49,000 for added services beyond the original contract amount of $269,730 to a new contract amount of $318,730. These additional services aim to help prepare the Atlantic Avenue Specific Plan (AASP) and the associated environmental documentation.
9. Cheli Specific Plan– Extension Agreement of The Arroyo Group
Recommendation: It is recommended that the City Council extend the contract with The Arroyo Group for the Specific Plan for the Cheli Area for an additional year (12 months) without increasing the contract amount.
10. Approval Of The Kaboom! Community Partner Agreement for Treder Park Playspace Grant Award
Recommendation: It is recommended that the City Council approve the Community Partner Agreement between KABOOM! and the City of Bell Treder Park Playspace.
11. Appointments to the Community Services Commission and Planning Commission Group. (City Council)
Recommendation: The staff is recommending the City Council:
1. Councilmember Flores, Vice- Mayor Arroyo and Mayor Saleh each nominate a member to the Planning Commission and Community Services Commission; and
2. Read by title only, waive further reading and adopt Resolution 2024-26 titled:
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BELL
APPROVING THE APPOINTMENTS TO THE PLANNING
COMMISSION AND COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMISSION
12. Review and Discussion of Fiscal Year 24/25 Budget. (City Council)
Recommendation: It is recommended that the City Council receive and file.
Consent Calendar
The following Consent Calendar items are expected to be routine and non- controversial. They are acted upon by the City Council and related authorities at one time without discussion. The reading of the full text of ordinances and resolutions will be waived unless a Councilmember requests otherwise.
Recommendation: Approve agenda items 13-18.
13. It is recommended that the City Council read by title only, waive further reading and adopt Resolution No. 2024-27 titled:
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BELL APPROVING A
Meeting of the
Bell City Council and Related Agencies
June 12, 2024
FY 23/24 BUDGET AMENDMENT IN THE AMOUNT OF $14,300 FROM THE CITY’S GENERAL FUND TO THE CITY CLERK’S PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
BUDGET FOR THE PURPOSE TO PAY OUTSTANDING INVOICES
14. Consideration for Approval of Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Holiday Schedule and City Hall Closure
Recommendation: It is recommended that the City Council approve the Holiday Schedule and Holiday Closure for Fiscal Year 2024-2025.
15. Resolution Approving and Adopting Revised Salary Range and Rescinding Resolution No. 2024-01
Recommendation: It is recommended that the City Council read by title only, waiver further reading and adopt Resolution 2024-28 titled:
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BELL, IDENTIFYING
EMPLOYEE CLASSIFICATIONS, COMPENSATION LEVELS, AND SALARY RANGES, AND RESCINDING RESOLUTION NO. 2024-01
16. Receive and File the City of Bell & Bell Successor Agency Investment Reports as of April 2024. (City Council/Successor Agency)
17. General Warrants, Successor Agency to the Bell Community Redevelopment Agency and Community Housing Authority Warrants of June 12, 2024. (Council/Successor Agency to the Bell Community Redevelopment Agency/Bell Community Housing Authority).
18. Minutes for the Regular City Council Meetings of May 22, 2024 . (City Council/Successor Agency to the Bell Community Redevelopment Agency)
Pending Items – None
Next Regular Meeting, Wednesday, June 26, 2024
I, Angela Bustamante, City Clerk of the City of Bell, certify that a true, accurate copy of the foregoing agenda was posted June 9, 2024 at least seventy-two (72) hours prior to the meeting as required by law.
__________________________
Angela Bustamante, City Clerk
REGULAR MEETING OF THE
BELL CITY COUNCIL AND RELATED AGENCIES
June 12, 2024
5:45 P.M. Closed Session
7:00 P.M. Regular Session
INDEX
Agenda Category Item Number Page Numbers
CLOSED SESSION a – g
AGENDA & INDEX 1-9
PUBLIC HEARINGS 1 10-128
2 129-190
BUSINESS SESSION 3 191-192
4 193-203
5 204-227
6 228-284
7 285-369
8 370-452
9 453-556
10 557-580
11 581-582
12 583
CONSENT CALENDAR 13 584-588
14 589-590
15 591-609
16 610-706
17 707-782
18 783-791
AGENDA ITEM 1
P age 1
City of Bell
Agenda Report
______________________________________________________________________ D
ATE: June 12, 2024
T
O: Mayor and Members of the City Council
PR
EPARED
BY: David J. Aleshire, City Attorney
June S. Ailin, Litigation Counsel
F
ROM: Manuel Acosta, Community Development Director
APPR
OVED Michael L. Antwine II (e-signature)
BY: ________________________________________
Michael L. Antwine II, City Manager
SU
BJECT: Consideration of approval of Planning Commission finding that the CEMEX Aggregate Transloading Facility Located at 5091 Rickenbacker Road in the Bell Business Center is a use customarily conducted in the open RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City Council:
1. Receive the staff report and receive public input
2. Read by title only, waive further reading and adopt Resolution 2024-24 titled:
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BELL APPROVING PLANNING COMMISSION’S RECOMMENDATION REGARDING FINDING AN
AGGREGATE TRANSLOADING FACILITY TO BE A USE CUSTOMARILY
CONDUCTED IN THE OPEN
BACKGROUND:
CEMEX Aggregate Transloading Facility in Bell Business Center In 2013, the City Council approved a Development Agreement with PI Bell LLC for the Bell Business Center and sold the property that is the subject of the Development Agreement to PI Bell. The location of the Bell Business Center is depicted on the map attached hereto at Attachment 1.
The Development Agreement provides that all uses permitted in the M and C -M zones established by the City’s zoning ordinance are permitted in the Bell Business Center. The Development Agreement also provided for a Design Review Board (“DRB”) to review improvements in the Bell Business Center for design consistency with the Development Agreement.
AGENDA ITEM 1
P age 2
PI Bell leased Parcel A to Burlington Northern Railroad, which used the site for storage of rail c
ars. In 2018, Burlington Northern subleased Parcel A to CEMEX, which proposed to develop Parcel A in the Bell Business Center as an aggregate transloading facility (the “Facility”).
In October 2017, building permits were issued after review of development plans by the then - Community Development Director and an architectural review board, who were not the required design review board and who were not familiar with the Development Agreement. As a result of a settlement of litigation filed by East Yard Community for Environmental Justice (“ EYCEJ”) and others, CEMEX agreed to cover certain equipment in the Facility and the design of the Facility was then reviewed by the DRB provided for in the Development Agreement.
Notwithstanding the litigation (in fact EYCEJ was unsuccessful in obtaining a TRO), construction commenced, and was completed in May 2019 and the facility began operating.
Pre-washed construction aggregate is brought to the site by rail, using existing rail lines and a pre-existing rail spur located on Parcel A. The aggregate is off-loaded from the rail cars using conveyor belts that are covered to the extent possible, and then stored in containment silos.
The containment silos do not have roofs, but the amount stored in them is limited to ensure aggregate will not be lost to winds and other forces. There may be times when aggregate will be stored temporarily outside a containment structure. When CEMEX receives an order for aggregate to be delivered to a construction site, trucks, which are loaded using a covered conveyor belt system, are used to transport aggregate to the construction site. The plans for the Facility are attached as Attachment 2.
Litigation Highlights Need for Finding the Use Is One Customarily Conducted in the Open In January 2019, the DRB adopted a resolution that found, among other things, the Facility was consistent with the Development Agreement. Litigation challenging the DRB’s resolution was filed in March 2019 and in June 2023, the Court of Appeal issued an opinion finding that the use conducted at the Facility is one that would be permitted in the M zone in the City, if the Planning Commission were to make a finding that the use is one customarily conducted in the open, but no such finding had been made. The Court of Appeal concluded all other issues raised in the case were moot unless and until such a finding is made and remanded the matter to the City to give the Planning Commission the opportunity to make such a finding, which would then be considered by the City Council.
The operations carried out at the Facility are permitted to use under the M (Manufacturing) and C-M (Commercial Manufacturing) zones. Copies of relevant pages from the Scope of Development in the Development Agreement identify ing the permitted uses are attached as Attachment 3. The operations at the Facility fall into the following categories identified in the Development Agreement:
• Distribution
• Logistics
• Loading and unloading of parcels and freight
• Onsite railroad service and transfer facility
AGENDA ITEM 1
The operations at the Facilities are within the scope of the following permitted uses in the M zone (see Municipal Code Section 17.40.020):
“3. Contractor or construction offices, ships, and yards, including but not limited to cement . . .
21. Sand, gravel, fill dirt, topsoil sales and storage
31. Warehousing, distribution, and storage facilities” Warehousing, distribution, and storage facilities are also a permitted use in the C -M zone. (See Municipal Code Section 17.36.20.4.)
However, the City’s zoning ordinance provides that all uses in the M and C -M zones are to be conducted in completely enclosed buildings, unless certain findings are made. The relevant provisions of the zoning ordinance are found in Municipal Code §§ 17.36.030 and 17.40.030, which read in part as follows:
“A. All uses shall be conducted within a completely enclosed building except for those uses which are customarily conducted in the open, such as the sale of cars, boats, and recreational vehicles, as determined by the planning commission pursuant to Section 17.04.090 of this code.
B. All outdoor storage permitted under subsection A of this section shall be maintained in an area of a lot, approved by the director, completely enclosed by a view-obscuring fence or wall, and paved with macadam or asphaltic pavement in accordance with adopted city standards therefor. Surfacing of such area shall be designated, constructed, and maintained so as to dispose of all surface water.”
Section 17.04.090 of the Municipal Code provides as follows:
“If an ambiguity shall be found with reference to these regulations, including but not limited to, the appropriate classification of a particular use, the commission shall consider the matter and shall, by resolution, recommend to the city council the clarification of such ambiguity. When such a commission resolution has been approved by the city council, the same shall be deemed to be in force and effect and shall govern the interpretation of the affected provisions of this title, to which the same relates, until such time as an appropriate amendment thereto has been duly adopted.”
On May 1, 2024, following a public hearing, the Planning Commission adopted Resolution No. 2024-06PC (Attachment A), finding an aggregate transloading facility to be a use customarily conducted outdoors and recommending the City Council adopts its finding. The staff report containing the evidence on which the Planning Commission based its finding is attached hereto as Attachment B. A comment letter submitted by David Pettit, counsel for The Salvation Army, Grow Good, Shelter Partnership, East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice, and the Natural Resources Defense Council, is attached hereto as Attachment C.
AGENDA ITEM 1
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
The City Council’s approval of the finding authorized by Municipal Code §§ 17.36.030 and
17.40.030 does not require review under CEQA for several reasons. First, the approval of the finding is not approval of a project and does not commit the City to any definite course of action.
Therefore, review under CEQA would be premature. Second, the Facility already exists and is operating. Therefore, the approval of the finding is not a project within the definition in Public Resources Code § 21080 because it will not result in a change in the physical environment.
That change has already occurred. Third, and similarly, the approval of the finding falls within the scope of the commonsense exception from CEQA, Guidelines § 15061(b)(3), in that there is no possibility approval of the finding will have a significant effect on the environment. The proposed resolution involves approving a finding based on evidence. It does not address implementation of a physical change to the environment and does not address mitigation of impacts.
CONCLUSION:
The City Attorney and staff recommend that the City Council approve the Planning Commission’s finding contained in Resolution No. 2024-06-PC, by adopting Resolution No. 2024-24 which is Attachment D to this report.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment A: Staff Report to Planning Commission
Attachment 1 Map of Bell Business Center Location
Attachment 2 Plans for CEMEX Facility
Attachment 3 Scope of Development from Development Agreement Attachment 4 Photographs of Aggregate Transloading Facilities Attachment 5 U.S. EPA document - Compilation of Air Pollution Emission Factors
Attachment 6 South Coast Air Quality Management District Rule 1157 Attachment 7 The Aggregates Handbook
Attachment 8 Draft Resolution No. 2024-06PC
Attachment B: April 24, 2024 comment letter from David Pettit Attachment C: Draft Resolution No. 2024-24
01135.0079/939965.3 Page 1
City of Bell
Agenda Report
______________________________________________________________________ DATE: May 1, 2024
TO: Honorable Chair and Planning Commission Members
FROM: Manuel Acosta, Director of Community Development
PREPARED
BY: David J. Aleshire, City Attorney
June S. Ailin, Litigation Counsel
SUBJECT: Consideration of a resolution recommending a finding that the CEMEX Aggregate Transloading Facility Located at 5091 Rickenbacker Road in the Bell Business Center is a use customarily conducted in the open ______________________________________________________________________ RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Planning Commission:
1. Receive the staff report and receive public input; and
2. Read by title only, waive further reading and adopt Resolution 2024 -06-PC titled:
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF BELL PLANNING COMMISSION FINDING
AN AGGREGATE TRANSLOADING FACILITY TO BE A USE CUSTOMARILY
CONDUCTED IN THE OPEN AND RECOMMENDING THE CITY COUNCIL
APPROVE THIS RESOLUTION
BACKGROUND:
CEMEX Aggregate Transloading Facility in Bell Business Center In 2013, the City Council approved a Development Agreement with PI Bell LLC for the Bell Business Center and sold the property that is the subject of the Development Agreement to PI Bell. The location of the Bell Business Center is depicted on the map attached hereto at Attachment 1 . The Development Agreement provides that all uses permitted in the M and C -M zones established by the City’s zoning ordinance are permitted in the Bell Business Center. The Development Agreement also provided for a Design Review Board (“DRB”) to review improvements in the Bell Business Center for design consistency with the Development Agreement.
PI Bell leased Parcel A to Burlington Northern Railroad, which used the site for storage of rail cars. In 2018, Burlington Northern subleased Parcel A to CEMEX, which
ATTACHMENT A
01135.0079/939965.3 Page 2
proposed to develop Parcel A in the Bell Business Center as an aggregate transloading facility (the “Facility”).
In October 2017, building permits were issued after review of development plans by the then -Community Development Director and an architectural review board, who were not the required design review board and who were not familiar with the Development Agreement. As a result of a settlement of litigation filed by East Yard Community for Environmental Justice (“ EYCEJ”) and others, CEMEX agreed to cover certain equipment in the Facility and the design of the Facility was then reviewed by the DRB provided for in the Development Agreement.
Notwithstanding the litigation (in fact EYCEJ was unsuccessful in obtaining a TRO), construction commenced, and was completed in May 2019 and the facility began operating.
Pre-washed construction aggregate is brought to the site by rail, using existing rail lines and a pre -existing rail spur located on Parcel A. The aggregate is off -loaded from the rail cars using conveyor belts that are covered to the extent possible, and then stored in containment silos. The containment silos do not have roofs, but the amount stored in them is limited to ensure aggregate will not be lost to winds and other forces.
There may be times when aggregate will be stored temporarily outside a containment structure. When CEMEX receives an order for aggregate to be delivered to a construction site, trucks, which are loaded using a covered conveyor belt system, are used to transport aggregate to the construction site. The plans for the Facility are attached as Attachment 2.
Litigation Highlights Need for Finding The Use Is One Customarily Conducted In the open
In January 2019, the DRB adopted a resolution that found, among other things, the Facility was consistent with the Development Agreement. Litigation challenging the DRB’s resolution was filed in March 2019 and in June 2023, the Court of Appeal issued an opinion finding that the use conducted at the Facility is one that would be permitted in the M zone in the City, if the Planning Commission were to make a finding that the use is one customarily conducted in the open, but no such finding had been made. The Court of Appeal concluded all other issues raised in the case were moot unless and until such a finding is made, and remanded the matter to the City to give the Planning Commission the opportunity to make such a finding, which would then be considered by the City Council.
Generally speaking, the operations carried out at the Facility are a permitted use under the M (Manufacturing) and C-M (Commercial Manufacturing) zones. Copies of relevant pages from the Scope of Development in the Development Agreement identifying the permitted uses are attached as Attachment 3 . The operations at the Facility fall into the following categories identified in the Development Agreement:
• Distribution
01135.0079/939965.3 Page 3
• Logistics
• Loading and unloading of parcels and freight
• Onsite railroad service and transfer facility
The operations at the Facilities are within the scope of the following permitted uses in the M zone (see Municipal Code Section 17.40.020):
“3. Contractor or construction offices, ships, and yards, including but not limited to cement . . .
21. Sand, gravel, fill dirt, topsoil sales and storage
31. Warehousing, distribution and storage facilities ”
Warehousing, distribution and storage facilities are also a permitted use in the C - M zone. (See Municipal Code Section 17.36.20.4.)
However, the City’s zoning ordinance provides that all uses in the M and C -M zones are to be conducted in completely enclosed buildings, unless certain findings are made. The relevant provisions of the zoning ordinance are found in Municipal Code §§
17.36.030 and 17.40.030, which read in part as follows:
“A. All uses shall be conducted within a completely enclosed building except for those uses which are customarily conducted in the open, such as the sale of cars, boats and recreational vehicles, as determined by the planning commission pursuant to Section 17.04.090 of this code.
B. All outdoor storage permitted under subsection A of this section shall be maintained in an area of a lot, approved by the director, completely enclosed by a view -obscuring fence or wall and paved with macadam or asphaltic pavement in accordance with adopted city standards therefor.
Surfacing of such area shall be designated, constructed and maintained so as to dispose of all surface water.”
Section 17.04.090 of the Municipal Code provides as follows:
“If an ambiguity shall be found with reference to these regulations, including but not limited to, the appropriate classification of a particular use, the commission shall consider the matter and shall, by resolution, recommend to the city council the clarification of such ambiguity. When such a commission resolution has been approved by the city council, the same shall be deemed to be in force and effect and shall govern the interpretation of the affected provisions of this title, to which the same relates, until such time as an appropriate amendment thereto has been duly adopted.”
01135.0079/939965.3 Page 4
Because City Council review and acceptance of the Planning Commission’s recommendation is required by the Municipal Code in order for it to be effective, the Planning Commission’s recommendation is not appealable to the City Council.
Accordingly, the purpose of this agenda item is to request that the Planning Commission make a determination regarding whether the operations conducted at the Facility constitute a use that is customarily conducted in the open and transmit that determination to the City Council as a recommendation for consideration and adoption by the City Council.
Evidence That the Use Conducted by CEMEX is One That is Customarily Conducted in the Open
Staff recommends that the Planning Commission determine that CEMEX’s use at the Facility is one that is customarily conducted in the open and is therefore a permitted use in the M Zone and pursuant to the Development Agreement.
The evidence supporting that determination derives from the plans for the Facility, information regarding other similar types of facilities operation by CEM EX and others, federal and state standards for such facilities and The Aggregates Handbook, a publication of the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association.
CEMEX reports that all of its other aggregate transloading facilities have open conveyors and do not have containment structures similar to those at the Facility.
Photographs of similar facilities operated by CEMEX and other aggregate providers located in Texas, Georgia and California are attached as Attachment 4.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognizes that aggregate handling and storage typically involves open air storage piles. “Inherent in operations that use minerals in aggregate form is the maintenance of outdoor storage piles. Storage piles are usually left uncovered, partially because of the need for frequent material transfer into or out of storage.” (See Attachment 5.) Similarly, South Coast Air Quality Management District Rule 1157, which establishes regulations for the reduction of emissions from aggregate -related operations, inherently assumes that aggregates will be stored in open storage piles. While the regulations note that there are alternative storage methods, including storing aggregate in silos o r bunkers, the regulations do not prohibit outdoor storage. The existence of such a detailed rule supports a conclusion this use is customarily conducted in the open, as no such rule would be necessary if that were not the case. A copy of Rule 1157, with relevant portions highlighted, is attached as Attachment 6.
Finally, The Aggregates Handbook, Second Edition, a reference work published by the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association regarding the production, marketing, use and regulation of aggregate products, contains various statements reflecting the inherently open air nature of this type of use, indicating open air stockpiles are a typical aspect of the use. A copy of excerpts from The Aggregates Handbook, Second Edition, with relevant portions highlighted, is attached as Attachment 7.
BELL BUSINESS CENTER
SITE LOCATIONS AERIAL MAP
PARCEL A
PARCEL F
PARCEL
G
PARCEL
H
01135.0079/939965.3 Page 5
These sources show that it is reasonable to conclude aggregate storage and loading is a use customarily conducted in the open . Further, the manner in which the Facility is designed and is operating , with covered aggregate conveyor equipment, is less exposed than is typical for this type of use. In addition, while it is not relevant to whether this type of use is customarily conducted in the open, it is noteworthy that since the facility began operating the City has received no complaints concerning dust and noise.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
The making of the finding authorized by Municipal Code §§ 17.36.030 and
17.40.030 does not require review under CEQA for several reasons. First, the making of the finding is not approval of a project and does not commit the City to any definite course of action . Therefore, review under CEQA would be premature. Second, the Facility already exists and is operating. Therefore, the making of the finding is not a project within the definition in Public Resources Code § 21080 because it will not result in a change in the physical environment. That change has already occurred. Third, and similarly, the making of the finding falls within the scope of the common sense exception from CEQA, Guidelines § 15061(b)(3), in that there is no possibility making the finding will have a significant effect on the environment. The proposed resolution involves making a finding based on evidence. It does not address implementation of a physical change to the environment and does not address mitigation of impacts.
CONCLUSION:
Legal counsel and staff recommend that the Planning Commission make the finding that the operations at the Facility are a use customarily conducted in the open and adopted Resolution No. 2004-06PC, which is Attachment 8 to this report.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1 Map of Bell Business Center Location
Attachment 2 Plans for CEMEX Facility
Attachment 3 Scope of Development from Development Agreement Attachment 4 Photographs of Aggregate Transloading Facilities Attachment 5 U.S. EPA document - Compilation of Air Pollution Emission Factors Attachment 6 South Coast Air Quality Management District Rule 1157 Attachment 7 The Aggregates Handbook
Attachment 8 Draft Resolution No. 2024-06-PC
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BID
CONSULTANT
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PACIFIC BUSINESS
CENTER
PARCEL E
sowl
40'-0"
206'
PROPERTY LINE
NORTH PROPERTY LINE
SOUTH WALL OF
FEDEX FACILITY
71'
40'-0"
PROPERTY LINE
40'-0"
30'-0"
NORTH PROPERTY LINE
71'
10'-0"
14'-0"
SOUTH ELEVATION
SCALE: 1" = 20'-0"
EAST ELEVATION
SCALE: 1" = 20'-0"
SOUTH ELEVATION OF ADJACENT FEDEX BUILDING
0' 10' 20' 50'5'
SIMILAR ELEVATION @ SE SITE ENTRANCE
NORTH ELEVATION
SCALE: 1" = 20'-0"
WEST ELEVATION
SCALE: 1" = 20'-0"
ADMIN OFFICE ELEVATIONS
SCALE: 1" = 20'-0"
NORTH ELEVATIONWEST ELEVATION
SOUTH ELEVATIONEAST ELEVATION
BELL-3212
BELL-3213
BELL-3214
BELL-3215
BELL-3216
BELL-3217
RICKENBACKER RD
710 FREEWAY
PROPOSED
STORAGE
BUILDING
PROPOSED
BUILDING
EXISTING INDUSTRIAL BUILDING
N.I.C.
1 1
1 1
2 2
2 3
3 4
5 5
6 6
6 6
6 TREES
SYMBOL TREE NAMEQTY.WUCOLS
FAST AND TALL GROWING SCREEN TREE ALONG 710 FWY.
POPULUS NIGRA 'ITALIA', LOMBARDY POPLAR
36" BOX SIZE. DOUBLE STAKE.
35L
ACCENT TREE AT DRIVEWAY ENTRY
MAGNOLIA 'SAMUEL SOMMER', MAGNOLIA
24" BOX SIZE. MULIT-TRUNK.
2M
FLOWERING ACCENT TREE
LAGERSTROEMIA I. 'MUSKOGEE', CRAPE MYRTLE
24" BOX SIZE. STANDARD TRUNK.
6M
PARKING LOT SHADE TREE
CINNAMOMUM CAMPHORA, CAMPHOR TREE
24" BOX SIZE. STANDARD TRUNK.
3L
SECONDARY PARKING LOT TREE
PODOCARPUS GRACILIOR, FERN PINE
15 GAL. SIZE.
6M
VERTICAL EVERGREEN TREE ALONG BUILDING
TRISTANIA CONFERTA, BRISBANE BOX
15 GAL. SIZE.
12L
VERTICAL EVERGREEN TREE ALONG BUILDING
BRACHYCHITON POPULNEUS, BOTTLE TREE
15 GAL. SIZE.
12L
EVERGREEN BACKDROP TREE
PINUS ELDARICA, MONDELL PINE
24" BOX SIZE.
35L
LARGE SPECIMEN TREE
PLATANUS ACERIFOLIA 'COLUMBIA', LONDON PLANE TREE
24" BOX SIZE.
5L
PLANTING LEGEND
SHRUB NAME
SHRUBS SHALL BE FROM THE FOLLOWING:WUCOLS
DODONAEA VISCOSA 'PURPUREA', HOPSEED BUSH
5 GAL. SIZEL
BERBERIS THUNBERGII, JAPANESE BARBERRY
5 GAL. SIZEL
DIETES VEGATA 'VARIEGATA', VARIEGATED DIETES
5 GAL. SIZEL
FEIJOA SELLOWIANA, PINEAPPLE GUAVA
5 GAL. SIZEL
HELICHOTRICHON SEMPERVIRENS, BLUE OAT GRASS
5 GAL. SIZEL
LIGUSTRUM J. TEXANUM, TEXAS PRIVET
5 GAL. SIZEL
PITTOSPORUM 'CREME DE MINT', VARIEGATED PITTOSPORUM
5 GAL. SIZEL
ROSMARINUS O. 'TUSCAN BLUE', TUSCAN BLUE ROSEMARY
5 GAL. SIZEL
GROUND COVER/SHRUB MASS NAME
GROUND COVER/SHRUB MASSES SHALL BE FROM THE FOLLOWING:WUCOLS
SENECIO MANDRALISCAEA, BLUE CHALK STICKS
6" POTS @ 12" O.C.L
ROSMARINUS O. 'PROSTRATUS', CREEPING ROSEMARY
1 GAL. SIZE @ 18" O.C.L
SALVIA GREGGII, AUTUMN SAGE
1 GAL. SIZE @ 36" O.C.L
PENNISETUM 'BUNNY TAILS', BUNNY TAILS FOUNTAIN GRASS
1 GAL. SIZE @ 18" O.C.L
LONICERA J. 'HALLIANA', HALL'S HONEYSUCKLE
1 GAL. SIZE @ 36" O.C.L
SESLERIA CEARULEA, BLUE MOOR GRASS
1 GAL. SIZE @ 12" O.C.L
TRACHELOSPERMUM JASMINOIDES, STAR JASMINE
1 GAL. SIZE @ 24" O.C.L
NOTES:
•ALL PLANTERS AREAS SHALL RECEIVE A 2" LAYER OF MEDIUM WALK ON BARK (34" - 12"). •THE ROOTBALL ON ANY PLANT SHALL NOT BE PLANTED CLOSER THAN 2' FROM ANY HARDSCAPE, BUILDING OR WALL.
1. FAST-GROWING TREE ALONG 710 FREEWAY PER LEGEND.
2. TYP. VERTICAL TREE ALONG BUILDING PER LEGEND.
3. TYP. CONTINUOUS SCREEN SHRUBS PER LEGEND.
4. NEW FLOWERING ACCENT TREE PER PLANTING LEGEND.
5. TYP. FOUNDATION SHRUBS.
6. NEW DROUGHT TOLERANT GROUND COVER AND SHRUB MASSES PER PLANTING.
DESIGN KEY NOTES:
WUCOLS PLANT FACTOR
THIS PROJECT IS LOCATED IN 'WUCOLS'
REGION '3-SOUTH COASTAL'.
H = HIGH WATER NEEDS
M = MODERATE WATER NEEDS
L = LOW WATER NEEDS
VL= VERY LOW WATER NEEDS
•SLOPES GREATER THAN 3:1 SHALL BE STABILIZED WITH EROSION CONTROL GROUND COVER PER LEGEND, AND MULCH MATERIAL WITH 'BINDER' MATERIAL SHALL BE APPLIED FOR EROSION CONTROL. •ROCK RIP-RAP MATERIAL SHALL BE INSTALLED WHERE DRAIN LINES CONNECT TO INFILTRATION AREAS. •ALL UTILITY EQUIPMENT SUCH AS BACKFLOW UNITS,TRANSFORMERS, FIRE DETECTOR CHECKS AND FIRE
CHECK VALVES WILL BE SCREENED WITH EVERGREEN PLANT MATERIAL ONCE FINAL LOCATIONS HAVE BEEN DETERMINED.
GENERAL NOTES:
THIS IS A CONCEPTUAL LANDSCAPE PLAN. IT IS BASED ON PRELIMINARY INFORMATION WHICH IS NOT FULLY VERIFIED AND MAY BE INCOMPLETE. IT IS MEANT AS A COMPARATIVE AID IN EXAMINING ALTERNATE
DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES AND ANY QUANTITIES INDICATED ARE SUBJECT TO REVISION AS MORE RELIABLE INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE.
IRRIGATION NOTE:
THE PROJECT WILL BE EQUIPPED WITH A LOW FLOW IRRIGATION SYSTEM CONSISTING OF ET WEATHER BASED SMART CONTROLLER, LOW FLOW ROTORS, BUBBLER AND/ OR DRIP SYSTEMS USED THROUGHOUT. THE IRRIGATION WATER EFFICIENCY WILL MEET OR SURPASS THE CURRENT STATE MANDATED AB-1881 WATER ORDINANCE.
CONCEPTUAL PLAN NOTE:
L-1
CONCEPTUAL
LANDSCAPE
PLAN
NORTH
120' 60'90' 30' 0'
SCALE: 1" = 30'-0"
KEY MAP
NORTH
710 FWY
EXIST.
BLDG.
RICKENBACKER RD.
5256 S. MISSION RD. SUITE NO. 121
BONSALL, CA 92003
PH: 760-842-8993
PACIFIC
BUSINESS
CENTER
PACIFIC INDUSTRIAL
6272 PACIFIC COAST HWY,
SUITE E
LONG BEACH, CA 90803
CONTACT: NEIL MISHURDA
310-430-4351
[email protected]
PARCEL E
EXIST.
BLDG.
AREA OF WORK
BELL-3218
ATTACHMENT 3
ATTACHMENT 4
71697665v2
Facility Location
Bell Terminal 5091 Rickenbacker Road
Bell, CA 90201
71697665v2
Facility Location
Redwood City Harbor
Sand & Gravel
775 Seaport Blvd.
Redwood City, California 94063
71697665v2
Facility Location
Redwood City Harbor
Sand & Gravel
775 Seaport Blvd.
Redwood City, California 94063
71697665v2
Facility Location
Redwood City Harbor
Sand & Gravel
775 Seaport Blvd.
Redwood City, California 94063
71697665v2
Facility Location
Redwood City Harbor
Sand & Gravel
775 Seaport Blvd.
Redwood City, California 94063
71697665v2
Facility Location
Redwood City Harbor
Sand & Gravel
775 Seaport Blvd.
Redwood City, California 94063
71697665v2
Facility Location
Spring Aggregates Yard
21820 I-45 North Freeway Service
Road
Spring, Texas 77373
71697665v2
Facility Location
Katy Aggregates Yard 27734 Katy Brookshire Highway
Katy, Texas 77494
71697665v2
Facility Location
Houston TBI-Navigation
Aggregates Yard
5303 Navigation
Houston, TX 77001
71697665v2
Facility Location
Rosharon Arcola
Aggregates Yard
330 Fenn Road
Rosharon, Texas 77583
71697665v2
Facility Location
Atlanta Downtown
Marietta Boulevard Ready
Mix Concrete Plant
1360 Marietta Blvd. North West
Atlanta, Georgia 30318
71697665v2
Facility Location
Atlanta Downtown
Marietta Boulevard Ready
Mix Concrete Plant
1360 Marietta Blvd. North West
Atlanta, Georgia 30318
71697665v2
Facility Location
Atlanta Downtown
Marietta Boulevard Ready
Mix Concrete Plant
1360 Marietta Blvd. North West
Atlanta, Georgia 30318
71697665v2
Northstate Aggregates,
Inc.
Facility Location
Northstate Aggregates
Paradise
685 Pearson Road
Paradise, CA 95969
71697665v2
Eagle Rock
Aggregates/Orca Sand
& Gravel
Facility Location
Polaris Materials ERA
Long Beach Terminal
1501 W Pier D St.
Long Beach, CA 90802
71697665v2
Argent Materials, Inc.
Facility Location
Argent Materials Main
Facility
8300 Baldwin St.
Oakland, CA 94621
71697665v2
West Coast Sand and
Gravel
Facility Location
West Coast Sand & Gravel
and West Coast Aggregate
Supply Thermal
92500 Airport Boulevard
Thermal, CA 92274
71697665v2
Coast Aggregates
Facility Location
Coast Aggregates
Littlerock
13114 E Ave T
Palmdale, CA 93543
71697665v2
Davis Ace Rock Yard
Facility Location
Davis Ace Rock Yard 904 4th Street
Davis, CA 95616
71697665v2
Central Valley
Concrete, Inc.
Facility Location
Central Valley Concrete
Turlock
1800 Paulson Road
Turlock, CA 95380
71697665v2
CalPortland
Facility Location
Santa Maria Ready Mix
Plant
1625 E. Donovan Road
Santa Maria, CA 93454
71697665v2
Martin Marietta
Facility Location
Long Beach Recycle 2850 California Avenue
Long Beach, CA 90755
71697665v2
Martin Marietta
Facility Location
Tidewater Oakland Marine
Aggregates
4501 Tidewater Avenue
Oakland, CA 94601
71697665v2
Vulcan Materials
Company
Facility Location
Ashlan HMA 3570 W Ashlan Avenue
Fresno, CA 93730
71697665v2
Vulcan Materials
Company
Facility Location
Bakersfield Asphalt 8517 Panama Lane
Bakersfield, CA 93311
71697665v2
Vulcan Materials
Company
Facility Location
Carroll Canyon Sand &
Gravel
10051 Black Mountain Road
San Diego, CA 92126
71697665v2
Vulcan Materials
Company/Syar
Industries, Inc.
Facility Location
Healdsburg Asphalt, Plant,
& Recycling
13666 Healdsburg Ave
Healdsburg, CA 95448
71697665v2
Vulcan Materials
Company
Facility Location
Landing Way Yard 210 Landing Way
Petaluma, CA 94952
71697665v2
Vulcan Materials
Company/Triangle
Rock Products
Facility Location
Madera Asphalt Plant 29316 Pecan Lane
Madera, CA 93638
71697665v2
Vulcan Materials
Company
Facility Location
Roseville Asphalt 9800 Del Road
Roseville, CA 95747
71697665v2
Vulcan Materials
Company
Facility Location
Otay Mesa Asphalt 7522 Pasea De La Fuente
San Diego, CA 92154
71697665v2
Vulcan Materials
Company
Facility Location
Sun Valley Sand, Gravel
& Asphalt
11401 W. Tuxford Street
Sun Valley, CA 91352
ATTACHMENT 5
For more than two decades The Aggregates
Handbook has been the industry’s source
for aggregates technology and knowledge.
The second edition of this comprehensive
reference tool includes new and updated
material, including rapidly changing tech-
nologies in the aggregates industry. It includes
expanded coverage of developments in sustain-
ability, production technology, safety, trans-
portation, design, technology standards and
industry trends, just to name a few .
Whether you are brand new to the industry, a
seasoned professional, or simply curious about
aggregates mining, you will find this volume
informative and a valuable reference book.
The Aggregates Handbook
SECOND
EDITION
SECOND
EDITION
SECOND
EDITION
The
Aggregates
Handbook
W e’re working to rebuild America. None
of us can do it alone, but together we form
a powerful voice that will be heard from the
heartland to Capitol Hill.
Y ou can be a part of this effort by becoming
a member of the National Stone, Sand &
Gravel Association. W e are the only national
organization focused solely on the interests
of the aggregates industry. So join us today
and make a difference.
For more information on how to join, call
(800) 342-1415, email [email protected], or
visit our website at www .nssga.org
Membership
Makes a
Difference
JOIN
NSSGA
NATIONAl STONE, SAND & GrAvEl ASSOCIATION
1605 King Street | Alexandria, vA 22314
(800) 342-1415
| www.nssga.org
Includes New Information and Technologies
for the Aggregates Industry!
The
Aggregates
Handbook
Printed in the United States of America by
Sheridan Books, Inc., a Sheridan Group Company.
BARCODE
ISBN # HERE
NSG2538 AggHandbookDustFINAL.indd 1 29/03/13 11:08 AM
The
Aggregates
Handbook
SECOND EDITION
The National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association
Alexandria, VA
4-10 Aggregates Handbook
4.3.2 Layout of Operation
The physical location of the mining operation, processing plant, stockpile area, haul roads and customer loading areas should be developed with the goal of minimizing any impact to sensitive environmental receptors as well as taking into account concerns and issues of stakeholders such as neighbors and the community. Some considerations that aggregates operators must evaluate when designing the mine plan and reaching decision on the physical layout of the site to reduce these impacts include the following:
• Proximity of the processing equipment, load out areas and haul roads to the property bound- ary and the location of neighbors.
• Distance between the sources and the receptors, barriers such as tree lines, physical features such as hills or differences in elevations, location of haul roads, entrances and exits. • Drainage patterns and locations of operations in relation to water features such as wetlands and jurisdictional streams.
• Locations of water retention ponds, overburden storage areas, etc. and how that affects both future operations but also the reclamation and end-use of the property. Overburden storage areas also can be a factor with the community from an aesthetics perspective. • Locations of any sensitive environmental receptors such as listed species, cultural or historic resources, etc. and how the mine site will be developed to either avoid impacts or to comply with permits and authorizations granted to affect those areas.
4.3.3 Appearance
The mine property appearance or visual impact of a proposed operation, is one of the first con- cerns of the residents of a community. The aggregates industry has long recognized the impor- tance of beautification and site appearance with regard to quarry development. The NSSGA, which represents companies throughout the industry, annually recognizes and awards aggre- gates producers that make constructive and positive efforts to enhance the appearance of their property. Attention is given to these efforts through publicity within the aggregates industry and the local communities. Some of the benefits of improving site appearances include support from the local community, better impressions of the community, inspectors and regulatory agencies; and the boosting of company morale because employees feel more pride in their company.
Appearance greatly influences the first impression and reputation of an aggregates operation.
Mining and the processing plant should be designed to be inconspicuous to the public. A low profile can be accomplished by proper design of the quarry and processing plant. Much of the operation’s area can be hidden by trees on the site or by earthen berms. If the entrance area
Environmental Compliance 4-19
• Concrete Containment Cells: The use of above-ground concrete containment cells provides a method of settling out the coarser fractions of the wash water that permits access with front-end loaders after water decantation. The use of containment cells enables the material to be handled by truck in a more cost-effective way. The overflow water from these basins is collected in ponds to undergo final sedimentation settling. • Clarifiers: Clarifiers are a means of eliminating the use of ponds and their associated clean- ing expenses.
– A plate clarifier is a system of closely spaced inclined plates at a one-to-one slope that pro- vides a multiple passage for water and fines. A plate clarifier permits an installation in one- tenth the space required for circular clarifiers.
– In a circular clarifier, sometimes called a thickener, settled particles are moved to the tank center by radial rakes for discharge. These units are constructed of steel or concrete and normally have a large diameter (80 to 150 feet) to provide a quiet pool for particle settling. – The rake clarifier is a rectangular tank with a slow-moving drag flight conveyor which removes settled solids up and over a discharge ramp onto a dewatering pad or basin. When proper flocculants are added, this unit has a discharge with a moisture level that enables loader handling fairly quickly.
Many plant process water systems are essentially closed circuit systems with no water discharge leaving the property. Makeup water is provided by mine water or groundwater wells. Belt presses and vacuum filter systems are available to remove residual moisture from the effluent of clari- fiers; however, these systems are quite expensive and are not commonly utilized at aggregates processing operations unless the product can be sold for commercial use.
The use of flocculants in waste water handling is becoming more prevalent. Flocculants cause the rapid settling of coagulated fines and enable the immediate reuse of the clean water in the plant process. The more rapid recycling of the waste water reduces the volume of water han- dled and simplifies the required plant makeup water systems. The use of flocculants does not, however, provide a solution for the handling of the effluent and suspended fines as previously discussed.
Providing for facility drainage and stormwater control is essential in the aggregates processing facility design due to the stringent controls imposed by regulators on water discharges. The plant drainage design must accommodate process plant cleanup water from the plant main- tenance systems, cooling water from the crushing systems, building drainage and runoff from dust control and irrigation systems. Drainage structure must be established that permit proper water flows in and around the buildings and stockpiles. Water courses, such as ditches and storm sewers, must be provided which do not interfere with plant operating or maintenance procedures. Most operating permits require sufficient water storage capacity to contain the flow from unusually severe rainfall conditions and sufficient time for settlement of suspended solids.
Stormwater may be stored in ponds and released to the normal water courses when the water quality requirements of the plant discharge permits are satisfied.
4-44 Aggregates Handbook
Emission Sources: Many operations conducted within these facilities has a potential to emit dust to the atmosphere. The operator’s task is to minimize or otherwise control the emissions from these various sources. The crushing, conveying, screening and stockpiling taken together is referred to as the plant generated dust sources. The blasting operations, the haul roads in and around the site and the stockpile storage areas give rise to what often is termed fugitive dust emissions. These two major types of emission sources lend themselves to different control techniques.
Plant Emissions: The plant generated emission sources can be hooded, vented or otherwise enclosed and their resulting emissions directed to a mechanical (dry) collecting device which removes the dust particles before release of the air stream to the atmosphere. More commonly, however, the plant generated sources are controlled through use of a wet suppression system, which consists of a series of high pressure water sprays located throughout the process stream.
The high pressure sprays function in a manner to keep dust from becoming airborne. A com- bination of the two systems is also employed in some instances. Both dry collection and wet suppression are capable of control efficiencies in excess of 95 percent.
Fugitive Emissions: The fugitive generated emissions are typically controlled by a combination of control equipment and housekeeping practices exercised by the plant operator. Control equip- ment would include such things as the use of a water truck on all roadways and around the stockpile area, the use of stockpile sprinkling systems and various products designed to stabilize road surfaces. Housekeeping practices would include the control of vehicle speeds, the use of a mechanical sweeper on paved areas, the proper use of wind breaks, the proper use of seeding and plantings in open areas and a multitude of other techniques are the keys to success in the control of fugitive emissions.
Wet Dust Suppression: The most commonly used dust control device is a wet suppression sys- tem. Wet dust suppression uses a pressurized liquid for the controlled reduction or elimination of airborne dust or the suppression of such dust at its source. Effective control involves:
1. Confinement of the dust within the dust producing areas by a curtain of moisture;
2. Wetting of the dust by direct contact between the particles and droplets of moisture; and
3. Formation of agglomerates too heavy to remain airborne or too heavy to become airborne.
The wet suppression system of dust control is particularly suitable to processing plants since it does not involve hoods or other enclosures for crushers, screens or conveyor transfers. The equipment remains open and accessible for maintenance and the operator can readily observe all equip- ment and material flow.
Spray application must be located at critical points throughout the processing plant, such as at the primary crusher feed point, all crusher discharge points, conveyor transfer points and sizing screens. A schematic drawing of a processing plant with a wet dust suppression system is shown in Figure 4.9. A more complete description of the operation and design characteristics of wet suppression systems is given in Chapter 8.
Environmental Compliance 4-45
Figure 4.9 Rock Crushing Plant West Dust Suppression System Dry Dust Collection: The most commonly used dry collection system at processing plants is the fabric filtering system. It is a local exhaust control system consisting of four major elements:
hoods, ducts, fan and dust collection equipment (often referred to as a “baghouse”). Each dust emission source must be hooded or enclosed so that a large flow of air can be moved across the emission point and the air/dust mixture exhausted through ductwork to the control equipment (i.e., the baghouse). The baghouse is a large structure enclosing a series of fabric filter bags or cartridges through which the dust laden air is moved prior to release into the atmosphere. The filter bags or cartridges remove the dust from the air stream and the dust in turn is removed from the collectors and disposed of or reused in some fashion. Cartridge filter systems are start- ing to become more common than bag filter systems because of the ease in changing the filters and the reduced employee exposure to dust during the changes. Discussion of hood, duct and collector design is given in Chapter 8. Suffice it to say that the proper design of each element of a dry collection system is critical to achieving the desired control efficiency.
Combination Dust Collection Systems: Combinations of wet suppression and dry collection sys- tems (refer to Figure 4.10) have been successfully employed when conditions dictate. A combi- nation system is suggested for consideration for the following types of applications:
1. Where the fine particulates have an economic value and product recovery could be intrinsi- cally profitable in addition to meeting local air pollution control requirements.
2. If screen blinding in secondary plant production occurs due to capillary tension as a result of moisture applied by a wet suppression system. Screen blinding, as used here, is the clogging of a screen due to particles sticking together when a small amount of water has been added.
Blinding does not occur if a large quantity of water is used. Blinding also can be caused by the presence of clay or insufficient vibratory action to keep large particles from blocking the screen.
3. When, as a result of plant location or local pollution control codes, a high degree of dust con- trol is required that is not economically feasible with a single type system.
4-46 Aggregates Handbook
Figure 4.10 Typical Control System for Crushing Plant
Fugitive Dust Emissions: The control of fugitive dust is a very complex and challenging problem.
Fugitive emissions are generated both by natural phenomena and by man-induced causes. Fugitive dust is by far the largest potential contributor to the total dust problem at an operating site and, because of its very nature, the most difficult and time consuming to properly control. Unlike the plant-gener- ated emissions, which lend themselves to point source control, fugitive emissions are generated by unstable sources such as the movement of men and equipment and the effects of wind and rain on the stockpile areas and those areas stripped free of vegetation. Proper control of fugitive dust includes:
• Use of water trucks, sprinkler systems, dust palliatives, sweeping and in some instances paving of interior roads;
• Proper use of windbreaks, both natural and artificial, to protect and screen sensitive areas; • Strict enforcement of a material spill policy and on-site speed limits; • Strategic placement of stockpile areas to shield them from wind movements; and • The maximum use of protective vegetative cover for open areas.
In addition, to be effective, a fugitive dust control program requires a dedicated commitment each day to the practice of good housekeeping techniques.
Control Regulations: Federal clean air legislation has assigned the responsibility of establishing standards for air quality to the EPA. The EPA has defined the best available control technology for the aggregates industry and has issued this information in the form of guidelines for the individual states since the states have the primary responsibility for enforcement of air quality regulations. state and local enforcement agencies may, however, establish standards and regu- lations which differ from the EPA. Therefore, it is important to determine the specific rules and regulations (federal, state and/or local) which are imposed upon any operating facility.
Point Source: Plant-generated emissions which are hooded, vented and exhausted through a col- lection device have a definable point source of emission: the stack or flue of the collection device.
Such point sources lend themselves to the physical measurement of the amount of particulate matter emitted per volume of air emitted to the atmosphere. Such emissions may be regulated in terms of grains per cubic foot of air emitted or in terms of pounds per ton of aggregates produced.
Processing Plant Principles 8-5
8.3 Project Development
Usually the key parameter that initiates plant design is a favorable market forecast. The market forecast typically covers a minimum of 10 years. Flexibility and fluidity must be planned for as part of the 10-year forecast. The annual volumes and product mix obtained from this forecast are the primary considerations for developing a preliminary flow sheet and plant layout.
The flow sheet provides the estimated tons-per-hour flow of processed material moving through the proposed plant. Various crushers reduce the size of the material and screens separate the flow until a usable product is developed. Most flow sheets are completed using some type of computer software. The computer programs serve as a quicker means to compute the out- put faster and allow making quicker changes. The basic input and output are calculated using generic book capacity ratings and output gradations. Any flow sheet will better predict reality when local experience and knowledge are inserted into the computer calculations. The crushing and screening stations are connected by conveyors and chutes which transport the aggregates to and from processing stations and ultimately to the stockpiles.
Flow Sheets
The flow sheet is often supplemented with operational data. These data include percent of crusher design capacity utilized, screen deck efficiency, conveyor and feeder design capacity, and equipment horsepower requirements. A statement of project scope and a description of material flow usually accompany the flow sheet to facilitate communications. After a flow sheet design is complete, it is cross-checked with the market forecast for balance. The quantitative information in the flow provides a basis for comparison. Balance is obtained by adding and/or deleting equipment until reaching the desired balance (mix) of products. After the flow sheet and market forecast balance, a preliminary physical plant layout is developed. The plant layout should be as economical as technically possible, but must address all applicable process parameters.
Review: The completed preliminary flow sheet and plant layout should be reviewed with oper- ating and maintenance personnel. Good communications and the feedback received from their experiences are invaluable toward refining the preliminary flow and plant layout. This interaction may also result in the development of design alternatives as well as lead to acceptance of the design by operating personnel. Often, the most efficient plant design is developed from use of the operating and maintenance history available from the records of similar existing processing plants and discussions with plant personnel.
Cost Estimate
With revisions to the plant flow and plant layout completed, a cost estimate is developed. The capital construction cost estimate includes all costs related to the plant construction which are to be depreciated. These costs normally include site preparation, design costs, plant equipment (mechanical and electrical), fabrication, installation, buildings, etc. The cost estimate should be
Processing Plant Principles 8-7
8.4 Quality Control/Assurance
Definition
Quality control is the process of controlling the quality of the aggregates and encompasses the processing plant design, the techniques implemented in processing, materials handling, stock- piling and loadout. Quality assurance is the dependable and accurate monitoring and documen- tation process to assure that the products shipped meet aggregates specifications. The scope of quality control and quality assurance in this section is limited to the processing plant. A detailed discussion of these aspects is provided in Chapter 16. The gradations, cleanliness and particle shape of the products are controlled in the processing plant. Segregation and degradation of the products are factors to consider in the stockpiling and handling of materials prior to shipping.
Older plants may need to be re-configured to add items like surge piles and bins to provide better control for quality purposes.
Sampling and testing the finished product stockpiles and the loadout station are necessary to meet state and other agencies’ quality assurance testing requirements and to protect the pro- ducer. Many companies have implemented a computerized statistical analysis program to mon- itor and document their quality assurance program.
In-Plant Testing
The reasons for in-plant testing are first to monitor and then control the variables in the process- ing plant. Production surges within the crushers and screens can result in wide variations of fin- ished product gradations and therefore must be minimized. Only plants designed with adequate surge piles and surge bins can maintain conditions to achieve optimum production output and desired quality for the various products required.
Gradation Variation: In-plant testing provides information for both controlling quality and increas- ing productivity. Variations in gradations of finished products may be the result of a plant operating at less than optimum capacity. In many plants the last crushing and screening stage is loaded, or even overloaded, while the crushers and screens upstream are not loaded. Balancing the loading on all the crushers and screens in the circuit to achieve optimum production rates is a major fac- tor in controlling quality and contributes to the goal of the lowest possible operating cost.
A partial list of plant checks include the following:
• Setting of crusher(s)
• Power draw on crusher(s)
• Gradation of feed to crusher(s)
• Gradation of product from crusher(s)
• Throughput in tons per hour of crusher(s)
• Production rate in tons per hour through the plant
• Gradations of the products from the screens
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• Operating speed of the crusher(s) and screens
• Amplitude and direction of the operation of the screens Marginal Materials: Special attention should be given to in-plant testing to address problems associated with processing marginal deposits, such as one resulting in soft particles or a deposit producing undesirable particle shapes (i.e., flat and elongated particles).
Variations in the quality of the products being produced are minimized once the plant is operat- ing at the optimum production rate. A continuous feed must exist as well as the proper close- side crusher settings for the desired product mix. Variations in the aggregates product also can result from segregation or degradation in the stockpile or in the loadout bins.
Segregation
Segregation is defined as the separation of one size of particles from a mass of particles of dif- ferent sizes. Segregation is caused by the methods used to mix, transport, handle or store the aggregates in the plant under conditions favoring non-random distribution of the aggregates sizes.
Occurrence of Segregation: Segregation starts with the blasting process in the quarry as a result of blasting energy and size distribution of the shot rock in the formation of the muck pile. A wide variation of gradation exists in the quarry run material to be dumped in the primary crusher.
Cone Stockpile: Many aggregates plants stockpile by dumping from a truck and pushing aggre- gates piles with track-type dozers, rubber tire dozers or front-end loaders. The trend in aggre- gates plants today is to stockpile with conveyors to minimize the cost of handling aggregates.
Tests clearly show that a single cone stockpile results in the highest variation of gradation due to segregation.
1 Figure 8.1 illustrates the segregation that occurs in all primary surge piles.
Segregation occurs with movement and vibration, as is the case when transporting material on the primary conveyor belt as the finer material moves downward to the belt surface. Figure
8.1(a) shows that the primary conveyor trajectory generates a segregating effect as the coarser particles are thrust farther away from the head pulley, while the finer particles drop out closer to the head pulley. As the height of the cone of the surge pile increases, the coarser particles tend to roll and slide to the perimeter of the pile. Segregation becomes more pronounced as the height of stockpile approaches its peak. Degradation of aggregates particles occurs when the aggregates falls a great distance from the conveyor to the stockpile. This can be minimized by keeping the stockpile at a high level or by the use of luffing boom stackers that can be adjusted vertically to control the height of fall.
Material Removal: In Figures 8.1(b) through 8.1(e), the primary plant is not operating, but removal of material from the pile continues. The reclaimed feed to the secondary plant goes from a rel- atively fine feed to the coarsest feed.
Processing Plant Principles 8-9
Figure 8.1 Occurrence of segregation in stockpiles
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Segregation is controlled much better using the arrangement shown in Figure 8.1(g) and (f).
Figure 8.1(g) has a multi-feeder arrangement of the reclaiming tunnel which is at right angles to the conveyor. Figure 8.l (f) has a single feeder arrangement of the reclaiming tunnel which is in line with the primary conveyor.
An inverted cone results when the production from the primary plant is slightly less than or approximately equal to the reclaim rate to the secondary plant, as shown in Figure 8.1(h). This condition results in a more uniform feed to the secondary plant.
The segregation occurring in the intermediate surge pile and finished product stockpile is less than in the primary surge pile because the maximum size has been reduced and the ratio of larger to smaller sizes also has been decreased.
Minimizing Segregation: A fractionating plant is designed to provide separate aggregates piles with a given pile having nearly equal aggregates sizes. A fractionating plant is one of the bet- ter processing alternatives for controlling segregation. Blending the various size aggregates together at the loadout point, in the asphalt plant, or at the ready mix plant minimizes the effect of segregation and helps achieve the desired product specification. Automated luffing conveyors will minimize the drop height and hence the segregation. The conveyor, working with sensors, allows for the material to be formed into a continuous, non-conical pile. These conveyors are also a key tool in minimizing segregation and promoting overall product quality.
Degradation
Degradation is the breakdown of aggregates into smaller particles. Degradation also can result in dust formation. Bulldozers pushing on coarse aggregates stockpiles and multiple handlings of the aggregates both cause degradation. Although hard rock quarries have limited problems, degradation is a concern in quarries having softer and more friable aggregates. Some aggre- gates producers compensate for degradation by producing the aggregates slightly on the coarse side of the specifications. Experience and documentation from the in-plant testing program can guide the producer in projecting the degree of degradation resulting from handling the aggre- gates at the plant and job site.
The Future
In-plant testing is painstaking and time-consuming but necessary. Results can be monitored more closely by strategically locating electronic belt scales and sampling points. Many types and numbers of automatic samplers and particle analyzers are becoming more prevalent. These units provide constant and regular monitoring of the process and the output. Plant automa- tion, discussed in Section 8.15, should be considered. Quality control and quality assurance will become completely integrated into the process by achieving online results from automatic sam- pling and testing to adjust process control.
Processing Plant Principles 8-41
Screw Conveyors: Fine, free-flowing materials often are handled by screw conveyors. Screw conveyors have pitched auger flights on a rotating shaft and are enclosed within a tubular or U-shaped housing. The flow ability, weight, abrasiveness and size of the material being han- dled influence the selection of the unit. Because of the many factors involved, manufacturers should be consulted for specific recommendations. Screw conveyors normally are employed in an aggregates plant for handling materials finer than the minus No. 8 sieve size. Fine material such as this is found, for example, in an air separator, baghouse or in a cement or lime feeding application for a blended product.
Chutes and Hoppers: Hopper bottom plates must be sloped to direct the material to a much smaller dimensioned discharge opening. The joint between these sloped plates is called a valley.
The proper choice of slopes and valley angles is a requisite for avoiding segregation by aggre- gates size, and for achieving predictable and reliable flow in bins, chutes and hoppers. A slope that is too flat is difficult to correct. A slope that is too steep can be corrected easily to reduce excessive flow rates by the use of steps or shelves that retain materials on themselves. The proper slopes for chutes vary from 30 degrees for large rock with high initial velocity to almost 90 degrees for materials with sticky fines and no initial velocity. Modern design practices are generally the result of successful prior installations and include the following:
• Openings should be at least four times as great as the largest piece handled • Chutes should be at least 24 inches wide to provide maintenance access • Chutes should have easily removable covers for replacing linings or clearing plug-ups • Chute sidewall heights should be 12 to 18 inches with open top access and should be 24 to 30 inches high if personnel access is necessary from the inside. These dimensions are sug- gested for practical installations and can vary up or down for special circumstances
Flowing material always should be turned by a shelf that retains the material and then placed onto the center of a belt through a divergent opening in the direction of belt travel. The free fall to the belt surface should be limited to minimize segregation.
Storage Bins: The use of storage bins in an aggregates plant includes regulating aggregates vol- umes during in-plant crushing, minimizing intermediate processing surges and providing large capacity product shipping storage units. Bin design must accommodate the designated purpose and be as damage-proof and maintenance-free as economically feasible. Truck loadout bins must be wide enough and high enough under the gates to provide proper clearance for the max- imum size off-highway stockpile truck contemplated. The width between bin foundations must be designed to provide clearance for the loader bucket used for yard loading and/or cleanup.
Bin valley angles normally are designed to be self-cleaning, but on occasion single-size product bins are constructed with stone-box type bottoms to minimize wear. If the angle of repose of the material causes buildup on the hopper slopes, lining the hopper with low friction material, such as high density polyethylene, may eliminate the problem depending on the abrasiveness of the material.
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Assisting Material Flow: Mass flow bin design parameters are readily available and provide posi- tive discharge of material without segregation. Other methods of assisting material flow in bins or hoppers are:
• Use external vibrators if the material does not tend to compact. Vibrators should operate only when the outlet is open to flow.
• Vibrate the material inside the bin with a baffle or plate above the opening which can be exter- nally operated by enclosed mechanisms connected to mechanical vibrators. • Start the flow of material in the bin by using a mechanical device such as a screw or plow. • Dry, powdery material can be fluidized with low pressure aeration pads which permit the introduction of compressed air into the material.
• Air cannons, which intermittently discharge high pressure air from receiver tanks, dislodge bridged particles of various size materials.
Stockpiling After Crushing: Finished aggregates sizes normally are stockpiled by belt conveyor or by mobile equipment. Most plants employ some combination of the two methods. While con- veyors have the lowest operating costs, some mobile equipment handling usually is inevitable because of capital restraints, shipping seasonality, and imbalances between production and shipping mixes. Most operators commonly use some combination of trucks, bulldozers or front- end loaders to move aggregates once the capacities of bin or stockpile storage are exceeded. In a fractionated plant, the individual aggregates sizes are stockpiled by conveyor, and then blended into truck loadout bins or onto finished product stockpiles. Conveyors normally stockpile materi- als in conical piles, but the materials can be windrowed using radial or traveling stackers.
Stockpiling in Layers: The use of truck stockpiling in layers to reduce segregation quite often causes aggregates degradation. Some regulatory authorities actually require stockpiling of base material by motorized scrapers in 6 to 12-inch thick layers to minimize segregation and permit quality approval through auger sampling. This type of stockpiling is expensive and requires a large amount of space.
Contamination: Material stockpiles should be kept free of contamination from other size aggre- gates or foreign material. If plant conveyor stockpiles overlap due to lack of sufficient area, the intermixed material must be reprocessed in the plant or sold as non-specification material. In some plants physical divider walls are constructed between stockpiles to minimize contamination.
8.9 Loadout
The goal of a producer is to load the customer’s vehicle with a quality product, in a timely manner as near the target weight as possible. Quality control should be at the top of the list of concerns in studying a plant’s loading procedure. The loadout can take many forms and involve tunnels, feeders, conveyors, bins, scales, and other devices, or it can be as basic as a front-end loader loading a customer’s truck from a stockpile.
Processing Plant Principles 8-43
Loadout Examples
One of the simplest loadout systems uses a front-end loader to move the finished product from the stockpile directly to the truck or rail car, as shown in Figure 8.12. One of the more elaborate loadout systems employs a reclaim tunnel passing beneath stockpiles of either fractionated sizes or finished products, as illustrated in Figure 8.13. A conveyor in the tunnel is fed from the stockpiles by gates or feeders that proportion the flow to meet the required specification.
Rinsing: The blended material may then be delivered to a cleaning screen which removes the fines from the product by rinsing it with water. The removed fines then require some form of processing in settling cells, sand plants or other dewatering systems before being sold as a product. A cleaning screen can be operated dry with the fines being collected in a bin for stock- piling or disposal. The collected fines can be wetted after screening and handled as slurry, as discussed above.
Figure 8.12 Sample truck and rail loadout.
Figure 8.13 Reclaim tunnel/bin loadout.
Finished Product: The cleaned products are discharged from the screen decks by way of self-cleaning chutes into a series of finished product bins. From there the finished products are dropped through gates either directly into the customer’s truck or onto a conveyor that moves the material to the truck. The trucks are then weighed and ticketed automatically at the bins or separately at a scale complex before leaving the site.
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Railcar Loadout: This same type of loadout system also is used for loading railcars by locating the loading bins over a point on the plant’s rail spur, or by adding a conveyor to move the products to the railcars if the loadout is remote from the spur. In other operations with these type facilities, the railcars may be loaded directly by a front end loader from a product stockpile. The railroad can provide the net weight of the cars for billing and shipping purposes. Many large producers utilize weight-in-motion rail scales at the plant to ensure that railroad weight tolerances are met. Weight-in-motion scales improve rail car turnaround and billing.
Barge or Ship Loadout: Barge or ship loadouts may involve a system similar to the one described above with a conveyor cantilevered from the dock for loading the deck barge or hopper barge, as shown in Figure 8.14. A skip loading system or a drive-on ramp also may be employed. In the skip loading arrangement a front-end loader or plant truck fills the bucket or skip of a crane. The crane lifts the skip, swings it over the deck or hold, and dumps the product. A similar arrange- ment also is used with a crane and clamshell bucket loading from a stockpile. The drive-on ramp employs a land-based, hinged ramp that is lowered onto the positioned barge and allows front- end loaders or plant trucks to drive onto the barge and dump the product directly on the deck.
Figure 8.14 Barge loadout.
Special Considerations
Combinations and variations of these loadout systems are likely to be present in almost every plant. Loadout systems are designed to provide special considerations to the needs of the cus- tomer and the physical arrangement of the plant facilities as related to the mode of transporta- tion used at each site.
The specifications of a material usually dictate whether a product is loaded from stockpiles or bins. For example, most clean aggregates specifications require a low percentage of minus No. 200 sieve size material. Typically, a fine rinse is a good economical method to ensure this spec- ification is met before shipping. The clean aggregates is placed into a bin to prevent further contamination or loaded directly into the carrier’s vehicle.
Flow Characteristics: The flow characteristics of a product also may determine the stockpiling methods. Riprap usually is stored in stockpiles rather than bins due to its large size and flow
Processing Plant Principles 8-45
characteristics. Base material does not flow well through restricted openings due to the high percentage of fines and a normally high percentage of natural moisture. This combination of fines and moisture causes the material to compact. Base material is generally stockpiled on the ground and loaded with a front-end loader because of its poor flow characteristics. Similar flow problems may exist with screenings, manufactured sand and aglime. These materials may be stored in bins if special consideration is given to bin and discharge feeder design. Some state department of transportation specifications require that a controlled amount of water be added to graded aggregates to reach the optimum moisture for compaction of the base. A pug mill is utilized to ensure uniform mixing of the base material and the water.
Producing Several Products: A blending tunnel and fractionated stockpiles are utilized to pro- duce a variety of products which require careful control. Fractionated sizes normally are blended to exact specification by the use of an automated system that constantly measures flow, which is crucial to maintaining quality control.
Measuring
Weight: Aggregates is weighed by various methods. For example, truck weighing includes obtaining an empty weight of the truck, loading the vehicle with the product and then obtaining a final gross weight to determine the actual weight of the product being shipped.
Rail: In a rail loading procedure, the measurement method usually is dictated by the location of the certified scales. On-site rail scales are certified by the carrier (railroad) and operate under an “origin weight agreement.” If the scales are located off-site, the agreement is either termed an “average weight agreement” that includes weighing a random number of cars to determine the net weight for all cars or the agreement is to weigh each car.
Barge: With barges, the weight of the loaded product is equal to the weight of the water dis- placed by the vessel after loading. The freeboard of the barge is measured at each corner and the water displaced is calculated and converted to tons. If a certified weight is required, the measuring is performed by a marine surveyor.
Scales: A state agency or state-approved agency certifies scales to establish tolerances for weighing aggregates. Scale types are classified as primary or secondary and include rail, truck and conveyor belt. The primary scales are those that are the most accurate and are certified.
Platform scales normally are used as primary scales for trucks. The most common primary scales for rail are weigh-in motion type scales. In recent years advances in electronics have resulted in increased reliability for certified belt scales. Belt scales are now a more viable cost effective alternative as a primary scale than in the past.
Secondary scales are used for internal control of the loading process. Secondary scales ensure the target weight is achieved at the loading point. Since the load is checked and verified by the primary scales before it leaves the site, the accuracy of secondary scales is not critical. Typically, secondary scales have an accuracy of ± 1 percent of the total weight.
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4. Water line riser pipe should be installed to floor levels of the structure that can more readily be cleaned by water flushing than by shoveling or sweeping. Hoses and hose storage racks need to be provided at each floor and should be of a size that easily can be handled by one person.
Electrical Safety Recommendations:
The National Electrical Code
7 should be used as a design guide, together with any local or other codes that apply. Several areas that deserve special attention are as follows:
1. Underground power cables should be installed at least 4 feet below the surface with high vis- ibility warning tape 1 foot above the shallowest conductor. In areas where machinery activity is anticipated, PVC conduit encased in concrete provides greater protection of personnel. PVC conduit encased in concrete should be used for circuits over 600v. Bright colored dye may be added to the concrete to enhance visibility during subsequent excavation.
2. Overhead power lines should be installed at least 20 feet above general pedestrian and light truck traffic and 35 feet above established roadways. Special attention should be given where crane work is probable such as around settling ponds, crusher foundations and screen towers.
3. Overhead power lines should not be placed above or around stockpiles. Stockpiles tend to increase in height up to the lines and can constitute dangerous operating conditions for load- ers and trucks.
4. Always use wire that is insulated properly for its intended application. Underground wire even in conduit must be waterproof. Exposed wiring should be both waterproof and sunlight resistant.
5. Motors should be controlled by manual or magnetic starters. Fused switches are not safe in this application.
6. Power panels with exposed current carrying components should be replaced with enclosed equipment that meets current code specifications.
7. The exits from all electrical equipment rooms should be kept clean.
8. All metallic electrical enclosures should be connected to each other with copper conductors throughout the entire plant.
9. All ground level electrical equipment should be enclosed by a fence or building and locked so only authorized personnel have access. These areas should not be used for any other purpose. 1 0. Fuses should not be placed in electrical circuits that are larger in capacity than the design size. Repair the electrical problem to permit equipment operation using the correct fuse size.
Other Important Safety Considerations:
1. Clearances are one of the most overlooked safety areas in the design of a new plant. Floor- to-ceiling heights should be adequate for personnel and equipment; and structural bracing should be designed to consider door opening sizes and work platform locations around equip- ment. A remote stair tower can be located outside the equipment structure that facilitates equipment access and simplifies the design of the structure.
Processing Plant Principles 8-55
2. Safety also can be enhanced by the use of readily available electrical and mechanical equip- ment such as belt alignment switches, chute level sensing devices and sensors which detect excessive equipment vibration, etc. These sensors will alert the operator of possible problems and will shut down a piece of equipment if the condition is not corrected. Keep material spill- age controlled to eliminate loose material on walkways and stairs, repair oil leaks immedi- ately and clean up any spillage. Repair (do not patch) leaks and remove scrap materials from repair jobs to proper disposal areas.
3. Good illumination is essential for safe working conditions by providing natural or artificial lighting of sufficient intensity.
4. Baskets for lifting personnel should be designed for the specific application and be approved by the plant safety engineer.
5. Trucks with special buckets for lifting personnel should be used to service elevated areas instead of using ladders or standing in front-end loader buckets.
8.13 Environmental Considerations
Plant environmental factors including dust, noise and water must be addressed in the design stage to anticipate problems and provide means of correction that satisfy the applicable regula- tions. Plant design must include a thorough review by the operating and environmental person- nel, and possibly by special consultants, to ensure an acceptable environmental control system.
Dust Control in the Plant Area
Wet and Dry Suppression: All sources of airborne dust in the processing plant must be reviewed for control requirements. The control method may include wet suppression systems, dry collec- tion systems or a combination of both. Wet suppression systems use treated or untreated water applied to the aggregates in a spray or fog condition to wet down the airborne particles of fine dust and cause them to settle back into the process stream.
Dry collection systems use hoods and enclosures to contain the dust. The air and dust is trans- ported in ductwork to a central collection point where the dust is collected in a baghouse. The dust is disposed of separately, sold as a product or put back into the process stream. Conveyor feeds and discharges, crusher feeds and discharges, screen feeds and discharges and open chute work provide the greatest sources for dust generation. These sources of dust must be evaluated in detail to determine the most appropriate dust control design. The types of dust control enclosures and methods of sealing them are important considerations. Vacuum ducts are connected to the enclosures to create an airflow into the area and then into the ductwork.
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Open Stockpiles: Open stockpiles formed by conveyors or trucks are sources of airborne dust.
Airborne dust can be minimized by discharging pre-wetted feed. The elevated oscillating sprin- kler is one of the most effective long-term control systems. Elevated oscillating sprinklers can be engineered to cover the total yard area with pre-programmed operation to maintain proper moisture limits.
Dust Generated by Traffic: Dust generated by vehicle traffic in and around the plant is one of the prime sources of airborne dust. This dust usually is controlled by water trucks that period- ically spray water and/or chemicals on the roadways. Paving of major traffic areas is an effec- tive method of reducing the amount of dust. Paved roads, however, require cleaning by water flushing or mechanical sweeping. Pipelines and oscillating sprinkler heads can be installed alongside major roadways (paved or unpaved) to permit automatic, programmed watering as conditions dictate.
Washing Down Trucks: Wash-down systems are sometimes required by regulatory authorities to remove any loose materials accumulated on the delivery truck wheels or under-body prior to the truck leaving the property. Some regulations require the sprinkling or wet-down of loaded trucks prior to leaving the plant to reduce airborne dust from the load caused by high travel speeds on the highway. Regulatory authorities often require that all loads be tarped or covered for travel on the highway.
Use of Surfactants: The use of chemical additives, called surfactants, in the dust control water system should be considered. These chemicals reduce the surface tension of the water and eliminate the tendency of dust particles adhering to the droplets of untreated water. This pro- vides more thorough dust control, uses less water and minimizes the blinding effect on fine screening surfaces. Maintenance of dust control systems is critical to the effectiveness of the emissions control.
Dry Dust Control: To meet mandated requirements, some plants in highly populated or environ- mentally sensitive areas may have to provide totally or partially dry dust control systems such as baghouses, equipment enclosures, and air collection and handling systems. A properly designed dry collection system emphasizes controlled air flow to confine most of the airborne dust rather than collect it. Some individual air collection package units are now available which permit mechanical dust collection and handling at singular locations. If these dry dust control systems continue to satisfy the codes, they offer the best available technology for controlling dust.
Building Enclosures: Building enclosures for screening plants confine dust within the area, but limit equipment visibility, reduce maintenance accessibility, and subject the plant personnel to high levels of dust exposure that require personal protective equipment.
Noise Control
In an aggregates processing plant, the noise generated by heavy equipment operations and by the movement of material through the processing plant is minimized by the following techniques:
Processing Plant Principles 8-57
• Low profile process systems can be used where the mechanical equipment is closer to the ground and noise travel can be buffered by berms or trees. This concept is discussed further in Chapter 5.
• Handling materials with rock-on-rock interfaces for transfers can reduce noise appreciably compared to rock on steel interfaces. Stone boxes at transfer points reduce noise as well as maintenance costs.
• Rubber or polyurethane products for screen surfaces, chute liners, stockpile truck liners, etc. minimize noise in materials handling.
• Building enclosures minimize machinery noise but must normally be insulated to provide effective noise reduction.
• Non-audible backup alarms on selective pieces of equipment reduce the problem of distur- bances caused by the normal audible backup alarms.
Process Water Control
One of the most challenging parts of a plant design effort is the handling of the waste water and its products that are discharged from the processing streams of a normal plant operation. If the plant process operates dry, some of the final clean stone products may require rinsing to meet specifications. In addition, the demand for manufactured sand from stone screenings is increas- ing and this generally requires the use of water separation of the excess fine material. Handling of the process water is a relatively simple task. The recovery and disposal of the fines are difficult and can be handled in one of the following ways:
Closed Circuit Settling Ponds: The traditional method for the disposal of fines is to discharge the waste into closed circuit settling ponds for decantation. The use of this approach is diminish- ing. A number of ponds must be constructed and large areas are required. The material in the ponds must be excavated regularly. The fines removed are hauled to a disposal area which is an expensive and difficult process. The most cost-effective way of disposal is the construction of permanent disposal areas where fines are pumped directly from the cleaning process. However, these types of impoundments must normally be approved by state authorities and the water return system monitored constantly.
Concrete Containment Cells: The use of above-ground concrete containment cells provides a method of settling out the coarser fractions of the wash water that permits access with front end loaders after water decantation. The use of containment cells enables the material to be handled by truck in a more cost-effective way. The overflow water from these basins is still col- lected in ponds to undergo final sedimentation. The time between clean-out periods for these type ponds, however, is greatly extended.
Clarifiers: Clarifiers are a means of eliminating the use of ponds and their associated cleaning expenses. A plate clarifier is a system of closely spaced inclined plates at a one-to-one slope that provides a multiple passage for water and fines. A plate clarifier permits an installation in one- tenth the space required for circular clarifiers. In a circular clarifier, sometimes called a thick- ener, settled particles are moved to the tank center by radial rakes for discharge. These units are
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constructed of steel or concrete and normally have a large diameter (80 to 150 feet) to provide a quiet pool for particle settling. The rake clarifier is a rectangular tank with a slow-moving drag flight conveyor that removes settled solids up and over a discharge ramp onto a dewatering pad or basin. When proper flocculents are added, this unit has a discharge with a moisture level that enables loader handling fairly quickly. Belt presses and vacuum filter systems are available to remove residual moisture from the effluent. However, these systems are quite expensive and not likely to receive wide acceptance unless the product can be sold for commercial use.
Makeup Water: Most plant process water systems are essentially closed circuit systems, with no water discharge leaving the property. Makeup water is provided by ground water runoff and quarry seepage. Water wells, where permitted, are also part of the normal plant water system, both for makeup and sanitary purposes.
Plant Drainage Systems
Providing for plant drainage and storm water control is essential in the design phase due to the stringent controls being imposed by government authorities on plant water discharges. The plant drainage design must accommodate process plant cleanup water from the plant main- tenance systems, cooling water from the crushing systems, building drainage and runoff from yard watering systems. Drainage structure levels must be established that permit proper water flows in and around the buildings and stockpiles. Water courses, such as ditches and storm sewers, must be provided that do not interfere with plant operating or maintenance procedures.
Most quarry operating permits require sufficient water storage capacity to contain the flow from unusually severe rainfall conditions and sufficient time for settlement of suspended solids.
This water is stored in ponds and released to the normal water courses when the water quality requirements of the plant discharge permits are satisfied.
Flocculents
The use of flocculents in waste water handling is becoming more prevalent. Flocculents cause the rapid settling of coagulated fines and enable the immediate reuse of the clean water in the plant process. The more rapid recycling of the waste water reduces the volume of water han- dled and simplifies the required plant makeup water systems. The use of flocculents does not, however, provide a solution for the handling of the effluent and suspended fines as previously discussed.
8.14 Plant Design
Plant design begins by compiling all known processing parameters which were considered in Section 8.2 and follows the development of project methods as outlined in Section 8.3.
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specifications, the key particle sizes usually occur in the product between the No. 16 mesh and No. 50 mesh screens. Also, the reduction of minus No. 200 mesh particles must be achieved.
Many producers have to screen on No. 4 to No. 8 mesh screens to have enough No. 16 x No. 50 mesh material in the product. This screening creates excess No. 200 mesh material as a by-product. Removal of No. 200 mesh product has come a long way in recent years from simply washing micro fines out of the product to the use of modern negative air pressure systems that suck micro fines off from the dry product. These dry micro fines can then be considered for other applications.
Manufactured Sand Production
Before developing an expensive capability to produce manufactured stone sand, the quarry operator should evaluate the following factors:
1. The cost of current disposal techniques;
2. The cost to produce a stone sand product;
3. The willingness of the market to accept a manufactured stone sand; and
4. The estimated revenue to be received for the stone sand.
After performing this study, the producer can then make a thoughtful financial decision on the viability of a manufactured stone sand operation. The crusher and screen evaluation techniques discussed in the preceding secondary/tertiary processing section can be applied to stone sand processing facilities. The dry screening of stone sand utilizing high frequency screens is a viable, efficient alternative to those of conventional screens. The OEM suppliers are very helpful in these evaluations.
Stockpiling
The producer of the aggregates product must recognize the impact of stockpiling methods on aggregates gradation. Secondary breaking of aggregates during stockpiling and stockpile seg- regation can cause a perfectly good product to be out of gradation or even shape specification.
Training employees properly on the importance of stockpile management can eliminate many potential customer complaints. Maintaining correct gradation is helped by employing the proper equipment such as a rubber-tired bulldozer instead of a track machine or an elevating stacker instead of a fixed unit. Aggregates segregation is considered in detail in Chapter 8, Section 8.4.
End Use Specifications
A proactive producer of aggregates products must understand and take into consideration the specifications and desires of the end user. In some cases specifications can be altered to decrease production costs and improve the end user’s satisfaction. For example, some state department of transportation agencies have recognized that an increase in percent passing the minus No. 200 mesh screen for manufactured concrete sand from 0 to 4 percent passing to 0 to 7 percent passing does not have a negative effect on strength. Indeed, in many cases this
Processing Plant Principles 8-77
gradation change has a positive effect on strength. Proactive producers worked hard to obtain this desirable specification change which decreases the excess volume of micro fines produced that would have had to be handled and either marketed or disposed of.
8.15 Special Products
Special products are produced as the exception rather than the rule. Small quantities and higher selling prices are characteristics of most special products. Even though these products com- mand higher selling prices, they are seldom big profit items. The special plant modifications, potential overall production loss and special handling required for special products normally increases the production costs significantly.
Armor Stone: Armor stone is used to construct jetties to prevent erosion due to the action of large waves. Boulders weighing 2 to 8 tons are selected from the pit run by a crane operator or a front-end loader specially equipped with a grapple. When large quantities of armor stone are required, special blasting techniques are employed to produce a greater yield of the desired size. Use of these special blasting techniques often unfavorably impacts the recovery cost of the remainder of the shot due to the predominance of large size material.
Riprap: Riprap is employed to stabilize slopes and shorelines, build erosion control structures, construct buildings and improve landscaping. Riprap usually has a set of tightly controlled specifications developed for each job. Average riprap sizes vary from 6 to 30 inches. Riprap is produced by several innovative methods. When utilizing typical aggregates processing equip- ment, riprap is top-sized by setting the primary crusher to the maximum allowable opening.
The crusher product is discharged onto a vibrating feeder or an oversize, heavy-duty conveyor belt that transports the material to a large heavy-duty scalping screen or grizzly. The riprap is produced from the screen or grizzly top-deck discharge.
Riprap Plants: In some cases where product demand warrants, a riprap plant is set up in the pit.
Riprap plants are capable of producing multiple stone sizes utilizing large grizzly feeders placed before and after a specially designed jaw crusher. For a typical flow the jaw crusher discharge (top size up to 24 inches) is placed onto a feeder with grizzly openings set at 12 to 18 inches. The material passing over the grizzly is a coarse product. The material passing through the grizzly proceeds to a heavy-duty sizing screen making separations at 12 and 6 inches. The zero to 6 inch size excess is normally processed into aggregates sizes in the finishing plant.
A self-contained portable scalping screen or grizzly set-up also is used to produce riprap in the pit near the shot rock pile. Front-end loaders feed these units to remove the fines with top-size being controlled by the loader operator. Specifications are difficult to meet using these portable units.
When the gradation is not critical, a front-end loader bucket having a grizzly-like bottom can be used to remove the fines. Again, the top-size is controlled by the loader operator. The fines removal
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is less efficient than a grizzly unit and additional effort is needed to clean up the fines left on the pit floor.
Gabion Stone: Gabion stone is used to fill galvanized, woven steel wire baskets which are utilized for erosion control and retaining wall construction. The first screen in a plant circuit is usually a good place to produce this 4- to 8-inch size stone. It can be removed as gabion stone or can be fed to the secondary crusher.
Aglime: Aglime is a fine limestone product used by farmers to neutralize acidic soils. Aglime specifications vary widely from state to state, but all states require a product passing the No. 8 screen. Aglime requirements and specifications are discussed in Chapter 14. Many aggregates plants produce aglime as a by-product. When produced as a by-product, the only additional plant equipment required is a screen. Additional crushing equipment can be utilized to supplement production of this material when the market dictates. Aglime crushers are typically high-speed mills having high horsepower requirements. The raw feed to the mill impacts against a selected grate or screen to produce a finished agleam in open circuit. Aglime is commonly produced using a hammermill, cage mill, ball mill or rod mill. Vertical impact crushers have been used in a supplemental circuit, but require a screen to remove the product.
When market requirements exceed by-product plant capacities, a plant devoted to aglime pro- duction becomes feasible. These plants usually include a dryer to remove moisture prior to the raw feed entering a roller mill. Some mills are equipped with a negative pressure to regulate flow and gradation. A finer, more tightly graded aglime is produced by these plants usually con- sisting of a minus No. 20 sieve size product. The plants utilize bins to blend various grades of aglime and add supplemental products such as magnesium. A pug mill may be employed to provide uniformity and additional moisture during shipping.
Moisture: Moisture content is a critical consideration in selecting crushing, screening and con- veying equipment for aglime. Capacities and gradations are significantly affected by moisture content. Equipment manufacturers’ recommendations and historical data from similar applica- tions are the best guides for determining the proper equipment selections.
8.16 In-Pit Conveying and Crushing
Introduction
As in-pit truck haulage costs escalate with increased distance and elevation change from the working faces to the primary crusher, aggregates producers should consider alternative trans- portation systems. A belt conveyor system, which can use a more direct and steeper route than trucks, is one of the most attractive alternatives. The primary crusher station located in the pit can be stationary or have varying mobility characteristics.
Processing Plant Principles 8-79
The cost to operate a stationary primary crusher in the pit or remote from the pit is the same.
The in-pit truck haulage costs are reduced when the primary station is located in the pit com- pared with the higher costs for truck haulage to deliver shot rock to a primary station remote from the pit. In this case a direct comparison can be made of truck haulage compared to a combination of in-pit truck haulage and in-pit conveying. In evaluating other alternatives, the comparison becomes more complex.
To incorporate an in-pit conveying system in most quarries, a primary crusher precedes the conveying system to control the lump size to reduce maintenance and utilize economical con- veying systems. The combination of location and type of primary crusher station and design of in-pit conveying systems must complement the quarrying operation and meet the objective of the producer. Depending on the selection of the in-pit crusher and conveying system, this type of system can completely eliminate truck haulage or truck cycle times can be shortened dramati- cally, with a commensurate reduction in the size of the truck fleet. Older and less efficient trucks may be eliminated, and maintenance problems with the remaining fleet substantially reduced with a large part of the punishing vertical lift eliminated from the truck haul.
The four cost areas in which conveying enjoys the advantage over truck hauling are personnel, maintenance, energy and capital replacement. The reduction of truck drivers and repair persons represents the largest part of the cost savings associated with using belt conveyors.
Types of Mobile Crushers
Most of the commercial mobile crushers in operation in the aggregates industry are designed for crushing limestone or granite, and have a theoretical output of 100 to 1,500 tph. A few larger units, which are designed for particular applications, have outputs of 2,000 to 5,000 tph. Mobile crushers of even larger capacity are in use in Europe and the metal mines in the western United States with capacities up to 10,000 tph.
Direct Feed: The type of primary crushers mounted on the mobile units can be jaw, gyratory, hammer mill, impactor or roll type crushers. Mobile crushers are either the direct-feed or indi- rect-feed type. Direct-feed mobile crushers receive the material from shovels, back-hoes or front-end loaders without using a feeder. An access ramp is used if the loader cannot reach the top of the receiving hopper. The ramp can be part of the crusher assembly, moving together with the unit, or it can be an independent structure, moved on skids or on crawlers.
Indirect Feed: Indirect-feed crushers receive the material from inclined feeders, usually of the heavy-duty, apron type. In most cases, the receiving hoppers are located at a lower elevation than the crusher inlet, and the material is fed into the feeder hopper at ground level by the excavator(s).
Mobile Crusher Design
Like all mobile machines, mobile crushers must be designed in a relatively compact form and as lightweight as possible. The experience of the manufacturers is vital to the success of the mobile
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crusher design to achieve the proper balance between compactness and portability while having good performance and handling characteristics. Accessibility and maintainability of the system must be considered in evaluating overall cost effectiveness of the system.
Mobile primary crushers can be moved within the quarry at speeds of about 200 to 300 fph and can negotiate grades up to 10 percent. Mobile crushers employ a variety of mechanisms which make movement possible, including rubber-tired wheels, crawler tracks and walking pads.
Crushers utilizing synchronized walking pads can be controlled from a central console. The walking pad system is highly reliable, simple, economical to operate and maintain, and usually is the least expensive for a given production capacity.
The design applications for mobile crushers are as varied as those available for fixed layouts.
Many designs can be successfully used if the resulting overall configuration is economical. The typical mobile crusher layout comprises the following equipment, as shown in Figure 8.21.
Figure 8.21 Typical mobile primary crusher.
Feed Hopper: The feed hopper must be sufficiently large to safely contain the load delivered by the feeding unit. The feed hopper is usually sized to handle two or three bucket loads or 1 1/2 truck loads of material. The hopper size is dependent on the throughput capacity, expected excavator cycle times and possible truck delivery cycle factors.
Crusher Feed System: A feeding device is normally necessary to transport the material from the feed hopper up to the mouth of the crusher or the optional scalping screen. The most common method of feed is the use of an apron conveyor. Apron feeder design for this application must be extremely heavy-duty and easy to repair. Recent designs have tended to use standard tractor chain components which are rugged and readily available. The apron feeder is commonly pro- vided with a spillage collection conveyor underneath to minimize cleanup. The biggest influence on the size of the apron feeder is the size and type of crusher used. A tall crusher, such as a gyratory, requires a very long feeder that adds to the cost of the unit.
Processing Plant Principles 8-81
Scalping Device: Additional capacity is achieved by scalping the quarry fines ahead of the crusher by means of a vibrating or reciprocating grizzly. Since the weight of the mobile unit is most sensitive to the size and type of crusher, certain applications exist where a smaller primary crusher, preceded by scalping, is more economical to meet design capacity parameters than a large crusher without scalping provisions.
Crushing Unit: The crusher is the heart of the mobile unit and determines the overall design parameters. Its selection is based on the type of material being handled, the required through- put tonnage, the size of the product and the desired operating cost. If a particular application permits the use of more than one type of crusher , preference should be given to the unit with mini- mum weight and minimum overall height. These facts, more than any other, affect the overall unit configuration. The expertise of the crusher manufacturer is vital in providing a layout where each aspect of service and repair is considered, given the space limitations.
Crusher Discharge Conveyor: The scalped material that bypasses the crusher and the product through the crusher is collected and moved to a position where it can be discharged to the loadout conveyor. The discharge conveyor depends on the type of crusher used and can be a conventional rubber belt or an apron conveyor if large impact forces are expected.
Loadout Conveyor: The loadout conveyor transports material from the discharge conveyor and delivers it to another conveyor system, into trucks or to a stockpile. This conveyor can be of a fixed configuration, but in most cases swings from side to side to provide flexibility between the frequently moved crusher and relatively fixed conveyor system. The features of this type of con- veyor are specially designed to effect compromises between space and flexibility to adapt to the particular material handling system employed.
Auxiliary Equipment: The auxiliary equipment used with a mobile crusher is similar to that found on fixed installations. Auxiliary equipment includes air compressors for operating equipment and maintenance, rock breakers for clearing the grizzly or crusher chamber, and magnets and/ or metal detectors for removal of tramp material. Other equipment normally provided includes hoists for maintenance and a diesel generator for moving or servicing the crusher independent of external power supplies.
Selection of Mining System
The mobile crusher station does not stand alone and is only one part of a complete mining system. When a moveable crusher-conveyor system is introduced into a mature open-pit, a complete and probably drastic re-evaluation is required of the mining plan. All aspects of the pit design, including rock mechanics, mining sequencing and potential pit expansion, must be thoroughly reviewed before a decision is finalized.
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The quarry benches must be as long as possible and the face height as high as possible. This mining approach utilizes the mobile crushing plant in a suitable way and achieves the econom- ics of eliminating haul trucks, operating and maintenance personnel, road construction and maintenance, etc. To reduce the frequency which the crusher location is changed, the bench widths must normally be enlarged. Mobile crushers can best be used when the following geo- logical and mining conditions are present:
• The deposit is laterally continuous without significant faulting or other discontinuities; and • The configuration of the deposit permits sufficiently long working faces and the rock structure allows sufficiently high faces.
A study of 115 German quarries
10,11 compared haul truck to in-pit crushing systems. The conclu- sion reached was that for almost every open-pit quarry with an output of at least one million tph, the in-pit crushing system is more advantageous. In the 1980s, the Mobile Crusher System had limited acceptance in quarries in the United States. Now mobile in-pit primary units are com- mon-place and have found their place. Since each situation is different it is important to weigh the pros and cons of each type and position of crusher within the operation. Trying to predict future production demands as well as deposit extraction also will influence the final decision.
8.17 Automation
Guide to Successful Automation: Experience has shown the most successful automation proj- ects are those that use automation as a tool to obtain results and benefits to optimize plant efficiency. Different levels of automation can be employed and different degrees of success achieved. Many conventional plants were built without following the known fundamentals and proven principles of good plant engineering necessary to achieve optimum production in a com- petitive market. An appropriate saying is “If you attempt to automate a mess, you get an automated mess!” This summarizes most of the past application problems.
One of the pioneers in successful plant automation used simple, easily maintained controls for automated plant operation as the finishing touch to achieve optimum plant production. This company succeeded using automation because their plants were engineered into self-balanc- ing, easily automated segments. As a result, extended operating hours were possible with min- imum operator attention.
Simplifying the processing plant is a prerequisite to effective automation. Dividing the typical in-line crushing plant into segments separated by adequate surges is one way to simplify the process.
Automated systems that are integrated into a well-designed plant result in a higher level of plant performance.
Processing Plant Principles 8-83
Automating an Existing Plant: Knowing where to start automation within an existing plant requires a systematic study of the process. An in-plant testing program is the best method to study the process. The performance of the existing plant should be monitored and the plant modified as required to eliminate bottlenecks. Experience has proved that best results are achieved by making one change at a time. Monitor the results of each change with a series of tests. Proceed when the change produces positive results and crease when the change is coun- terproductive. Complete all the plant improvements.
Various viewpoints exist on how to automate an existing stone plant. Many operators have been successful by first achieving optimum production in the manual mode. Operating in the manual mode should achieve approximately 85 percent of the optimum plant capacity. At one finishing plant located in the southern United States, an automated process system increased the capa- bility by 14 percent over that achieved in the manual mode by a conscientious operator.
Levels of Automation: The simplest rules to follow are “Don’t automate anything you can’t con- trol” and “Monitor and automate everything you need to control.” The most desirable level of automation to achieve must be determined on a case-by-case basis. Many automation schemes are designed into existing control and monitoring systems. Figures 8.22 and 8.23 illustrate several alternative schemes for achieving automation for a crusher feed control and blending system.
Figure 8.22 Typical crusher feed control.
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Figure 8.23 Typical blending system.
Most successful automation schemes include using programmable controllers and/or com- puter-based hardware. The level of automation can extend to a completely automated process, assisting the operator in achieving the highest plant operating efficiency. The sensor equipment and monitors controlling the process must be selected and installed to assure the reliability necessary to minimize unscheduled downtime. The interlocking of equipment in the process is controlled by a software program.
The equipment used in an automated plant should have proven field performance and reliabil- ity. Work with companies and manufacturers that have provided reliable and proven hardware, software and sensory devices. Finally, visits to processing plants that have been successfully automated are most beneficial.
Economic Justification: Unless the required changes in plant and the cost of automation have a favorable rate of return on the necessary investment, automation is not feasible. Each level of automation must have economic justification.
Processing Plant Principles 8-85
Quality Control and Automation: Increased productivity can be achieved by automatic feed con- trols under the proper conditions. A constant feed to the crushers at the highest production rate can be controlled by monitoring by sensors from the power load on the crusher motors and/or by level control of material in the crushing chamber (assuming a cone crusher is used).
Automating the crusher circuit also can produce a higher quality stone with respect to particle shape and gradation.
If the screens receive a constant feed from the crusher as a result of automating, the material gradation will have a minimum variation. The bed depth and rate of flow of material across the screens will be constant. Screening efficiency also will be constant and the circulating load sta- ble. The finished products from the screens will maintain a closer tolerance to the specifications as a result of automation of the process. Automatic samplers can assist with quality control within the processing plant before the materials are stockpiled. Automatic samplers can be utilized at loadout for quality assurance testing.
Summary: The automation process should be implemented by combining a thorough knowl- edge of the processing requirements with the knowledge of electronic or electrical technology.
Good plant engineering and in-plant testing is the foundation to a successful automation project.
A major producer’s flow chart is shown in Figure 8.24.
The world of aggregates production is becoming more complex. To be successful, aggressive plans must be developed to overcome stiffer competition, tighter government controls and an ever changing product mix. The competitive edge and rewards will go to the producer who best addresses each of these areas.
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Figure 8.24 Typical blending system.
Processing Plant Principles 8-87
References
1. “Effects of Different Methods of Stockpiling and Handling Aggregates,” Transportation Research Record No. 46, Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 1967.
2. Bond, F.C., “Third Theory of Comminutions,” Transactions, American Institute of Mining Engineers, Vol. 193, New York, N.Y., 1952.
3. Kelley, E.G., and Spottiswood, D.J., Introduction to Mineral Processing, John Wiley & Sons, New York, N.Y., 1982.
4. Shergold, F.A., A Study of the Granulations Used in the Production of Road-making Aggregates, Road Research Paper No. 44, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Her Majesty’s Stationary Office, London, England, 1959.
5. VSMA Vibrating Screen Handbook, Vibrating Screen Manufacturers Association, Stamford, Conn., 1980.
6. “Belt Conveyors for Bulk Materials,” COMA Handbook, Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association, 3rd Edition, Rockville, Md., 1988.
7. NFPA-National Electrical Code, 5th Edition, National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, Mass., 1990.
8. Vibrating Screen Theory and Selection, Boliden-Allis, Inc., Appleton, Wis., 1988.
9. Nordberg Reference Manual, Nordberg Inc., Milwaukee, Wis., 1984.
10. “Tightening the Belt on Production Costs,” Pit and Quarry, Vol. 79, No. 3, Edgell Communications, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio, September, 1986.
11. Mining Engineering, Vol. 34, No. 2, Society of Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc., Littleton, Colo., February, 1982.
ATTACHMENT 6
1157-1
(Adopted January 7, 2005)(Amended September 8, 2006)
RULE 1157. PM10 EMISSION REDUCTIONS FROM AGGREGATE AND
RELATED OPERATIONS
(a) Purpose
The purpose of this rule is to reduce PM 10 emissions from aggregate and related operations.
(b) Applicability
This rule applies to all permanent and temporary aggregate and related operations, unless otherwise exempt under subdivision (h).
(c) Definitions
(1) AGGREGATE OPERATIONS are defi ned as operations that produce sand, gravel, crushed stone, and/or quarried rocks.
(2) AGGREGATE OR RELATED MATERIA L means material that is produced and/or used by the aggregate and related operations. (3) AGGREGATE TRUCKS mean trucks w ith open tops, used to transport the products of the aggregate and related operations to other processors, retailers, or end users.
(4) BLASTING OPERATIONS are defined as operations that break or displace rock by means of explosives.
(5) BUNKER is defined as a three-sided enclosure of which one side may be a windscreen with a maximum porosity of 20%.
(6) CARRY-BACK is defined as materials that fall off the underside of the conveyor belt and accumulate on the ground.
(7) CHEMICAL STABILIZERS are any non-toxic chemical dust suppressant.
The chemical stabilizers shall meet any specifications, criteria, or tests required by any federal, state, or local water agency.
(8) CONVEYOR means an above-ground, outdoor conveyor system to move materials from any location, process, or equipment to another in a continuous fashion.
(9) DISTURBED SURFACE AREA mean s a portion of a surface which has been physically moved, uncovered, dest abilized, or otherwise modified from its undisturbed natural soil condition, thereby increasing the potential
Rule 1157 (Cont.) (Amended September 8, 2006)
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for emission of fugitive dust. This definition excludes those areas which have:
(A) been restored to a natural st ate, such that the vegetative ground cover and soil characteristics are similar to adjacent or nearby natural conditions;
(B) been paved or otherwise completely covered by a permanent structure; or
(C) sustained a vegetative ground cove r of at least 70 percent of the native cover for a particular area for at least 30 days. (10) DUST SUPPRESSANTS are water, hygr oscopic materials, or chemical stabilizers used as a treatment material to reduce fugitive dust emissions. (11) ENCLOSED SCREENING EQUIPM ENT means screening equipment where the top portion of the equipment is enclosed, except for the area where materials enter the screening equipment.
(12) END OF WORK DAY means the e nd of a working period that may include one or more work shifts, but no later than 8 p.m. (13) EQUIPMENT BREAKDOWN means an unforeseeable impairment of an air pollution control equipment or related operating equipment which causes a violation of any emission lim itation or restriction prescribed by this rule or by State law and which: is not the result of neglect or disregard of any air pollution control law, rule , or regulation; is not a recurrent breakdown of the same equipment; and, does not constitute a nuisance as defined in the State of California Health and Safety Code, Section 41700, with the burden of proving the criteri a of this section placed upon the person seeking to come under the provisions of this rule. (14) EXISTING FACILITY/OPERATION mean s a facility or an operation that has begun to operate, or has an application for Permit to Construct that has been deemed complete by the Executive Officer on or before December 3, 2004.
(15) FRONT-END LOADER means a wheeled or tractor loader, with a bucket or fork hinged to lifting arms that loads or digs entirely at the front end. (16) FUGITIVE DUST means any solid particulate matter that becomes airborne, other than that emitted fr om an exhaust stack, directly or indirectly as a result of the activities of any person.
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(17) GEOTEXTILE means permeable textile, including but not limited to, mesh, net, or even grid that is used in contact with soil or rocks with the purpose of adding stability to the gravel pad.
(18) HAUL ROAD means an unpaved road that is used by haul trucks to carry materials from the quarry to different locations within the facility. (19) HAUL TRUCK means a diesel heavy-duty truck having a minimum capacity of 50 tons and is used to transport aggregates within the facility. (20) HIGH WINDS means instantane ous wind speeds exceed 25 miles per hour.
(21) INFREQUENT MINING OPERATIONS mean operations that have state mine IDs, approved reclamation pl ans and bonding as required by State Mining and Reclamation Act of 1975, and only operate on an average of 52 days per year over the past three years from December 3, 2004. (22) INTERNAL ROADS mean private paved and unpaved roads within the facility’s property boundary.
(23) LOADING means an activity to move materials from any location to a truck.
(24) MATERIAL SPILLAGE means material inadvertently lost or scattered by spilling.
(25) MIXER TRUCK means truck that mi xes cement and other ingredients in a drum to produce concrete.
(26) NEW FACILITY/OPERATION means a facility or an operation that has not begun to operate, or does not ha ve an application for Permit to Construct that has been deemed comp lete by the Executive Officer as of December 3, 2004.
(27) NON-POROUS WALLS are walls that have zero percent porosity. Non- porous walls include but are not limited to concrete and steel walls. (28) OPEN STORAGE PILE is any accu mulation of aggregate or related material which is not fully enclosed, covered or chemically stabilized, and which attains a height of three feet or more and a total surface area of 150 or more square feet.
(29) OTHER DUST CONTROL METHODS including but not limited to baghouses, filter bags, enclosures, and partial enclosures. (30) PAVED ROAD means a public or pr ivate improved street, highway, alley, public way, or easement that is covered by typical roadway materials, but excluding access roadways that connect a facility with a public paved
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roadway and are not open to through tra ffic. Public paved roads are those open to public access and that are ow ned by any federal, state, county, municipal or any other governmental or quasi-governmental agencies.
Private paved roads are any paved roads not defined as public. (31) PERMANENT FACILITY/OPERATION means a facility or an operation that is performed at one physical location for more than two years. (32) PM10 means particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter smaller than or equal to 10 microns as measured by the applicable State and Federal reference test methods.
(33) PRODUCTION WORK SHIFT is an eight hour operating period based on the 24 hour operating schedule.
(34) RELATED OPERATIONS are defined as operations that use sand, gravel, cement, crushed stone, and/or quarried rocks in their products, or crush miscellaneous base, and inert landfills that handle construction/demolition debris.
(35) RETURNED PRODUCTS mean left over concrete or asphalt products that were not used at the job sites and were brought back to the facility. (36) RUMBLE GRATE is a system wher e the vehicle is vibrated while traveling over grates with the purpose of removing dust and other debris. (37) SCALPING SCREEN means a screen where debris and oversized materials are rejected.
(38) SENSITIVE RECEPTOR is a sc hool (kindergarten through grade 12), licensed daycare center, hospital, or convalescent home. (39) SILO means an elevated storage c ontainer, with or without a top, that releases material through the bottom.
(40) STABILIZED SURFACE means any pr eviously disturbed surface area or open storage pile which, through the application of dust suppressants, shows visual or other evidence of surface crusting and is resistant to wind- driven fugitive dust and is demonstrated to be stabilized. Stabilization can be demonstrated by one or more of th e applicable test methods contained in the Rule 403 Implementation Handbook.
(41) STAGING AREA is a place where aggregate and mixer trucks temporarily queue for their loading or unloading turn.
(42) TEMPORARY FACILITY/OPERATION means a facility that operates or an operation that is performed at one physical location for two years or less. Temporary facility/operation includes portable facility/operation.
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(43) TRACK-OUT means any material that adheres to and agglomerates on the exterior surface of motor vehicles, ha ul trucks, and equipment (including tires) that has been released onto a paved road and can be removed by a vacuum sweeper or a broom sweeper under normal operating conditions. (44) TRANSFER means an activity to move materials from any location to any location within a facility.
(45) TRANSFER POINT is a point in a conveying system where the materials are dropped onto a stockpile, equipment, or another conveyor, or where a conveyor belt enters or exits the processing equipment. (46) TRUCK TRIMMING AREA means an area where trucks that are exiting a facility/operation are inspected to determine whether the amount and type of loaded material is correct. Any excess material is removed in this area of the facility/operation.
(47) TRUCK WASHER means a system that is used to wash the entire surface and the tires of a truck.
(48) TUNNEL FEED is underground be lt conveyor system to move the materials from any location to any location within a facility in a continuous fashion.
(49) TYPICAL ROADWAY MATERIALS means concrete, asphaltic concrete, recycled asphalt, asphalt, or any other material of equivalent performance as determined by the Executive Officer and the U.S. EPA. (50) UNLOADING means an activity to rel ease the materials from a truck or a front-end loader to any location located inside the facility. (51) UNPAVED ROADS mean any roads, equi pment paths, or travel ways that are not covered by typical roadway ma terials. Public unpaved roads are any unpaved roadway owned by Federal, State, county, municipal or other governmental or quasi-governmental ag encies. Private unpaved roads are all other unpaved roadways not define d as public. Internal unpaved roads are private unpaved roads within the facility’s property boundary. (52) WATER IRRIGATION SYSTEM means devices that are mounted above an open storage pile to deliver water to a pile.
(53) WHEEL WASHER means a system that is capable of washing the entire circumference of each wheel of the vehicle.
(54) VALIDATED NOTICE OF VIOLAT ION means a notice of violation issued by a District enforcement officer that has been finally resolved by means of either a settlement with th e alleged violator resulting in the
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payment of a civil penalty in any amount or a court judgment imposing civil or criminal liability on the alleged violator based on the conduct alleged in the notice of violation.
(d) Requirements
Unless otherwise stated, effective July 1, 2005, aggregate and related operations shall comply with the following requirements:
(1) General Performance Standards
(A) The operator of a facility/operation shall not cause or allow:
(i) a discharge into the atmosphere of, fugitive dust emissions exceeding 20 percent opacity from any activity, equipment, storage pile, or disturbed surf ace area, based on an average of 12 consecutive readings, using the SCAQMD Opacity
Test Method No. 9B; or
(ii) discharges into the atmosphere of, fugitive dust emissions exceeding 50 percent opacity from any activity, equipment, storage pile, or disturbed surface area, based on five
individual, consecutive readings, using the SCAQMD
Opacity Test Method No. 9B, effective December 3, 2005; or
(iii) any visible fugitive dust pl ume from exceeding 100 feet in any direction from any activity, equipment, storage pile, or disturbed surface area.
(B) The operator of a facility/operation shall promptly remove any pile of material spillage on any internal paved roads. Alternatively, the operator shall maintain in a stabilized condition the pile of material spillage with dust suppressants and remove it by the end of each day.
(C) The operator of a facility/operation shall maintain in a stabilized condition all other piles of material spillage and carry-back with dust suppressants until removal.
(D) The operator of a facility/operation shall use sufficient dust suppressants or other dust control methods as necessary to meet the performance standards in subparagraph (d)(1)(A).
(E) Where applicable, the operator shall install a gravel pad that:
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(i) Contains one-inch or larger washed gravel maintained to a depth of six inches;
(ii) Has a geotextile lining underneath the washed gravel; and (iii) Is flushed with water or is completely replaced, as necessary to comply with the track out threshold set forth in Rule 403.
(2) Loading, Unloading, and Transferring
The operator of an existing permanent or temporary facility/operation shall use dust suppressants or other dust control methods at each emission source during loading, unloading, or transferring activities of materials as necessary to meet the performance standards in subparagraph (d)(1)(A). (3) Conveyor
The operator of a facility/operation using a conveyor shall apply dust suppressants or other dust control me thods at the conveyor including all transfer points where materials are re leased as necessary to meet the performance standards in subparagraph (d)(1)(A).
(4) Crushing Equipment
The operator of a facility/operati on conducting crushing activities of materials shall use baghouses to cont rol PM10 emissions. Alternatively, the operator may apply dust suppressants or other dust control methods at the crusher including all discharge points as necessary to meet the performance standards in subparagraph (d)(1)(A).
(5) Screening Equipment
The operator of a facility/opera tion conducting outdoor screening activities of materials shall use enclosed screening equipment that is equipped with a baghouse. Alternatively, the operator may apply dust suppressants or other dust control met hods at the screening equipment including all discharge points during such activities as necessary to meet the performance standards in subparagraph (d)(1)(A).
(6) Storage Piles
(A) The operator of a facility/operation shall maintain in a stabilized condition the entire surface area of the open storage piles of materials, except for areas of the piles that are actively disturbed during the loading and/or unloading activities. Alternatively, the operator may:
(i) store materials in a silo or a bunker;
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(ii) maintain at least two feet of freeboard from the highest portion of the piles; and
(iii) for the bunker, stabilize the si des of the pile that are not shielded by non-porous walls.
(B) At the end of each work da y in which loading or unloading activities of materials were performed, the operator of a facility/operation shall re-apply dust suppressants to re-stabilize disturbed areas of the piles.
(C) The operator of a facility/operation shall not allow any open storage piles of materials to be greater than eight feet height if such piles are located within 300 feet of off-site occupied buildings or houses. Alternatively, the operator of a facility/operation shall operate a water irrigation system to maintain in a stabilized condition the entire surface of the piles.
(7) Internal Roads
(A) Unpaved Haul Roads
(i) The operator of a facility/operation shall apply chemical stabilizers on the internal unpaved haul roads so that the surface is maintained in a stabilized condition.
(ii) The operator of a facility/operation shall post signs at the two ends of the internal unpa ved haul roads, stating that haul trucks shall use these roads unless traveling to the maintenance areas.
(B) Unpaved Non-Haul Roads and Parking and Staging Areas The operator of a facility/operation shall apply chemical stabilizers on such unpaved roads and parking and staging areas so that the surface is maintained in a stabili zed condition, or apply a gravel pad that meets the criteria set forth in subparagraph (d)(1)(E) on the entire unpaved non-haul road a nd/or the parking and staging areas.
(C) Paved Roads
(i) The operator of a facility/operation with a minimum of 60 aggregate and/or mixer trucks exiting the facility on any day shall sweep the internal paved roads with a street
sweeper by the end of each production work shift.
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(ii) The operator of a facility/operation with less than 60 aggregate and/or mixer trucks exiting the facility on any day shall sweep the internal paved roads with a street
sweeper by the end of every other work day. On the days that the roads are not swept, the operator shall apply water as necessary to comply with subparagraph (d)(1)(A) on at least 100 feet of paved roads, or the entire length of paved roads leading to an exit to public paved roads, if such roads are less than 100 feet long.
(iii) Sweepers that are purchas ed after December 3, 2004 shall meet the criteria of PM10-efficient Rule 1186-certified sweepers.
(iv) The operator of a new facility/operation shall use Rule 1186-certified-sweepers to sweep the internal paved roads. (8) Track-Out
(A) The operator of a facility/operation and the drivers must take all reasonable steps to ensure that all loads on aggregate trucks are leveled and maintained with at least 6 inches of freeboard, and that the load is stabilized by applying dust suppressants in sufficient quantities so that the performance standards in subparagraph (d)(1)(A) are met, unless the driver tarps or suitably covers the load prior to entering paved public roads or prior to the use of a rumble grate and/or wheel washer.
(B) The operator of a facility/operation must post signs at the exits of the facility to require all loads to comply with the requirements in subparagraph (d)(8)(A).
(C) Effective December 3, 2005, the operator of a facility/operation not covered under subparagraph (d)(8)(D) shall install and utilize a rumble grate, a wheel washer, or a truck washer in accordance with the following:
(i) The rumble grate, the wheel washer, or the truck washer shall be located no less than 30 feet prior to each exit that is used by aggregate and/or mixer trucks and leading to a
paved public road;
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(ii) The operator must ensure that all aggregate and mixer trucks leaving the facility go through the rumble grate, the wheel washer, or the truck washer;
(iii) The operator shall post a sign by the rumble grate, the wheel washer, or the truck washer to designate the speed limit to 5 miles per hour for using such control equipment; and
(iv) If the internal road from the rumble grate, the wheel washer, or the truck washer to any paved public road is not paved, the operator shall apply a gravel pad that meets the criteria set forth in subparagraph (d)(1)(E) to such roads. (v) An operator is not subject to clause (d)(8)(C)(i) if he can demonstrate to the Executive Officer, by July 1, 2005, that there is not adequate space for 30 feet of roadway and that a rumble grate, a wheel wash er, or a truck washer at a shorter distance will be adequate to prevent track out of dust to the public road. The operator of a new, temporary facility/operation shall provide such demonstration to the Executive Officer prior to the beginning of its operation. (D) Effective December 3, 2005, the operator of a new permanent facility/operation with land size in excess of 25 acres or with a designed daily throughput of 750 tons, and the operator of an existing permanent facility/operation with a minimum of 60 aggregate and/or mixer trucks ex iting the facility on any day shall install and utilize a rumble grate and a wheel washer in accordance to the following:
(i) The rumble grate and the wh eel washer shall be located no less than 30 feet prior to each exit that is used by aggregate and/or mixer trucks and lead ing to a paved public road.
The rumble grate shall be located within 10 feet from the wheel washer.
(ii) The operator must ensure that all aggregate and mixer trucks leaving the facility go through the rumble grate first and then, the wheel washer.
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1157-11
(iii) The operator shall post a sign by the rumble grate to designate the speed limit to 5 miles per hour for traveling over the rumble grate and wheel washer.
(iv) The operator shall pave the internal roads from the rumble grate and the wheel washer to the facility exits leading to paved public roads.
(v) The operator must ensure that all aggregate and mixer trucks stay on the internal paved roads between the wheel washer and the facility exits leading to paved public roads. (vi) An operator is not subject to clause (d)(8)(D)(i) if he can demonstrate to the Executive Officer, by July 1, 2005, that there is not adequate space for 30 feet of roadway and that a rumble grate and a wheel washer at a shorter distance will be adequate to prevent track out of dust to the public road.
The operator of a new, permanent facility/operation shall provide such demonstration to the Executive Officer prior to the beginning of its operation.
(E) The operator of a facility/operation shall provide the “Fugitive Dust Advisory” information prepared by the District to the aggregate and/or mixer truck comp any and/or broker at least once each calendar year.
(9) The operator of a new permanent f acility/operation shall comply with all requirements set forth in this rule and apply Best Available Control Technology required by the Executive Officer.
(10) New and/or modified equipmen t shall comply with 40 CFR Part 60, Subpart I and/or 40 CFR Part 60, Subpart OOO as appropriate. (e) Recordkeeping:
The operator of a facility/operation shall keep the following records on-site for 3 years, or 5 years for Title V facility, and make such records available to the Executive Officer upon request:
(1) Records of watering and sweeping schedule for internal paved roads; (2) Records of aggregate and/or mixer trucks exiting the facility; (3) Records of “Fugitive Dust Advisory” information distribution;
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1157-12
(4) Records of new equipment initial start-up and/or existing equipment start- up after a repair to fix an equipm ent breakdown if seeking exemption pursuant to subparagraphs (h)(1)(B) and/or (h)(1)(C);
(5) Records of scheduled maintenance activities if seeking exemption pursuant to subparagraph (h)(1)(A);
(6) Records of aggregate materials that meet the descriptions in subparagraphs (h)(2)(A) and (h)(2)(B); and
(7) Records of operating days if seek ing exemption pursuant to subparagraph (h)(10)(D).
(f) Test Methods
The following test methods shall be used to determine compliance with this rule:
(1) SCAQMD Opacity Test Method No. 9B
(2) The Stabilized Surface Test Met hod included in the SCAQMD Rule 403 Implementation Handbook.
(g) Additional Requirements Triggered by Recurrent Violation:
(1) The operator of an existing facility located within 500 meters of off-site occupied buildings or houses or a se nsitive receptor, who accrues three or more validated notices of violation for causing or allowing fugitive dust emissions exceeding the opacity limits in clauses (d)(1)(A)(i) as measured by the test methods in (f), or a visible fugitive dust plume exceeding 100 feet in any direction, issued on separate days for violations from the same emission source at the facility in any continuous twelve month period (“recurrent violations”) starting fr om December 3, 2005 shall, within 30 days of the third notice of violati on being validated, submit an emission reduction plan to the Executive O fficer that meets the following requirements:
(A) The plan must propose additional emission control measures sufficient to remedy the causes of the recurrent violations and prevent future violations; and
(B) It must provide for implemen tation of the specified additional control measures at the earliest practicable date.
(2) The Executive Officer shall approve the emission reduction plan within 30 days of receipt of a complete plan if it is determined that implementation will likely remedy the causes of the r ecurrent violations. The Executive
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1157-13
Officer may impose additional conditions in the plan if it is determined necessary to remedy the causes of th e recurrent violations, however, the Executive Officer may not require, as a condition to approving an emission reduction plan under this paragraph, an operator to implement control measures that are economically or technologically infeasible, that do not directly address the cause of the recurrent violations, or that require the operator to take responsibility fo r the conduct of a third party over whom the operator has no legal control. A disapproval or conditional approval of a plan by the Executive Officer may be appealed to the Hearing Board.
(3) The Executive Officer shall disapprove any plan that does not demonstrate a substantial likelihood of preventing viola tions in the future. If a plan is disapproved, the responsible party shall submit a revised plan which cures the defects within 30 days of receipt of notice of disapproval. (h) Exemptions
(1) The following activities will be exem pt from requirements set forth in subparagraph (d)(1)(A):
(A) The first 8 hours of the new equipment initial start-up and the first 2 hours of the equipment start-up afte r a repair to fix an equipment breakdown or after a maintenance activity scheduled at least 48 hours in advance by the operator of a facility.
(B) Blasting operations.
(2) During high winds, the operator of a facility/operation will be exempt from the requirements in subparagraph (d)(1)(A) if:
(A) All activities, including aggregate excavation, production, loading and unloading activities, and material transport, are ceased, except for dust controls as required by District rules; or
(B) All excavation and earthmoving operations, except for underwater dredging and the transporting of dredged materials to the surge pile, and aggregate production (but not loading or transport) are ceased, provided:
(i) dust controls as required by District rules are applied; and (ii) unpaved roads have had chemical stabilizers applied prior to the wind event, or wher e unpaved roads have not had
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1157-14
chemical stabilizers applied, water is applied twice per hour during active operations; and
(iii) within fifteen (15) minutes of each loading activity, water is applied to un-stabilized areas of open storage piles that will be actively disturbed during loading; or
(C) The only activities being conducted at ready-mixed concrete or hot mix asphalt facilities are those activities that produce materials for use in construction projects which are being paved or poured during high winds, provided that dust controls as required by District rules are applied.
(3) Scalping screens will be exempt from the enclosure required in paragraph (d)(5).
(4) The operator of a facility/operation is exempt from the use of chemical stabilizers for internal unpaved roads if the use of applicable chemical dust suppressants on those specific unpaved roads violates the rules and/or regulations of the local Water Quality Control Board or other government agency. Alternatively, the operator of a facility/operation may use water, proving that:
(A) Water is used in sufficient qua ntity and frequency on those specific internal unpaved roads so that the surface is maintained in a stabilized condition; and
(B) The operator notifies the Executiv e Officer in writing 30 days prior to the use of water and demonstrat es that the use of chemical was not allowed on those specific unpaved roads.
(5) Empty haul trucks traveling to a nd from maintenance areas are exempt from the requirement to use internal unpaved haul roads if they travel on internal unpaved non-haul roads that comply with the requirement in subparagraph (d)(7)(B).
(6) The unpaved non-haul roads will be exempt from the requirement in subparagraph (d)(7)(B) if such roads are used less than twice a day, and signs are posted on such roads to rest rict speed limit to 15 miles per hour and to restrict traffic to such vehicles only.
(7) Carry-back that is generated by the tunnel feed will be exempt from the requirement set forth in subparagraph (d)(1)(C).
(8) Truck trimming areas are exempt fr om the requirement in subparagraph (d)(1)(C).
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1157-15
(9) Facilities where aggregate trucks are not used to carry aggregate or related materials to and off the facility property are exempt from the requirements in paragraph (d)(8).
(10) The following are not required to install and operate a wheel washer:
(A) Facilities that have their intern al roads all paved and with the exception of returned products, their aggregate or related materials metered directly to a ready-mix or hot mix asphalt truck. The facilities may accept returned produc ts and are still qualified for the exemption from a wheel washer. The facilities are instead required to have a rumble grate or a truck washer and comply with subparagraph (d)(8)(C).
(B) Facilities with less than 5 acres in land size and handle recycled asphalt and recycled concrete exclusively, provided the facility installs a rumble grate, comply with clauses (d)(8)(C)(i) through (d)(8)(C)(iii), and applies a gravel pad that meets the criteria set forth in subparagraph (d)(1)(E) on the entire unpaved non-haul roads leading to a paved public road.
(C) Facilities that pave a minimum of ¼ mile from the rumble grate to the facility exit leading to a paved public road.
(D) Facilities that are infrequent mining operations, provided they install a rumble grate and apply a gravel pad that meets the criteria set forth in subparagraph (d)(1)(E) for a distance of no less than 100 feet from the rumble grate to the facility exit leading to a paved public road, and keep record s in accordance with paragraph (e)(6). The facility shall inform the District in the case that they operate more than 52 days per year based on the average of a rolling 3 year period after Decem ber 3, 2004. In this case, the facility shall comply with the requirements set forth in paragraph (d)(8).
(11) The operator of a facility/operation is exempt from using the test methods set forth in paragraph (f)(2) for the demonstration of the surface stabilization of open storage piles where 90% of their volume contain materials that are larger than ½ inch product, providing such piles meet the performance standards in subparagraph (d)(1)(A).
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(i) Alternative Control Options
In lieu of using dust suppressants, the operator of a facility/operation may submit for approval by the Executive Officer and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency a plan for achieving equivalent emission reductions through alternative control measures.
ATTACHMENT 7
11/06 Miscellaneous Sources 13.2.4-1
13.2.4 Aggregate Handling And Storage Piles
13.2.4.1 General
Inherent in operations that use minerals in aggregate form is the maintenance of outdoor storage piles. Storage piles are usually left uncovered, partially because of the need for frequent material transfer into or out of storage.
Dust emissions occur at several points in the storage cycle, such as material loading onto the pile, disturbances by strong wind currents, and loadout from the pile. The movement of trucks and loading equipment in the storage pile area is also a substantial source of dust.
13.2.4.2 Emissions And Correction Parameters
The quantity of dust emissions from aggregate storage operations varies with the volume of aggregate passing through the storage cycle. Emissions also depend on 3 parameters of the condition of a particular storage pile: age of the pile, moisture content, and proportion of aggregate fines.
When freshly processed aggregate is loaded onto a storage pile, the potential for dust emissions is at a maximum. Fines are easily disaggregated and released to the atmosphere upon exposure to air currents, either from aggregate transfer itself or from high winds. As the aggregate pile weathers, however, potential for dust emissions is greatly reduced. Moisture causes aggregation and cementation of fines to the surfaces of larger particles. Any significant rainfall soaks the interior of the pile, and then the drying process is very slow.
Silt (particles equal to or less than 75 micrometers [:m] in diameter) content is determined by measuring the portion of dry aggregate material that passes through a 200-mesh screen, using ASTM-C-136 method.1 Table 13.2.4-1 summarizes measured silt and moisture values for industrial aggregate materials.
13.2.4-2 EMISSION FACTORS 11/06
Table 13.2.4-1. TYPICAL SILT AND MOISTURE CONTENTS OF MATERIALS AT VARIOUS INDUSTRIESa Industry
No. Of
Facilities Material
Silt Content (%) Moisture Content (%)
No. Of
Samples Range Mean
No. Of
Samples Range Mean
Iron and steel production 9 Pellet ore 13 1.3 - 13 4.3 11 0.64 - 4.0 2.2 Lump ore 9 2.8 - 19 9.5 6 1.6 - 8.0 5.4
Coal 12 2.0 - 7.7 4.6 11 2.8 - 11 4.8
Slag 3 3.0 - 7.3 5.3 3 0.25 - 2.0 0.92
Flue dust 3 2.7 - 23 13 1 — 7
Coke breeze 2 4.4 - 5.4 4.9 2 6.4 - 9.2 7.8
Blended ore 1 — 15 1 — 6.6
Sinter 1 — 0.7 0 — —
Limestone 3 0.4 - 2.3 1.0 2 ND 0.2
Stone quarrying and processing 2 Crushed limestone 2 1.3 - 1.9 1.6 2 0.3 - 1.1 0.7 Various limestone products 8 0.8 - 14 3.9 8 0.46 - 5.0 2.1 Taconite mining and processing 1 Pellets 9 2.2 - 5.4 3.4 7 0.05 - 2.0 0.9 Tailings 2 ND 11 1 — 0.4
Western surface coal mining 4 Coal 15 3.4 - 16 6.2 7 2.8 - 20 6.9 Overburden 15 3.8 - 15 7.5 0 — —
Exposed ground 3 5.1 - 21 15 3 0.8 - 6.4 3.4
Coal-fired power plant 1 Coal (as received) 60 0.6 - 4.8 2.2 59 2.7 - 7.4 4.5 Municipal solid waste landfills 4 Sand 1 — 2.6 1 — 7.4
Slag 2 3.0 - 4.7 3.8 2 2.3 - 4.9 3.6
Cover 5 5.0 - 16 9.0 5 8.9 - 16 12
Clay/dirt mix 1 — 9.2 1 — 14
Clay 2 4.5 - 7.4 6.0 2 8.9 - 11 10
Fly ash 4 78 - 81 80 4 26 - 29 27
Misc. fill materials 1 — 12 1 — 11
a References 1-10. ND = no data.
11/06 Miscellaneous Sources 13.2.4-3
13.2.4.3 Predictive Emission Factor Equations
Total dust emissions from aggregate storage piles result from several distinct source activities within the storage cycle:
1. Loading of aggregate onto storage piles (batch or continuous drop operations).
2. Equipment traffic in storage area.
3. Wind erosion of pile surf aces and ground areas around piles.
4. Loadout of aggregate for shipment or for retu rn to the process stream (batch or continuous drop operations).
Either adding aggregate material to a storage pile or removing it usually involves dropping the material onto a receiving surface. Truck dumping on the pile or loading out from the pile to a truck with a front-end loader are examples of batch drop operations. Adding material to the pile by a conveyor stacker is an example of a continuous drop operation.
13.2.4-4 EMISSION FACTORS 11/06
(1)
The quantity of particulate emissions generated by either type of drop operation, per kilogram (kg) (ton) of material transferred, may be estimated, with a rating of A, using the following empirical expression:11
where:
E = emission factor
k = particle size multiplier (dimensionless)
U = mean wind speed, meters per second (m/s) (miles per hour [mph]) M = material moisture content (%)
The particle size multiplier in the equation, k, varies with aerodynamic particle size range, as follows:
Aerodynamic Particle Size Multiplier (k) For Equation 1 < 30 :m < 15 :m < 10 :m< 5 :m < 2.5 :m
0.74 0.48 0.35 0.20 0.053a
a Multiplier for < 2.5 :m taken from Reference 14.
The equation retains the assigned quality rating if applied within the ranges of source conditions that were tested in developing the equation, as follows. Note that silt content is included, even though silt content does not appear as a correction parameter in the equation. While it is reasonable to expect that silt content and emission factors are interrelated, no significant correlation between the 2 was found during the derivation of the equation, probably because most tests with high silt contents were conducted under lower winds, and vice versa. It is recommended that estimates from the equation be reduced 1 quality rating level if the silt content used in a particular application falls outside the range given:
Ranges Of Source Conditions For Equation 1
Silt Content
(%)
Moisture Content
(%)
Wind Speed
m/s mph
0.44 - 19 0.25 - 4.8 0.6 - 6.7 1.3 - 15
To retain the quality rating of the equation when it is applied to a specific facility, reliable correction parameters must be determined for specific sources of interest. The field and laboratory procedures for aggregate sampling are given in Reference 3. In the event that site-specific values for
11/06 Miscellaneous Sources 13.2.4-5
correction parameters cannot be obtained, the appropriate mean from Table 13.2.4-1 may be used, but the quality rating of the equation is reduced by 1 letter.
For emissions from equipment traffic (trucks, front-end loaders, dozers, etc.) traveling between or on piles, it is recommended that the equations for vehicle traffic on unpaved surfaces be used (see Section 13.2.2). For vehicle travel between storage piles, the silt value(s) for the areas among the piles (which may differ from the silt values for the stored materials) should be used.
Worst-case emissions from storage pile areas occur under dry, windy conditions. Worst-case emissions from materials-handling operations may be calculated by substituting into the equation appropriate values for aggregate material moisture content and for anticipated wind speeds during the worst case averaging period, usually 24 hours. The treatment of dry conditions for Section 13.2.2, vehicle traffic, "Unpaved Roads", follows the methodology described in that section centering on parameter p. A separate set of nonclimatic correction parameters and source extent values corresponding to higher than normal storage pile activity also may be justified for the worst-case averaging period.
13.2.4.4 Controls12-13
Watering and the use of chemical wetting agents are the principal means for control of aggregate storage pile emissions. Enclosure or covering of inactive piles to reduce wind erosion can also reduce emissions. Watering is useful mainly to reduce emissions from vehicle traffic in the storage pile area. Watering of the storage piles themselves typically has only a very temporary slight effect on total emissions. A much more effective technique is to apply chemical agents (such as surfactants) that permit more extensive wetting. Continuous chemical treating of material loaded onto piles, coupled with watering or treatment of roadways, can reduce total particulate emissions from aggregate storage operations by up to 90 percent.
12 References For Section 13.2.4
1. C. Cowherd, Jr., et al., Development Of Emission Factors For Fugitive Dust Sources, EPA-450/3-74-037, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, June 1974.
2. R. Bohn, et al., Fugitive Emissions From Integrated Iron And Steel Plants, EPA-600/2-78-050, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH, March 1978.
3. C. Cowherd, Jr., et al., Iron And Steel Plant Open Dust Source Fugitive Emission Evaluation, EPA-600/2-79-103, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH, May 1979.
4. Evaluation Of Open Dust Sources In The Vicinity Of Buffalo, New York, EPA Contract No. 68-02-2545, Midwest Research Institute, Kansas City, MO, March 1979.
5. C. Cowherd, Jr., and T. Cuscino, Jr., Fugitive Emissions Evaluation, MRI-4343-L, Midwest Research Institute, Kansas City, MO, February 1977.
6. T. Cuscino, Jr., et al., Taconite Mining Fugitive Emissions Study, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Roseville, MN, June 1979.
7. Improved Emission Factors For Fugitive Dust From Western Surface Coal Mining Sources, 2 Volumes, EPA Contract No. 68-03-2924, PEDCo Environmental, Kansas City, MO, and Midwest Research Institute, Kansas City, MO, July 1981.
8. Determination Of Fugitive Coal Dust Emissions From Rotary Railcar Dumping, TRC, Hartford, CT, May 1984.
9. PM-10 Emission Inventory Of Landfills In the Lake Calumet Area, EPA Contract No. 68-02-3891, Midwest Research Institute, Kansas City, MO, September 1987.
13.2.4-6 EMISSION FACTORS 11/06
10. Chicago Area Particulate Matter Emission Inventory — Sampling And Analysis , EPA Contract No. 68-02-4395, Midwest Research Institute, Kansas City, MO, May 1988.
11. Update Of Fugitive Dust Emission Factors In AP-42 Section 11.2, EPA Contract No. 68-02-3891, Midwest Research Institute, Kansas City, MO, July 1987.
12. G. A. Jutze, et al., Investigation Of Fugitive Dust Sources Emissions And Control, EPA-450/3-74-036a, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, June 1974.
13. C. Cowherd, Jr., et al., Control Of Open Fugitive Dust Sources, EPA-450/3-88-008, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, September 1988.
14. C. Cowherd, Background Document for Revisions to Fine Fraction Ratios &sed for AP-42 Fugitive Dust Emission Factors. Prepared by Midwest Research Institute for Western Governors Association, Western Regional Air Partnership, Denver, CO, February 1, 2006.
01135.0079/950333.1 Page 1 of 3
PC Resolution No. 2024-06PC
ATTACHMENT 8
RESOLUTION NO. 2024-06PC
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF BELL PLANNING COMMISSION FINDING AN
AGGREGATE TRANSLOADING FACILITY TO BE A USE CUSTOMARILY CONDUCTED IN
THE OPEN AND RECOMMENDING THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVE THIS RESOLUTION WHEREAS, the Development Agreement for the Bell Business Center, approved in 2013, identifies permitted uses in the Bell Business Center, which include uses permitted in the M (Manufacturing) and C-M (Commercial Manufacturing) zones; WHEREAS, an aggregate transloading facility such as that currently being operated by CEMEX in the Bell Business Center, is a permitted use within the scope of the M zone as one of the following uses, identified in Municipal Code Section 17.40.020 paragraphs 3, 21 and 31: (a) contractor or construction offices, shops and yards, including but not limited to cement; (b) sand, gravel, fill dirt, topsoil sales and storage; and/or (c) warehousing, distribution and storage facilities; WHEREAS, an aggregate transloading facility such as that currently being operated by CEMEX in the Bell Business Center, is a permitted use as a warehousing, distribution and storage facility within the scope of the C -M zone, identified in Municipal Code Section 17. 36.020 paragraph 4;
WHEREAS, these uses were permitted uses in 2013 when the Development Agreement was approved pursuant to Sections 17.40.020 and 17.36.020 of the Municipal Code and remain permitted uses under those sections at the present time; WHEREAS, Sections 17.36.030 and 17.40.030 of the Municipal Code provide all uses in the M and C-M zones are to be “conducted within a completely enclosed building except for those uses which are customarily conducted in the open”;
WHEREAS, Section 17.04.090 of the Municipal Code provides the Planning Commission may clarify provisions of the City’s zoning ordinance and recommend to the City Council that it approve the Planning Commission’s resolution stating such clarification; WHEREAS, at the Planning Commission regular meeting of May 1, 2024, the Planning Commission held a public hearing to receive testimony and other evidence regarding the potential making of a finding that an aggregate transloading facility is a use customarily conducted in the open, including without limitation, information provided to the Planning Commission by City staff.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF BELL DOES HEREBY RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The foregoing recitals are true and correct and are incorporated herein. The staff report regarding this agenda item is also incorporated herein.
SECTION 2. The staff report prepared for the public hearing that took place on May 1, 2024, regarding this matter is incorporated herein by reference and accepted by the Planning
01135.0079/950333.1 Page 2 of 3
PC Resolution No. 2024-06PC
Commission as evidence that an aggregate transloading facility is a use customarily conducted in the open.
SECTION 3. Based on substantial evidence, both written and oral, from the public hearing, the Planning Commission makes the following findings:
A. An aggregate transloading facility is a use customarily conducted in the open.
B. This
finding is consistent with State law.
C. The Pl
anning Commission recommends that the City Council approve this resolution and the finding made herein.
D. CE
QA Findings. The Planning Commission’s act s of making this finding and recommending that City Council approve it are not subject to CEQA review because: (i) it is not an “approval” of a project and does not commit the City to any definite course of action regarding any project; (ii) the making of the finding is not a project within the definition in Public Resources Code § 21080 because it will not result in a change in the physical environment , because that change has already occurred; and/or (iii) the making of the finding and the recommendation to the City Council fall within the scope of the common sense exception from CEQA, Guidelines § 15061(b)(3), in that there is no possibility making the finding will have a significant effect on the environment. This resolution involves making a finding based on evidence. It does not address implementation of a physical change to the environment and does not address mitigation of impacts.
SE
CTION 3. On the basis of these findings, the Planning Commission hereby recommends City Council approval of this resolution and the finding expressed herein.
PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the Planning Commission of the City of Bell, California, this 1st day of May, 2024. _____________________________ Luis
Mesa, Chair
ATTE
ST: _________________________ Angela Bustamante, City Clerk APPRO
VED AS TO FORM: ____________________________ Lona Laymon, Deputy City Attorney
CER
TIFICATE OF ATTESTATION AND ORIGINALITY: I, Angela Bustamante, Secretary to the Planning Commission of the City of Bell, hereby attest to and certify that the foregoing ordinance is the original ordinance adopted by the Bell
01135.0079/950333.1 Page 3 of 3
PC Resolution No. 2024-06PC
Planning Commission at its regular meeting held on the ____ day of ______, 2024, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
________________________ Angela Bustamante, Planning Commission Secretary
ATTACHMENT B
Moreover, the explanation in the Planning Commis_sion's April 20, 2024 notice about why CEQA doesn't apply to the decision to be made at the May 1, 2024 hearing is incorrect because, under the Court of Appeal's decision in the Salvation Army case, the CEMEX facility is presently an ineligible use under the City's Zoning Code and thus cannot operate legally until it comes into compliance with the Code. If made, the finding proposed in the notice is a necessary step in legalizing the CEMEX operation and should be analyzed under CEQA. For similar reasons, and keeping in mind that the Superior Court found that the prior DRB determination was subject to CEQA (an issue held to be moot in the appellate opinion), any future DRB approval of the CEMEX project will also fall under CEQA and require further environmental review.
We also wish to remind you that the Court of Appeal did not reach the argument about whether the current outdoor and other operations on the CEMEX site comply with the remaining parameters of the 2013 Development Agreement and EIR. We believe that the CEMEX project cannot be made legal without a new Development Agreement expressly permitting the current use of the site; that Agreement would be subject to CEQA review.· Thank you for your consideration of these comments.
Yours truly,
--\)(y David Pettit
Senior Attorney
Natural Resources Defense Council
Cc: June Ailin, Esq.
Kerry Shapiro, Esq.
ATTACHMENT C
CC Resolution No. 2024-24
RESOLUTION NO. 2024-24
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BELL APPROVING PLANNING COMMISSION’S RECOMMENDATION REGARDING FINDING AN AGGREGATE
TRANSLOADING FACILITY TO BE A USE CUSTOMARILY CONDUCTED IN THE OPEN WHEREAS, the Development Agreement for the Bell Business Center, approved in 2013, identifies permitted uses in the Bell Business Center, which include uses permitted in the M (Manufacturing) and C-M (Commercial Manufacturing) zones; and WHEREAS, an aggregate transloading facility such as that currently being operated by CEMEX in the Bell Business Center, is a permitted use within the scope of the M zone as one of the following uses, identified in Municipal Code Section 17.40.020 paragraphs 3, 21 and 31: (a) contractor or construction offices, shops and yards, including but not limited to cement; (b) sand, gravel, fill dirt, topsoil sales and storage; and/or (c) warehousing, distribution and storage facilities; and
WHEREAS, an aggregate transloading facility such as that currently being operated by CEMEX in the Bell Business Center, is a permitted use as a warehousing, distribution and storage facility within the scope of the C-M zone, identified in Municipal Code Section 17.36.020 paragraph 4; and
WHEREAS, these uses were permitted uses in 2013 when the Development Agreement was approved pursuant to Sections 17.40.020 and 17.36.020 of the Municipal Code and remain permitted uses under those sections at the present time; and WHEREAS, Sections 17.36.030 and 17.40.030 of the Municipal Code provide all uses in the M and C-M zones are to be “conducted within a completely enclosed building except for those uses which are customarily conducted in the open”; and
WHEREAS, Section 17.04.090 of the Municipal Code provides the Planning Commission may clarify provisions of the City’s zoning ordinance and recommend to the City Council that it approve the Planning Commission’s resolution stating such clarification; and WHEREAS, at the Planning Commission’s regular meeting of May 8, 2024, the Planning Commission held a public hearing to receive testimony and other evidence regarding the potential making of a finding that an aggregate transloading facility is a use customarily conducted in the open, including without limitation, information provided to the Planning Commission by City staff, and adopted Resolution No. 2024-06PC recommending the City Council approve the Planning Commission’s finding; and
WHEREAS, at the City Council’s regular meeting of June 12, 2024, the City Council held a public hearing to receive testimony and other evidence regarding whether it should approve the Planning Commission’s finding that an aggregate transloading facility is a use customarily conducted in the open, including without limitation, information provided to the Planning Commission by City staff.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BELL DOES HEREBY RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The foregoing recitals are true and correct and are incorporated herein. The
ATTACHMENT C
CC Resolution No. 2024-24
staff report regarding this agenda item is also incorporated herein.
SECTION 2. The staff report prepared for the public hearing that took place on June 12, 2024, regarding this matter is incorporated herein by reference and accepted by the City Council as evidence that an aggregate transloading facility is a use customarily conducted in the open.
SECTION 3. Based on substantial evidence, both written and oral, from the public hearing, the City Council makes the following findings:
A. An aggregate transloading facility is a use customarily conducted in the open.
B. The Planning Commission’s finding and Resolution No. 2024-06PC are consistent with State law.
C. The Planning Commission’s finding and Resolution No. 2024-06PC are supported by substantial evidence.
D. CEQA Findings. The City Council’s approval of the Planning Commission’s finding is not subject to CEQA review because: (i) it is not an “approval” of a project and does not commit the City to any definite course of action regarding any project; (ii) the approval of the finding is not a project within the definition in Public Resources Code § 21080 because it will not result in a change in the physical environment, because that change has already occurred; and/or (iii) the approval of the finding and the recommendation to the City Council fall within the scope of the common sense exception from CEQA, Guidelines § 15061(b)(3), in that there is no possibility approval of the finding will have a significant effect on the environment. This resolution involves approving a finding based on evidence. It does not address implementation of a physical change to the environment and does not address mitigation of impacts.
SECTION 4. Based on these findings, the City Council approves the Planning Commission’s finding made in Resolution No. 2024-06PC that an aggregate transloading facility is a use customarily conducted in the open.
PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Bell, California, this 1st day of June 12, 2024.
_____________________________
Ali Saleh, Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
____________________________
David Aleshire, City Attorney
ATTACHMENT C
CC Resolution No. 2024-24
CERTIFICATE OF ATTESTATION AND ORIGINALITY
I, Angela Bustamante, Secretary to the City Council of the City of Bell, hereby attest to and certify that the foregoing resolution is the original resolution adopted by the Bell City Council at its regular meeting held on the 12
th day of June 2024, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
________________________
Angela Bustamante, City Clerk
AGENDA ITEM 2
City of Bell
Agenda Report
DATE: June 12, 2024
TO: Mayor and Members of the City Council
FROM: John Oskoui, P.E., Interim Public Works Director Rey Alfonso, P.E., City Engineer
APPROVED Michael L. Antwine (e-signature)
BY: ___________________________________
Michael L. Antwine II, City Manager
SUBJECT: Proposition 218 Public Hearing Adopting Changes to Sewer Rates
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City Council:
1) Conduct a public hearing pursuant to Section 6(a)(2) of Article D of the California Constitution regarding the proposed changes to the sewer rates.
2) During the Public Hearing, consider all protests against the proposed changes to the sewer rates
3) Close the Public Hearing
4) If written protests against the proposed sewer rates are presented by a majority owners of the affected parcels of real property, comply with said Article XIII D by resolving to not impose changes to the sewer rates; and
5) If written protests against the proposed sewer rates are presented by less than a majority owners of the affected parcels of real property, take the following actions:
6) Read by title only, waive further reading and adopt Resolution 2024-25 titled:
“A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BELL ADOPTING SEWER RATES.”
7) Introduce Ordinance 1290, waive further reading, and read by title only:
“AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF BELL ADOPTING SEWER RATES BEGINNING JULY 1, 2024”
BACKGROUND:
The City owns the local sewer system consisting of approximately 37 miles of local gravity flow sewer pipelines that is maintained by the City. The City’s local sewer system is connected at
AGENDA ITEM 2
various locations to trunk sewer and pipelines owned and operated by the County of Los Angeles Sanitation Districts.
Pursuant to the California Health and Safety Code, the City is required to maintain the sewer facilities in a safe and sanitary condition. The City is also required to conform to a variety of regulations of the State Water Control Board for the maintenance of the system and prevention and cleanup of sanitary sewer overflows.
The City’s sewer system was installed from the 1920’s through the 1950’s. The City’s ongoing operations to keep the system in optimal condition include the cleaning, video recording and repairing faulty sections.
The City established the Sanitary Sewer Maintenance District (District) to levy an assessment on all properties (citywide) within the District receiving sewer services. The levy is to offset the costs incurred in the maintenance and safe operations of the sewer system.
The City is required to manage, operate, and maintain all parts of its wastewater (sewer) collection system to protect human health and the environment. In 2021, a Sewer System Management Plan (SSMP) was prepared on behalf of the City to manage its wastewater collection system to comply with the State Water Resources Control Board and its subsidiary Regional Water Quality Control Board’s requirement to develop and implement its own unique SSMP. The SSMP supplements and supports the City’s existing operations and maintenance program.
In 2019, a Sewer Master Plan was prepared to determine the deficiencies in the existing City of Bell’s system. It was found that of the 37 miles of sewer pipelines, approximately 3 miles or 8% of the existing system were identified as being deficient. The costs to repair the deficient reaches was estimated to be $6.3 million in 2019.
Moreover, a flow monitoring exercise was also performed as part of the study. Based on the monitoring information, the City’s overall existing sewer system capacity was considered satisfactory at that time.
DISCUSSION:
To offset the costs of the maintenance and safe operations of the sewer system, the City levies and collects assessments against parcels within the District each fiscal year. The District is divided into four zones based upon the density, levels, and type of usage and service requirements.
Existing Sewer Assessment
The existing rates for sewer service are provided in Table 1.
TABLE 1: CURRENT SANITARY SEWER MAINTENANCE DISTRICT ASSESSMENT ON
PROPERTIES
PROPERTIES CURRENTLY USING SEWER SERVICE
Description of Zones Charges Per Unit Per Yea r Unit
Zone 1: Residential: 5 or fewer units $33.12/yea r Dwelling Unit Zone 2: Residential: 6 or more units $42.64/yea r Dwelling Unit Zone 3: Commercial: Normal Usage $151.53/yea r Parcel
AGENDA ITEM 2
Zone 4: Commercial: High Usage $252.67/year Parcel
The City has focused a significant amount of attention and effort on planning in all areas of sewer utility operations to ensure that it is able to prov ide uninterruptible service to its customers, and so that it remains prepared for the future.
Sewer Rate Study
In 2023, the City retained Willdan Financial Services (Willdan) to perform a sewer rate study to analyze the revenue sources and expenditures of the sewer utility system, develop a five-year financial analysis, and provide recommendations for proposed rate/and or rate structure adjustments to meet the financial and administrative goals and objectives of the City.
It is projected that under the existing rates, the sewer system would not meet its collective projected operating (O&M) financial obligations, cover costs of capital projects, and be able to make anticipated transfers. Therefore, rate increases are required to generate additional revenue to fund projected costs of operations and capital projects; and maintain adequate cash reserves.
The Sewer Rate Study shows that under existing rates, if capital projects are funded, there will be a negative fund balance starting in Fiscal Year 2025-2026 and that the negative fund balance will grow to $2 million in Fiscal Year 2028-2029.
Proposed Sewer Rates
Per the Sewer Rate Study prepared by Willdan, t he City should consider replacing the City’s current process of levy by way of assessment with a levy by way of user fee/charge. This proposed fee/charge will still be included as an annual charge on the County of Los Angeles (County) secured property tax bill. Property-based fees and charges are required to comply with Proposition 218. As such, fee/charge that are incident to property ownership or tenancy, such as sewer rates, must be based on and not exceed the reasonable proportional cost of providing the service, and revenues received from these charges cannot be used for any other purpose than that for which are imposed.
City staff and Willdan developed a financial plan to adequately fund the sewer system costs. The rates identified in Table 2 reflect the cost of providing service to individual customers based on their allocated sewage units associated with their land use type are developed for a five (5) year period covering fiscal years 2024/2025 through 2028/2029.
TABLE 2: PROPOSED ANNUAL SEWER RATES
Description Existing
Rates (1)
Proposed Annual Charge for Each Fiscal
Year Beginning July 1,
2024
(2)
2025
(2)
2026
(2)
2027
(2)
2028
(2)
Annual Charge:
Zone 1: 5 or Fewer Units (per
Dwelling Unit)
$33.12 $50.49 $81.17 $93.34 $107.34 $109.49
Zone 2: 6 or More Units (per
Dwelling Unit)
$42.64 $50.49 $81.17 $93.34 $107.34 $109.49
Zone3: Commercial Normal
Usage (per Parcel)
$151.53 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Zone 4: Commercial High Usage $252.67 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
AGENDA ITEM 2
(per Parcel
Commercial/Non-Residential
(Per Sewage Unit)
N/A $50.49 $81.17 $93.34 $107.34 $109.49
(1) Under the existing structure, the City currently charges annual sewer assessments that are submitted to the County of Los Angeles Assessor Roll. Each parcel is designated Zone 1 to Zone 4 and charged the existing rate shown above for that respective zone.
(2) The proposed rate structure consists of an annual rate per sewage unit that applies to each parcel based on the number of sewage units associated with that parcel’s land use type in accordance with Los Angeles County’s code of ordinances 20.40.100. “Table A- Sewage units for designated land uses.”
Residential properties are assigned a sewage unit for each dwelling unit, i.e. single-family properties receive one sewage unit each, and multi-family properties receive a sewage unit for each dwelling unit. Commercial/Non-Residential properties are assigned one or more sewage units, based on their respective land use and related sewage units as shown in the County code of ordinances.
The proposed sewer rates and charges are anticipated to generate sufficient revenues to meet the revenue requirements operating, maintaining and improving the sewer system.
Table 3 below is a cash-flow statement outlining projected operating results. The projected revenues generated from the proposed annual sewer rates will include reserves on hand to help fund ongoing operations in the event of periodic fluctuations in cash flow, and to address unexpected needs that may require cash funding. The Table below also includes projected revenues for 2025 calculated based on existing rates as a basis for comparison with the generated revenues calculated based on the proposed rates.
TABLE 3: SEWER SYSTEM PROJECTED OPERATING RESULTS- PROPOSED RATES ($1,000s)
Description Existing Proposed
Projected for Fiscal Year Ending
June 30
2025 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029
Revenues $345 $503 $806 $928 $1,071 $1,093
O&M Expenses ($284) ($284) ($295) ($306) ($318) ($330)
Other Expenditures &
Transfers ($153) ($153) ($158) ($163) ($167) ($172)
Capital Projects ($285) ($285) ($717) $0 ($520) ($536) Beginning Fund Balance $628 $628 $408 $44 $503 $568
Ending Fund Balance $251 $408 $44 $503 $568 $623
Intention to Levy
On April 10, 2024, the City Council accepted a report from Willdan on the proposed sewer rates and adopted Resolution No. 2024-13 stating its intent to adopt changes to the sewer rates and directing staff to give notice of a public hearing to record owners of parcels at least 45 days before holding a hearing.
Prop 218 Public Hearing Notice
AGENDA ITEM 2
Article XIII D, section 6 of the California Constitution requires the local government to provide notice at least 45 days before holding a hearing at which the proposed fee or charge will be considered. On April 17, 2024, a Notice of the Public Hearing, set for June 12, 2024, at 7:00 pm at the Bell Community Center regarding the proposed changes to annual sewer rates, was mailed out to record owners of parcels subject to the proposed sewer rates. This notice provided an additional 11 days than the legally required time frame to file a protest.
Public Hearing
At the Public Hearing, staff recommend the City Council to consider all protests against the proposed changes to the annual sewer rates. If written protests against the sewer rates are presented by owners of most of the affected parcels, the City Council may not impose the proposed sewer rates.
Rate Adjustment Effective Dates
If adopted, the proposed sewer rates will become effective July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2029.
CEQA
As set forth in 14 California Code of Regulation Section 15273, the California Environmental Quality Act does not apply to the establishment, modification, structuring, restructuring, or approval of rates and other charges by public agencies which are for the purpose of meeting operating expenses, purchasing or leasing supplies, equipment, or materials, meeting financial reserve needs and requirements, and/or obtaining funds for capital projects, necessary to maintain service within existing service areas.
Conflict of Interest Laws
Pursuant to “conflicts of interest” laws, if a governmental decision produces a foreseeable material financial effect on parcels of real property owned by councilmembers, then there are certain factors that must be considered by those councilmembers located inside a 500-foot radius from a project’s boundaries. There is, however, an exception to the disqualification requirement: if the “decision solely concerns repairs, replacement or maintenance of existing streets, water, sewer, storm drainage or similar facilities” then the governmental decision is not material to cause a conflict of interest. 2 CCR § 18702.2. Therefore, no council members are disqualified regarding this project and do not need to recuse themselves.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Should the City Council adopt the proposed sewer rates, the City should generate sufficient revenues to meet the revenue requirements of the system: 1) maintain existing O&M with annual inflation escalation, 2) maintain transfers out, 3) establish capital projects program, and 4) maintain reserves to help fund ongoing operations in the event of periodic fluctuations in cash flow, and to address unexpected needs that may require cash funding.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Resolution No. 2024-25
2. Ordinance No. 1290
3. Sewer Rate Study
RESOLUTION NO. 2024 –25
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BELL ADOPTING SEWER RATES
WHEREAS, the City of Bell (“City”) owns the local sewer system consisting of approximately 37 miles of local gravity flow sewer pipelines that is maintained by the City; and,
WHEREAS, a well maintained and operated sewer system is essential to protect human health and the environment; and
WHEREAS, the City retained Willdan Financial Services to perform a sewer rate study to analyze the revenue sources and expenditures of the sewer utility system, develop a five-year financial analysis, and provide recommendations for proposed rate/and or rate structure adjustments to meet the financial and administrative goals and objectives of the City; and
WHEREAS, the Sewer Rate Study, dated March 22, 2024 by Willdan Financial Services, for the City (the “Sewer Rate Study”), projected that under the existing rates, the sewer system would not meet its collective projected operating (O&M) financial obligations, cover costs of capital projects, and be able to make anticipated transfers; and
WHEREAS, property related fees and charges, including rates for the sewer service are subject to the requirement of Article XIII D, Section 6 of the California Constitution (also known as Proposition 218); and
WHEREAS, on April 10, 2024, at its regularly scheduled City Council Meeting, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 2024-13 stating the City Council’s intention to adopt sewer rates and directing staff to give notice of a Public Hearing pursuant to Proposition 218; and
WHEAREAS, in full compliance with the requirements promulgated in Article XIIID, Section 6 of the California Constitution, the City has given notice by mail to each property owner of record as of the last equalized assessment roll informing each recipient of the public hearing date and his and her right to submit a written protest against the proposed changes to the annual sewer rates; and
WHEREAS, the City published notice of public hearing on May 20, 2024 in the Press Telegram; and
WHEREAS, at the time, date and place for the Public Hearing, the City Council did hear and consider any and all objections or protests and written protests to the proposed changes to the annual sewer rates; and
WHEREAS, the City Clerk has counted the written protests in accordance with the rules on Exhibit A hereto and by this reference incorporated herein; and
WHEREAS, the initiation of the property owner notice, hearing, and protest process as required by Proposition 218 for the proposed changes to the annual sewer rates is not considered a “Project” per CEQA Guidelines and therefore no further environmental analysis is required.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BELL DOES HEREBY RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. The City Council finds that the protest to the changes to the annual sewer rates has not been made by the owners of a majority of parcels of property of record as of the last equalized assessment roll and that a majority protest does not exist within the meaning of Article XIII D, Section 6 of the California Constitution.
Section 2. The City Council hereby approves and adopts the following annual sewer rates effective July 1, 2024:
Section 3. The City Manager or his designee is authorized and directed to take all necessary and proper steps to implement this Resolution.
Section 4. The City Clerk shall certify the adoption of this Resolution which shall be effective upon its adoption.
PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED this 12
th day of June 2024.
___________________________________
Ali Saleh, Mayor
Description 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028
Annual Charge:
Zone 1: 5 or Fewer Units (per Dwellling Unit) $50.49 $81.17 $93.34 $107.34 $109.49 Zone 2: 6 or More Units (per Dwelling Unit) $50.49 $81.17 $93.34 $107.34 $109.49 Zone 3: Commercial Normal Usage (per Parcel) N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Zone 4: Commercial High Usage (per Parcel) N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Commercial/Non-Residential (Per Sewage Unit) $50.49 $81.17 $93.34 $107.34 $109.49 Note: The rate structure consists of an annual rate per sewage unit that applies to each parcel based on the number of sewage units associated with that parcel's land use type in accordance with Los Angeles County's code of ordinances 20.40.100-"Table A-Sewage units for designated land uses".
Residential properties are assigned a sewage unit for each dwelling unit, i.e. single -family properties receive one sewage unit each, and multi-family properties receive a sewage unit for each dwelling unit.
Commercial/Non-Residential properties are assigned one or more sewage units, based on their respective land use and related sewage units as shown in the County code of ordinances.
A NNUA L CHA RGE FOR EA CH FISCAL YEA R
BEGINNING JULY 1,
A T T E S T
_________________________________
Angela Bustamante, City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
_________________________
David Aleshire, City Attorney
I, Angela Bustamante, City Clerk of the City of Bell, hereby attest to and certify that the foregoing resolution is the original resolution adopted by the Bell City Council at its regular meeting held on the 12
th day of June 2024 by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
_________________________________
Angela Bustamante, City Clerk
Exhibit A
GUIDELINES FOR THE SUBMISSION AND TABULATION OF PROTESTS
A. Submission of Protests:
There will be a hearing conducted in accordance with the provisions of Proposition 218 (California Constitution Art. XIIID). Whether there is a majority protest will be determined in accordance with the following:
1. Count the protests against the total number of parcels subject to the fee [Based on APNs and/or ratepayer’s regular billing].
2. Count one protest per parcel.
3. Where there are multiple parties with an interest in the parcel, protests rights are liberally construed so that a protest by any party counts as a full protest against that parcel. For example, one protest by a tenant, joint owner, a co-trustee of a trust which is the owner, one of multiple owners or a single owner – is sufficient. One tenant in a multifamily rental unit (regardless of the number of units) on one parcel will count as one protest.
Condominiums consist of multiple parcels, so each gets a vote.
4. The written protest must meet the requirements set out in the notice, including that:
protests must be (i) written, (ii) have a clear statement of protest, (iii) identify the legal interest of the person protesting, and (v) identify the address or assessor parcel number of the property. In order to be valid, a protest must bear the original signature of the party with an interest in the property identified on the protest. Protests not bearing the original signature shall not be counted.
5. Protests shall be submitted to the City Clerk per the notice either by delivery (mail or personal) to the office of the City Clerk by 4:00 pm of the day of the hearing or by submitting the protest at the public hearing. Protests must be received by the end of the public hearing. No postmarks will be accepted.
6. Although oral comments at the public hearing will not qualify as a formal protest unless accompanied by a written protest, the Board of Directors welcomes input from the community during the public hearing on the proposed fees.
7. Any person who submits a protest may withdraw it by submitting to the City Clerk a written request that the protest be withdrawn. The withdrawal of a protest shall contain sufficient information to identify the affected parcel and the name of the record owner or record customer who submitted both the protest and the request that it be withdrawn.
8. To ensure transparency and accountability in the fee protest tabulation, protests shall constitute disclosable public records from and after the time they are received.
B. Tabulation of Protests:
1. The City Clerk shall determine the validity of all protests. The City Clerk shall not accept as valid any protest if the City Clerk determines that any of the following conditions exist:
a. The protest does not identify a property served by the City. b. The protest does not bear a signature of a record owner of the parcel identified on the protest.
c. The protest does not state its opposition to the proposed fees. d. The protest was not received by the City before the close of the public hearing on the proposed fees.
e. A request to withdraw the protest is received prior to the close of the public hearing on the proposed fees.
2. The City Clerk’s decision that a protest is not valid or does not apply to a specific fee shall constitute a final action of the City and shall not be subject to any internal appeal.
3. A majority protest exists if written protests are timely submitted and not withdrawn by the record owners of a majority of the properties subject to the proposed fee.
At the conclusion of the public hearing, the City Clerk shall complete the tabulation of all protests received, including those received during the public hearing and shall report the results of the tabulation to the City Council upon completion. If review of the protests received demonstrates that the number received is manifestly less than one-half of the parcels served by the City with respect to the fee which is the subject of the protest, then the City Clerk may advise the City Council of the absence of a majority protest without determining the validity of all protests.
01201.0005/985016.1
ORDINANCE NO. 1290
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF BELL
ADOPTING SEWER RATES BEGINNING JULY 1, 2024
WHEREAS, the City of Bell (“City’) owns the local sewer system consisting of approximately 37 miles of local gravity flow sewer pipelines that is maintained by the City; and,
WHEREAS, a well maintained and operated sewer system is essential to protect human health and the environment; and
WHEREAS, the City retained Willdan Financial Services to perform a sewer rate study to analyze the revenue sources and expenditures of the sewer utility system, develop a five-year financial analysis, and provide recommendations for proposed rate/and or rate structure adjustments to meet the financial and administrative goals and objectives of the City; and
WHEREAS, the Sewer Rate Study, dated March 22, 2024 by Willdan Financial Services for the City (the “Sewer Rate Study”), projected that under the existing rates, the sewer system would not meet its collective projected operating (O&M) financial obligations, cover costs of capital projects, and be able to make anticipated transfers; and
WHEREAS, property related fees and charges, including rates for the sewer service are subject to the requirement of Article XIII D, Section 6 of the California Constitution (also known as Proposition 218); and
WHEREAS, on April 10, 2024, at its regularly scheduled City Council Meeting, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 2024-13 stating the City Council’s intention to adopt sewer rates and directing staff to give notice of a Public Hearing pursuant to Proposition 218; and
WHEREAS, in full compliance with the requirements promulgated in Article XIIID, Section 6 of the California Constitution, the City has given notice by mail to each property owner of record as of the last equalized assessment roll informing each recipient of the public hearing date and his and her right to submit a written protest against the proposed changes to the annual sewer rates; and
WHEREAS, the City published notice of public hearing on May 20, 2024 in the Press Telegram; and
WHEREAS, at the time, date and place for the Public Hearing, the City Council did hear and consider any and all objections or protests and written protests to the proposed changes to the annual sewer rates; and
WHEREAS, the City Clerk has counted the written protests; and
WHEREAS, the initiation of the property owner notice, hearing, and protest process as required by Proposition 218 for the proposed changes to the annual sewer rates is not considered a “Project” per CEQA Guidelines and therefore no further environmental analysis is required.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BELL DOES ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. The City Council finds that the protest to the changes to the annual sewer rates has not been made by the owners of a majority of parcels of property of record as of the last equalized assessment roll and that a majority protest does not exist within the meaning of Article XIII D, Section 6 of the California Constitution.
Section 2. The City Council hereby approves and adopts the following annual sewer rates effective July 1, 2024:
Section 3. The City Manager or his designee is authorized and directed to take all necessary and proper steps to implement this Ordinance.
Section 4. The City Clerk shall publish this Ordinance as required by law and shall certify the adoption of this Ordinance which shall be effective thirty (30) days after its adoption.
PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED on the 12
th day of June 2024.
___________________________________
Ali Saleh, Mayor
A T T E S T
_________________________________
Angela Bustamante, City Clerk
Description 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028
Annual Charge:
Zone 1: 5 or Fewer Units (per Dwellling Unit) $50.49 $81.17 $93.34 $107.34 $109.49 Zone 2: 6 or More Units (per Dwelling Unit) $50.49 $81.17 $93.34 $107.34 $109.49 Zone 3: Commercial Normal Usage (per Parcel) N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Zone 4: Commercial High Usage (per Parcel) N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Commercial/Non-Residential (Per Sewage Unit) $50.49 $81.17 $93.34 $107.34 $109.49 Note: The rate structure consists of an annual rate per sewage unit that applies to each parcel based on the number of sewage units associated with that parcel's land use type in accordance with Los Angeles County's code of ordinances 20.40.100-"Table A-Sewage units for designated land uses".
Residential properties are assigned a sewage unit for each dwelling unit, i.e. single -family properties receive one sewage unit each, and multi-family properties receive a sewage unit for each dwelling unit.
Commercial/Non-Residential properties are assigned one or more sewage units, based on their respective land use and related sewage units as shown in the County code of ordinances.
A NNUA L CHA RGE FOR EA CH FISCAL YEA R
BEGINNING JULY 1,
01201.0005/985016.1
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
_________________________
David Aleshire, City Attorney
I, Angela Bustamante, City Clerk of the City of Bell, hereby attest to and certify that the foregoing Ordinance adopted by the Bell City Council at its regular meeting held on the 12 th day of June
2024 by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
_________________________________
Angela Bustamante, City Clerk
Sewer Rate Study
City of Bell
Attachment 3
i Sewer Rate Study – Draft Report
March 22, 2024
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................... i Section 1 – Executive Summary................................ ................................ ................................ ...........1
1.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Overview of the Rate Study Process ............................................................................................ 3
1.3 Summary of Proposed Rates .......................................................................................................... 4 Section 2 – Revenue Sufficiency Analysis ................................ ................................ .......................... 6
2.1 Financial Planning Principles .......................................................................................................... 6
2.2 Existing Rates ....................................................................................................................................... 6
2.3 Revenue Sufficiency Process ......................................................................................................... 7
2.3.1 Budget .......................................................................................................................................... 7
2.3.2 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) .......................................................................................... 8
2.3.3 Debt Service ............................................................................................................................... 8
2.3.4 Gross and Net Revenue Requirement ................................................................................ 9
2.4 Customer Data ................................................................................................................................... 9
2.4.1 Customer Billing Analysis........................................................................................................ 10
2.5 Financial Projections Under Existing Rates ................................................................................ 10 Section 3 – Cost-of-Service (COS) Analysis ................................ ................................ ..................... 12
3.1 General .............................................................................................................................................. 12
3.2 Sewer Cost-of-Service .................................................................................................................... 12
3.2.1 Functional Unbundling of Revenue Requirements ........................................................ 12
3.2.2 Classification of Revenue Requirements .......................................................................... 13
3.2.3 Allocation to Customer Classes and Unit Cost Development.................................... 14
3.2.4 COS and Revenue Check .................................................................................................... 18 Section 4 – Proposed Test Year Rates ................................ ................................ ............................... 21
4.1 General .............................................................................................................................................. 21
4.2 Rate Comparison with Other Utilities ......................................................................................... 22 Section 5 – Projected Operating Results ................................ ................................ .......................... 24
5.1 General .............................................................................................................................................. 24
ii Sewer Rate Study – Draft Report
March 22, 2024
5.2 Projected User Rate Revenues .................................................................................................... 24
5.3 Summary of Projected Operating Results ................................................................................ 26 Section 6 – Conclusions and Recommendations ................................ ................................ ............ 29
6.1 Disclaimers............................................................................................................................................... 29
6.1.1 General Disclaimer ................................................................................................................. 29
6.1.2 Municipal Advisory Disclaimer ............................................................................................. 29
6.2 Conclusions ....................................................................................................................................... 30
6.3 Recommendations ......................................................................................................................... 31
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Section 1 – Executive Summary
1.1 Introduction
Willdan Financial Services (Willdan) is pleased to submit to the City of Bell (the “City”) the following Sewer Rate Study report (the “Report”) for your consideration. Willdan has completed this study of the City’s sewer rates, which are submitted annually to the Los Angeles County Auditor -Controller’s office for placement each year on the Los Angeles County Secured Property Tax Roll. The results of the investigations, analyses, and conclusions from this study are summarized in this Report.
The City, pursuant to the provisions of Article 4, Chapter 6, Part 3, Division 5 of the Health and Safety Code of the State of California, established its Sanitary Sewer Maintenance District (the “District”), also referred to in this report as the sewer utility or sewer enterprise, to pay for the ongoing operation and maintenance of the sewer collection and conveyance facilities within the City. Pursuant to the California Health and Safety Code, the City is required to maintain the sewer facilities in a saf e and sanitary condition. The City is also required to conform to a variety of regulations of the State Water Control Board for the maintenance of the system and prevention and cleanup of sanitary sewer overflows. The City originally established the Sanitary Sewer Maintenance District to levy an assessment on all properties withing the district, citywide, who receive sewer services, in order to offset the costs incurred for the maintenance and safe operations of the sewer system. Prior to the City establishing this District, charges were levied and collected by Los Angeles County as part of its Consolidated Sewer Maintenance District, and the County was responsible for maintaining and operating the system.
Going forward, this charge will now be levied as a property -related user fee/charge, also referred to as a sewer rate, as opposed to an assessment. This charge will still be included as an annual charge on the County secured property tax bill. Property-based fees and charges are required to comply with the California Constitution Article XIII D, also known as Proposition 218, or simply Prop 218. In summary, this requires fees that are incident to property ownership or tenancy, such as sewer rates, to be bas ed on and not exceed the reasonable proportional cost of providing the service , and revenues received from these charges cannot be used for any other purpose than that for which they are imposed. Proposition 218 also specifies procedural requirements for implementing sewer rates that are different from the requirements for assessments; primarily that new or increased property-based fees or charges may be imposed if there is no written majority protest submitted by more than a majority of property owners or customers subject to the charge. Prop 218 procedures also require a public hearing, with notice provided by mail at least 45 days prior to the date of the hearing.
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The City’s sewer system was installed from the 1920’s through the 1950’s. The City’s ongoing operations to keep the system in optimal condition include the cleaning, video recording , inspection and repairing of faulty sections of the system and replacement of aging or faulty system components . Cleaning of the lines is accomplished by water jetting the interior surface of the sewer lines and subsequent video recording to document current conditions.
Services are provided by private contractors on a bi-annual schedule.
In 2019, the City prepared a Sewer Master Plan to identify deficiencies in the existing mainline sewer system, recommend alternatives to address the deficiencies, prioritize the deficient reaches, and provide the City with a basis for future infrastructure projects. While the City’s overall existing sewer system capacity is satisfactory currently, there are areas in need of improvements. Based on the 2019 computer model results, four areas of deficiencies were identified with cost estimates totaling $6,252,000 (in 2019 dollars). Capital improvements will be programmed and budgeted on an annual basis, based on priority needs as determined by City Staff and the City Council, and based upon available funding, to correct these deficiencies and prevent clogging or overflows.
The City provides sewer collection services through the established Sanitary Sewer enterprise to different types of customers within its incorporated limits. As mentioned above, customers and property owners in the City pay for these services through an annual charge placed on the Los Angeles Secured Property Tax Bill. The sewer system includes 37 miles of gravity sewer mains with about 8,611 lateral connections, as well as associated lift stations and manholes throughout the City . The sewage collected from the City’s sewer collection system is conveyed to a collection/interceptor main owned by the Sanitation District of Los Angeles County, District 1 for treatment.
The City has focused a significant amount of attention and effort on strategic and master planning measures in all areas of sewer utility operations to ensure that it is able to provide uninterrupted service to its customers, and so that it remains prepared for the future. As part of its ongoing planning efforts, the City commissioned Willdan to perform a sewer rate study to analyze the revenue sources and expenditures of the sewer utility system, develop a five- year financial analysis, and provide recommen dations for proposed rate and/or rate structure adjustments to meet the financial and administrative goals and objectives of the City. The primary objectives of the rate study include:
➢ Full recovery of costs related to utility operations (i.e., operating and maintenance costs, debt, and other expenditure requirements);
➢ Development of cost-based rate structures;
➢ Maintaining consistency with Water Environment Federation (“WEF”) guidelines;
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➢ Providing for equity among customer classes;
➢ Meeting substantive and procedural Proposition 218 requirements; ➢ Maximizing administrative efficiency (i.e., easy to understand and implement); and ➢ Incorporation into the analysis of a 5-Year capital funding plan.
1.2 Overview of the Rate Study Process
This study includes the development and presentation of a pro forma sewer financial plan for a 5-year planning period, as well as the development of cost-based rates through a cost- of-service and rate design analysis. Utility rates must be set at a level such that operating, maintenance, debt , and capital expenses are funded with the revenues received from customers. In addition, the revenues generated from utility rates must only be used for this purpose and for the sewer each system only. This is a significant point, as failure to achieve the needed revenues can lead to unacceptable service levels and inadequately maintained facilities. Therefore, a rate study typically consists of following three interrelated analyses:
I. Financial Planning/Revenue Requirement Analysis : Creates a five-year plan to support an orderly, efficient program of on -going maintenance and operating costs, capital improvement and replacement activities, debt financing, and retirement of outstanding debt. In addition, the plan should fund and maintain appropriate reserve balances based on industry standards, as well as the City’s fiscal policies and specific needs.
II. Cost -of-Service Analysis : Identifies and apportions annual revenue requirements (i.e., expenditures) to operational and functional cost components based on the demand placed on the sewer utility system. The purpose of this analysis is to develop rates that generate revenues relatively proportionate to the share of the utility’s costs. This objective is consistent with industry standards as well as the requirements of Proposition 218.
III. Rate Design: Develops an equitable and proportionate schedule of rates for the City’s customer base. The policy objectives are coordinated with Proposition 218 (Prop 218) requirements and cost-of-service objectives to achieve a balance between customer equity and financial stability goals.
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This rate study utilizes generally accepted rate-making principles and standards established by industry experts such as the WEF in its “Financing and Charges for Sewer Systems, Manual of Practice No. 27”. The principles established by these entities are used as guidelines in the development of the proposed sewer rates. A discussion of some of the key principles of ratemaking is presented in the following subsection of this Report.
1.3 Summary of Proposed Rates
The rate study methodology applied in the development of updated sewer rates, outlined in this Report, consisted of reviewing the historical operating results of the sewer utility system, analyzing the budget to identify the net revenue requirements to be recovered from user rate revenues, performing general cost-of-service allocations based on the rate components and functional cost categories, and revising the rates based on the applicable costs and expenditures to be recovered from user rates. In additio n, an analysis of the system’s customers was performed to identify the rate determinants since they drive the recommended rates, which are the primary source for generating revenues. The allocated revenue requirements were utilized in conjunction with the rate determinants and rate structure to develop the proposed sewer rates.
The findings and conclusions of the rate analysis, as well as the resulting revised rate recommendations, were utilized to develop a projection of future operating results for a 5 - year planning period from Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 (beginning July 1, 202 4) through FY 2029 (ending June 30, 202 9), herein referred to as the “Projection Period”. The purpose for developing the 5 -year projections is to demonstrate the financial capability of the sewer revenues to support system operations and fund planned capital imp rovements. The analyses, findings and accompanying recommendations are presented in the subsequent sections of the Report.
Rate Design Analysis
Considers both the level and structure of the rate design to collect the appropiate and targeted level of revenues.
Cost of Service Analysis
Allocates the revenue requirements to the fixed/variable cost components based on cost of service.
Revenue Requirement Analysis
Compares the revenues to the expenses of the utility
to determine the overall rate adjustment required.
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The sewer rate analysis described in the Report is performed based on the general guidelines of the defined objectives, as well as common industry standards for setting utility rates. In addition to focusing on these major objectives, the rate analyses performed herein will consider other factors in designing rates. As will be discussed in detail later in the Report, such other rate considerations generally inclu de sensitivity to the impact on existing customers, the relative comparability with neighboring utilities and the City’s existing rate structure. The proposed sewer rates for assumed implementation effective July 1, 2024 (or other such date as determined by the City) for FY 2024/25 (FY 2025, herein referred to as the “Test Year”) are provided in Table 1. It is anticipated that the charges, based on these rates, will be submitted to the Los Angeles County Auditor-Controller for placement on Fiscal Year 2024/2025 Annual Secured Property Tax Bills, which are typically sent out in early fall each year. The existing rates are provided in Table 2.
Table 1 – Proposed Annual Sewer Rates
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Section 2 – Revenue Sufficiency Analysis
2.1 Financial Planning Principles
While the individual rates for a utility system vary based on a variety of factors, rates should be consistent with common rate-making principles within the utility industry . The guiding principle is that rates designed for any utility should provide a reasonable balance between several key factors. In general, the utility rates should:
➢ Generate a stable revenue stream that, when combined with other sources of funds, is sufficient to meet the expenditure requirements and goals of the system; ➢ Be based upon the proportionate cost of providing the service and not exceed the cost of providing the service – in compliance with California Proposition 218; ➢ Be equitable – that is, they should generate revenue from customer classes in a manner which is reasonably in proportion to the cost of providing the service to that customer class;
➢ Be easy to understand by customers; and
➢ Be easy to administer by the utility.
Striking the appropriate balance between the principles of ratemaking is the result of a detailed process of evaluation of revenue requirements and cost-of-service, and how those translate into the rate design alternatives which meet legal requirements and the specific objectives of the utility under the circumstances in which it operates.
2.2 Existing Rates
As described in the Introduction to this report, t he City has an established Sanitary Sewer enterprise to pay for the maintenance and operation of the sewer collection and conveyance facilities within the City. The utility consists of all properties within the corporate limits of the City. Annual sewer charges are submitted to the County of Los Angeles Auditor- Controller, based on the use and associated sewage units for each parcel.
The existing annual sewer rates consist of four zone designations based upon the density, levels, and type of usage and service requirements. Zone 1 consists of residential customers who have five or fewer dwelling units. Zone 2 consists of residential customers who have six or more dwelling units. Zone 3 consists of normal usage commercial customers, and zone 4 consists of high usage commercial customers. The existing rates for sewer service are provided in Table 2.
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Table 2 – Existing Annual Sewer Rates
2.3 Revenue Sufficiency Process
In evaluating whether the existing rates will generate sufficient revenue to meet the expenditure requirements of the sewer system, the annual expenditures required for the sewer utility system (herein referred to as the “Revenue Requirements”) must be developed.
The Revenue Sufficiency Analysis compares the forecasted revenues f or the sewer utility system under existing rates (including customer growth) to the projected Revenue Requirements.
2.3. 1 Budget
The revenue sufficiency analysis performed as part of this study and summarized in this report utilizes the City’s adopted budget for FY 2023/24 (the “Budget” for FY ending June 30, 2024) as one variable to determine the gross Revenue Requirements to be recovered from user rates over the Projection Period. The Budget, as prepared by the City, is provided on a line- item basis, and is used for projecting the budgeted financial needs for the Test Year and the remainder of the Projection Period. In developing the rate analysis, certain adjustments are made such that the expenditures are categorized into either Operating and Maintenance (O&M) expenses or non-operating expenses. In addition, only recurring costs included in the current Budget were included as part of the revenue requirement analysis. One -time costs were identified and evaluated in discussions with City Staff and removed if appropriate.
Recurring annual costs were escalated using suitable indexes or escalation factors, again in discussion with City Staff. The O&M expenses are primarily those ongoing costs f or labor, materials, supplies, services, etc., required to manage and operate the utility system on a day-to-day basis while maintaining a dependable level of service. The O&M requirements
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are generally a function of a budgetary process and are directly related to the level of service provided to customers of the utility system. The non-operating expenses include such items as capital outlay and any other expenses & transfers.
The Budget also identifies estimated revenues to be derived from sources other than sewer user rates. Such other revenue sources include interest earnings on investments, and various other miscellaneous service charges. If there are revenues generated from the other sources, those revenues are applied to the gross Revenue Requirements to reduce the amount of revenue required from user rates. The result is the net Revenue Requirement.
2.3. 2 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP)
The City provided a list of anticipated capital projects to be undertaken over the Projection Period, depending on available funding. These are also included in the development of the gross Revenue Requirements. The capital projects provided by and identified by the City in the CIP are required in order to maintain uninterrupted service to customers by investing in improvements, repairs, or replac ements of aging system components as they wear over time. The City developed this CIP based on needs and deficiencies identified in the Sewer Master Plan completed in 2019, that was mentioned previously in this report, and they provided cost estimates for the identified capital projects by the fiscal year in which they are estimated to be undertaken. The funding for t hese capital projects was then used in the analysis, along with O&M and non -operating expenses, to determine the gross revenue requirements for the sewer system. The capital projects included in the CIP, along with their assumed funding sources, for the Projection Period are provided in Table 3.
Table 3 – Sewer CIP ($1,000s)
2.3. 3 Debt Service
The City currently has no outstanding debt associated with the sewer utility system. Also, there are no anticipated future debt issuances included in the Projection Period. Therefore, no annual debt service payments or debt service ratio calculations are included in the analysis and Projection Period.
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2.3. 4 Gross and Net Revenue Requirement
The proposed sewer rates developed in the Report are designed for assumed implementation for FY 2024/25 (the Test Year as previously defined). The projected Test Year gross and net Revenue Requirements are estimated by utilizing the Budget and capital estimates and assumed funding sources for capital projects as provided by the City, along with anticipated transfers. The Test Year Revenue Requirements that are used for developing the user rates proposed herein are detailed in Appendix A at the end of this report and summarized in Table 4.
Table 4 – Test Year Revenue Requirements – FY 2025
The projected Revenue Requirements for the sewer system over the entire Projection Period are provided in Table 5.
Table 5 – Sewer Revenue Requirements for the Projection Period
2.4 Customer Data
The rate study described herein is heavily reliant upon a detailed analysis of system customers and demand characteristics. The existing utility customer base provide s the determinants utilized in the cost-of-service analysis, and ultimately in calculating the sewer charges, which become the foundation for projecting future revenues generated by the sewer system.
It is important to note that the customer analysis focuses primarily on the customer classifications that will be subject to and impacted by the user rates and charges to be developed in the Report. This consists of the general service (retail) customers that currently pay for utility service pursuant to the existing user rates and charges as previously detailed.
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For the purposes of the rate study, it is these customers that will generate revenues based upon the proposed user rates and charges.
2.4.1 Customer Billing Analysis
For the rate study, detailed billing information was provided for each individual parcel. This data offered a breakdown of parcels by land use type, demand characteristics and billed charges. An analysis of the billing data was conducted to obtain an understanding of the existing parcels, land use types, and demand characteristics per parcel.
Each of these parcels embody certain characteristics in their utility use and service demand profiles that provide the basis for establishing an equitable allocation of system costs. The billing data was utilized to identify the number of sewage units associated with each land use type as identified in Los Angeles County’s code of ordinances 20.40.100 – “Table A – Sewage units for designated land uses”.
The historical customer data was also utilized to establish growth trends for each land use type. The growth trends were then used to project the average number of sewage units associated with each land use type for the Test Year plus the remaining years of the Projection Period.
2.5 Financial Projections Under Existing Rates
The projected customers and accompanying sewage units are applied to the existing rates to develop a projection of user rate revenues that would be generated under existing rates.
The revenues are then compared to the projected revenue requirements/expenditures to determine if revenue adjustments are needed. Based on this comparison, it is projected that under the existing rates, the sewer system would not meet its collective projected operating (O&M) financial obligations , cover costs of capital projects , and be able to make anticipated transfers. Therefore, revenue increases are required to generate additional cash to fund projected costs of operations and capital projects and maintain adequate cash reserves. The City has established an objective of maintaining a target of at least 180 days of cash reserves to help fund ongoing operations in the event of periodic fluctuations in cash flow, and to address unexpected needs that may require cash funding. Since the City currently collects sewer user revenues through the annual assessor’s roll, as opposed to receiving cash through monthly or bi-monthly billings, it is essential that there are adequate cash reserves to cover expenditures between cycles of revenue collection from annual assessor roll payments. The cash -flow statement outlining the projected operating results under existing rates is summarized in Table 6 for the sewer system. The proposed rates and projected financial results are addressed in the subsequent sections of this Report.
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Table 6 – Sewer System Projected Operating Results - Existing Rates ($1,000s)
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Section 3 – Cost -of-Service (COS) Analysis
3.1 General
The costs incurred by a sewer utility system are generally driven by specific service requirements imposed on the system by its customers. There are several different options that can be used to perform a cost -of-service (COS) analysis and the allocation m ethodology depends upon the basis applied. The sewer cost-of-service analysis detailed in Section 3.2 involves an examination of the number and type of customers served in accordance with Los Angeles County’s code of ordinances 20.40.100 – “Table A – Sewage units for designated land uses”.
3.2 Sewer Cost -of-Service
The COS analysis for the sewer utility utilizes the revenue requirements for the Test Year as the cost basis. The Test Year revenue requirement s are functionally unbundled, classified and allocated to customer classes to determine the cost-of-service by class. More detail relating to the sewer COS approach can be found in Appendix B.
3.2.1 Functional Unbundling of Revenue Requirements
Since the City provides collection services only, t he sewer system costs are unbundled into Collection and Customer functions. A brief description of each component is as follows:
• Collection – costs associated with lines and facilities that transport wastewater from customer properties to treatment facilities;
• Customer – costs associated with metering, billing, and providing other services to customers ( e.g., printing, delivering and collecting utility bills, recordkeeping, etc.).
The allocation of the functionally unbundled revenue requirement s for the Test Year are summarized in Table 7.
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Table 7 - Functional Unbundled Cost Allocations
3.2.2 Classification of Revenue Requirement s
The functionally unbundled revenue requirement s for the sewer system are classified into fixed and volumetric customer components based on methodology consistent with the Water Environmental Federation (WEF), Manual of Practice No. 27. It is anticipated that the allocation percentages will not change materially during the Projection Period. However, it is important to note that COS analyses are based on the data at a specific point in time (i.e., the most recent fiscal year). To the extent that weather conditions, economic conditions and customer usage characteristics change during the Projection Period, the cost allocations can be impacted. The system-wide costs by service characteristic are shown in Table 8.
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Table 8 - Classification of Unbundled Revenue Requirements
3.2.3 Allocation to Customer Classes and Unit Cost
Development
The functionalized and classified revenue requirement s are allocated to customer classes utilizing a unit cost approach as follows:
• Collection – Based on relative percentage of annual sewer usage; • Customer – Based on relative percentage of units by customer class.
The units of service for each component of cost by customer land use type (if applicable) are provided in Table 9. The units of service consist of the number of customer parcels and accompanying sewage units. Customer parcels are based on the number of customer s as provided in the customer data. Sewage Units are based on the total sewage units applied to each parcel.
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Table 9 – Units of Service
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Table 9 – Units of Service (Cont.)
The revenue requirement for each cost component is divided by its respective unit of service to calculate a unit cost. The annual “Customer” cost per sewage unit applies to all customers of the sewer utility system. The “Customer” cost per sewage unit is demonstrated in Table 10.
Table 10 – Cost Per Unit
The allocation of the revenue requirement to each land use type is based on the “Customer” unit cost multiplied by the total sewage units for each land use type. The total costs to be recovered from each land use are shown in Table 11.
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Table 11 – Cost of Service by Land Use Type
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Table 11 – Cost of Service by Land Use Type (Cont.)
3.2.4 COS and Revenue Check
Once the ‘Customer” cost per sewage unit is developed and the costs associated with each land use based on the number of sewage units are determined in Section 3.2.3, rates can be developed to ensure that each land use is generating sufficient revenues to cover their allocated cost of service. The proposed rate structure consists of an annual rate per sewage unit that applies to each parcel based on the number of sewage units associated with that parcel’s land use type in accordance with Los Angeles County’s code of ordinances
20.40.100 – “Table A – Sewage units for designated land uses”.
The revenues generated by each land use vs the cost allocated to each land use are provided in Table 12.
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Table 12 – Proposed Rate Revenues vs COS
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Table 12 – Proposed Rate Revenues vs COS (Cont.)
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Section 4 – Proposed Test Year Rates
4.1 General
The methodology used to calculate the recommended sewer rates proposed herein involves applying the projected customers and sewage units to the user rates developed in the preceding cost -of-service and rate analysis to calculate the estimated revenues that would be generated. Then, these projected revenues are compared to the estimated Test Year revenue requirements, and the sewer rates are adjusted on a percentage basis as necessary until the revenues generated are sufficient to meet the revenue needs of the sewer utility system. In addition, there are other factors that must be considered in designing rates to satisfy the City’s objectives. Such other rate considerations include, but are not limited to:
1. Sensitivity to existing customers - the proposed rates must consider the impact on existing customers and avoid putting an inequitable financial burden on any particular customer class.
2. Comparability with neighboring utilities - the proposed rates should consider the rates and charges applied to customers of neighboring utilities of relatively similar size for similar service.
3. Existing rate structure - the proposed rates must consider the logistics and cost/benefit implications of instituting changes to the existing rates and rate structure.
4. Economic and property development - the proposed rates must consider the potential for future development within the City’s service area and ensure that the rates do not make it cost-prohibitive for future development.
The proposed rates developed herein utilize these considerations, as well as discussions with the City staff, professional judgment, and prior experience with comparable utility systems .
When reviewing potential rate structure options in conjunction with the need for additional revenues, it was determined that revenue adjustments are needed, and the existing rate structure needs to be adjusted based on the cost-of-service analysis.
The proposed sewer rates for the upcoming fiscal year are composed of an annual per sewage unit charge that applies to each parcel, rather than parcels being charged based on a designated zone. The proposed annual sewer rates for the Test Year are provided again in Table 13.
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Table 13 – Proposed Annual Sewer Rates
4.2 Rate Comparison with Other Utilities
In order to provide the City with additional insight regarding the proposed rate levels, the analysis includes a comparison of both the existing and proposed user rates relative to the user rates imposed by other sewer utility systems located in same region. A summary analysis is provided comparing the cost of annual sewer collection service for a typical residential customer calculated under the existing and proposed rates of the City with those of the other utilities. Since the City currently bills annually through the County of Los Angeles assessor roll, for purposes of a meaningful comparison, any sewer utility that does not bill annually was converted into an annual bill . The rates utilized for the other neighboring utilities bills shown in Figure 1 were in effect as of March of 2024 and are exclusive of local taxes, outside surcharges, franchise fees, regulatory fees, or other rate adjustments. It is important to note that the charges compared in Figure 1 are only for collection of sewage. Like the City of Bell, treatment and disposal of wastewater for these agencies is provided by the Sanitation District of Los Angeles County, and charges for that component of their service are not included in the comparisons shown. An annual summary comparison with other utilities for a residential customer using 800 cubic feet per monthly billing, or 9,600 cubic feet annually is illustrated in Figure 1.
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It should be noted that when making comparisons for sewer service, several factors affect the level of rates and charges. Such factors may include:
1) Terms of wholesale service agreements;
2) Time since last rate update for comparison providers; 3) Level of treatment and effluent disposal methods of sewer service; 4) Anticipated capital improvement programs and capital financing methods; 5) Plant capacity utilization, age of facilities, and assistance in construction by federal or state grants, connection fees, developer contributions, etc.; 6) General Fund and/or administrative fee transfers made by other systems which may account for differences in the level of rates charged; and 7) Bond covenants and funding requirements of the rates.
For the utilities included in the rate comparisons, no analysis has been performed with consideration of the above-mentioned factors as they relate to the reported sewer rates currently being charged.
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Section 5 – Projected Operating Results
5.1 General
As a conclusion to the study, a pro forma operating statement is developed for the sewer system. The statement summarize s the projected financial results based on the system revenues, expenses and other revenue requirements anticipated in future years.
The individual operating statements cover the 5 -fiscal year Projection Period through June 30, 202 9, and are prepared on a cash -flow basis. In addition, the pro forma statement includes the applicable annual percentage rate adjustments necessary to meet the projected revenue requirements. The following discussions describe the development of the major components of the projected operating results.
5.2 Projected User Rate Revenues
The user rate and charge revenues are estimated by applying the existing and proposed rates to the projected customers and sewage units . The resulting revenues are then compared to the projected revenue requirements (i.e. , O&M expenses, capital outlay, transfers, etc.) in each fiscal year to determine if the revenues are sufficient to satisfy the expenditure needs of the system. To the extent that there are revenue shortfalls in any given year of the Project Period , the sewer rates developed from the Cost -of-Service and Rate analysis outlined in Section 3 of this report are adjusted on a percentage basis as necessary to generate the required level of revenues. The projected sewer user rate revenues are provided in Table 14.
Table 14 – Projected User Rate Revenues
The projected revenues include the annual sewer rate adjustments anticipated for the remaining years of the Projection Period beyond the Test Year. The proposed user rates from which the projected operating results are developed for the entire 5 -fiscal year Projection Period are provided in Table 15. The rates identified in the table below reflect the cost o f providing service to individual customers based on their allocated sewage units associated with their land use type.
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Table 15 – Proposed Annual Sewer Rates
The projected user rates provided herein for the periods beyond the Test Year are intended for strategic planning purposes, and to provide the City with the estimated future rates that may be needed to satisfy the projected cash flow requirements. The rates are developed in accordance with the assumed customer, sewage unit, expenditure, and revenue estimates projected in this rate study. It is important to note that, since it is necessary to utilize numerous assumptions to develop the projected operating results, to the extent that actual customers, sewage units and/or system expenditures differ from those assumed herein, additional rate adjustments may be required. For informative purposes, the annual charge for a representative City residential customer based on the projected rates, as well as the accompanying change in the annual charge for each year of the Projection Period is included herein. An illustration of the projected annual charge for a residential customer receiving one sewage unit is provided in Figure 2.
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5.3 Summary of Projected Operating Results
The cash-flow statement outlining the projected operating results is summarized in Table 16 for the sewer system. The projected results are graphically illustrated in Figure 3 for the sewer system. The results demonstrate that the proposed rates and charges along with the other system revenues are anticipated to be sufficient to satisfy the projected revenue requirements and capital needs of the utility system.
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Table 16 – Sewer System Projected Operating Results - Proposed Rates ($1,000s)
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Section 6 – Conclusions and Recommendations
6.1 Disclaimers
6.1.1 General Disclaimer
In the development of the proposed user rates and charges, certain historical reviews and analyses have been performed, together with the application of assumptions based on prudent financial, operational, and ratemaking relationships. The cost criteria and customer usage characteristics associated with general ratemaking procedures are representative of averages and are not intended as indicators of any individual customer.
In the preparation of the rate study, certain assumptions have been made with respect to conditions that may occur in the future. While it is believed that these assumptions are reasonable for the purpose of this update, they are dependent upon future even ts and actual conditions may differ from those assumed. In addition, the study has used and relied upon certain information that was provided by other parties not associated with Willdan.
Such information includes, among other things, the City’s audited f inancial statements, annual operating budgets, periodic reports, and other information and data provided by the City, its independent auditors, and other sources. While the sources are believed to be reliable, there has been no independent verification of the information, and no assurances are offered with respect thereto. To the extent that future conditions differ from those assumed herein or provided by others, the actual results may vary from those projected.
6.1.2 Municipal Advisory Disclaimer
Unless the City of Bell, California (the “City”) has a written engagement from Willdan Financial Services (“Willdan”) for municipal advisory services, Willdan is not advising or recommending any action be taken by the recipient of this information with respect to any prospective, new, or existing municipal financial products or issuance of municipal securities (including with respect to the structure, timing, terms and other similar matters concerning such financial products or issues). The City shall disc uss any such information and material contained in Willdan’s work product with any and all internal and/or external advisors and experts, including its own municipal advisor, that it deems appropriate before acting on the information and material.
For the avoidance of doubt and without limiting the foregoing, in connection with any revenue projections, cash -flow analyses, feasibility studies and/or other analyses Willdan may provide the City with respect to financial, economic or other matters relat ing to a prospective, new or existing issuance of municipal securities of the City, (A) any such projections, studies and analyses shall be based upon assumptions, opinions or views (including, without limitation, any assumptions related to revenue growth) established by the City, in conjunction with such of its municipal, financial, legal and other advisers as it deems appropriate; and (B) under no circumstances shall Willdan be asked to provide, nor shall it
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provide, any advice or recommendations or subjective assumptions, opinions or views with respect to the actual or proposed structure, terms, timing, pricing or other similar matters with respect to any municipal financial products or municipal securities issuances, including any revisions or amendments thereto.
6.2 Conclusions
As previously addressed, the purpose of this study is to provide a review of the City’s existing utility rates to determine if rate adjustments are necessary to meet the budgeted and/or projected financial needs in future years. This Report is the result of the collaborative efforts of representatives from both the City and Willdan. City staff were diligent and cooperative in their efforts to ensure the availability and quality of source data on financial and operating matters. Based on the reviews, analyses and assumptions discussed herein, it is concluded that:
1. The proposed user rates and charges are anticipated to generate sufficient revenues to meet the revenue requirements of the system based upon the projected expenditures, transfers, customers, and sewage units estimated for the Test Year. The proposed rates are based on an assumed implementation date of July 1, 2024 (or other such date as determined by the City). To the extent that the implementation date is postponed, additional rate adjustments and/or appropriations from existing reserves may be necessary.
2. The estimated revenues and resulting rate adjustments for the remaining years of the Projection Period beyond the Test Year are developed based on the customer growth assumptions generated from the historical analyses and discussions with City staff. If the customer growth projections are not realized, additional rate adjustments may be necessary.
3. Customer growth for the sewer system is projected based on historical customer data as provided by the City as well as discussions with the City staff regarding development activity and anticipated construction. If it turns out that the customer growth assumptions are not realized, the resulting revenues could be different than projected.
4. Future capital improvement projects are assumed to occur as reported by the City in its CIP. To the extent that the timing of such projects may change from that estimated herein, the cost of such projects and resulting impact on future rates and charges may vary from those indicated.
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5. The proposed rates and rate structure are consistent with industry standards for rate-setting practices, comply with Proposition 218 and conform to the City’s financial policies with respect to:
a. Equitably recovering costs;
b. Being based upon the proportionate cost of providing services; and c. Generating sufficient revenue to recover system revenue requirements , fund capital needs, and meet reserve requirements.
6.3 Recommendations
Based on the reviews, analyses and assumptions addressed herein, as well as the resulting conclusions provided above, it is respectfully recommended that the City:
1. Adopt the proposed sewer rates to be placed on the annual secured property tax roll.
2. Enact the proposed rates to become effective as of July 1, 2024 (or other such date as determined by the City). Based on the timing of the project and the required public hearing notice procedures, it is expected that the effective date will occur on the recommended date.
3. Readdress the cost-of-service analysis portion of this study every three to five years to ensure costs are recovered consistent with cost-of-service principles and customer characteristics.
We appreciate the opportunity to be of service to the City in this engagement. In addition, we would like to thank City staff for the valuable assistance provided during the completion of the rate study.
Respectfully Yours,
WILLDAN FINANCIAL SERVICES
APPENDIX
DETAIL FOR THE COMPREHENSIVE
SEWER UTILITY RATE STUDY
COMPREHENSIVE SEWER UTILITY RATE STUDY FOR THE
CITY OF BELL, CALIFORNIA
APPENDIX A
Revenue Requirement
from User Rates
APPENDIX - A
CITY OF BELL, CA
DEVELOPMENT OF RATE REVENUE REQUIREMENTS
[A] [B] [C]=[A]*[B]
FY 2025 % to Sewer Sewer
1 Total Operating Revenues 502,794$ 502,794$ Less:
Other Operating Revenues
2 Redemptions 7,500 100% 7,500
3 Interest & Penalties Taxes 1,600 100% 1,600 4 Interest Income 5,700 100% 5,700 5 Unrealized Gain/Loss (16,600) 100% (16,600) 6 Total Other Operating Revenues (1,800) (1,800) 7 Total Rate Revenue Requirement 504,594$ 100% 504,594$ Line No: Description Test Year for Rate Revenue Requirement A - 1
APPENDIX B
Sewer Cost-of-Service
Analysis
APPENDIX - B
CITY OF BELL, CA
ALLOCATION OF TEST YEAR COSTS TO SEWER FUNCTION
Line No: Expense Group FY 2025
1 Collection $145,320
2 Treatment 0
3 Administration 139,048
4 Transfers 153,218
5 Existing Debt 0
6 New Debt 0
7 CIP 285,000
8 Total 722,586$
Test Year Revenue Requirement
B - 1
APPENDIX - B
CITY OF BELL, CA
SEWER CUSTOMER PARCEL & SEWAGE UNITS BY LAND USE CODE (LUC) - TEST YEAR FY 2025 Total Total
Parcels Sewage Units [1]
1 0100 SINGLE RESIDENCE 1,863 1,863.0 2 0101 SINGLE RESIDENCE - Pool 64 64.0 3 0103 SINGLE RESIDENCE - Pool and misc. 2 2.0 4 0104 SINGLE RESIDENCE - Therapy pool (spa) 1 1.0 5 0106 SINGLE RESIDENCE - Tennis court 5 5.0 6 0108 SINGLE RESIDENCE - Guesthouse 2 2.0 7 0109 SINGLE RESIDENCE - Other improvements only 3 3.0 8 010D SINGLE RESIDENCE - Planned unit development (PUD) 13 13.0 9 010V SINGLE RESIDENCE - Vacant 2 1.0 10 01A6 SINGLE RESIDENCE 1 1.0 11 01D6 SINGLE RESIDENCE 4 4.0 12 010C SINGLE RESIDENCE - Condominium 37 37.0 13 01DC SINGLE RESIDENCE - Condominium detached 7 7.0 14 0200 DOUBLE, DUPLEX, OR TWO UNITS 671 1,342.0 15 0201 DOUBLE, DUPLEX, OR TWO UNITS 6 12.0 16 0203 DOUBLE, DUPLEX, OR TWO UNITS 1 2.0 17 0300 THREE UNITS (ANY COMBINATION) 384 1,152.0 18 0301 THREE UNITS (ANY COMBINATION) 1 3.0 19 0400 FOUR UNITS (ANY COMBINATION) 215 860.0 20 0401 FOUR UNITS (ANY COMBINATION) 3 12.0 21 0500 FIVE OR MORE APARTMENTS OR UNITS 290 2,621.0 22 0501 FIVE OR MORE APARTMENTS OR UNITS 9 193.0 23 0900 MANUFACTURED HOME PARK 4 48.0 24 1000 COMMERCIAL 1 1.0
25 1001 COMMERCIAL 1 1.0
26 1100 STORE 72 72.0
27 1200 STORE COMBINATION (WITH OFFICE OR RESIDENTIAL) 12 24.0 28 1210
STORE COMBINATION (WITH OFFICE OR RESIDENTIAL) - Store and residential combination 59 118.0
29 1212 STORE COMBINATION (WITH OFFICE OR RESIDENTIAL) 2 4.0 30 1400 SUPERMARKET - Supermarket - 12000 sq. ft. or more 3 15.0 31 1420 SUPERMARKET - Small food store - less than 6000 sq. ft. 1 1.0 32 1500 SHOPPING CENTER (NEIGHBORHOOD, COMMUNITY) 4 40.0 33 1600 SHOPPING CENTER (REGIONAL) 2 60.0 34 1700 OFFICE BUILDING 21 105.0 35 1702 OFFICE BUILDING 1 5.0
36 1720 OFFICE BUILDING - Office and residential 1 2.0 37 1802 HOTEL AND MOTEL 1 25.0 38 1820 HOTEL AND MOTEL - Motels - under 50 units 7 175.0 39 1832 HOTEL AND MOTEL - Motels - 50 or more units 1 40.0 40 1900 PROFESSIONAL BUILDING 7 35.0 41 1910 PROFESSIONAL BUILDING - Medical/dental Building 7 35.0 42 1912 PROFESSIONAL BUILDING - Medical/dental Building 1 5.0 43 2100 RESTAURANT, COCKTAIL LOUNGE 19 95.0 44 2102 RESTAURANT, COCKTAIL LOUNGE 2 10.0 45 2110 RESTAURANT, COCKTAIL LOUNGE - Fast Food - Walk up 4 8.0 46 2300 BANK, SAVINGS & LOAN 4 4.0 47 2400
SERVICE SHOPS - RADIO AND TV, PAINT SHOPS, ELECTRIC REPAIR, LAUNDRIES, REFRIGERATION SERVICE 3 6.0 48 2500 SERVICE STATION 3 3.0
49 2510 SERVICE STATION 2 2.0
50 2600
AUTO, RECREATION/CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT, SALES AND
SERVICE 26 26.0
51 2610 USED CAR SALES 5 5.0
52 2620 NEW CAR SALES AND SERVICE 1 3.0 53 2670 AUTO SERVICE CENTERS (NO GASOLINE) 5 5.0 54 2700 PARKING LOT (COMMERCIAL USE PROPERTIES) 29 14.5 Line No: DescriptionLUC
B - 2
APPENDIX - B
CITY OF BELL, CA
SEWER CUSTOMER PARCEL & SEWAGE UNITS BY LAND USE CODE (LUC) - TEST YEAR FY 2025 Total Total
Parcels Sewage Units [1]Line No: DescriptionLUC
55 2710
PARKING LOT (COMMERCIAL USE PROPERTIES) - Lots -
commercial parking 1 0.5
56 3010 MISCELLANEOUS INDUSTRIAL 1 2.0 57 3100
LIGHT MANUFACTURING, SMALL EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURING,
SMALL MACHINE SHOPS, INSTRUMENTS MANUFACTURING,
PRINTING PLANTS 21 105.0
58 3200 HEAVY MANUFACTURING 4 400.0 59 3300 WAREHOUSING, DISTRIBUTION UNDER 10,000 SQ. FT. 6 12.0 60 3310 WAREHOUSING, DISTRIBUTION 10,000-24,999 SQ. FT. 8 16.0 61 3320 WAREHOUSING, DISTRIBUTION 25,000-50,000 SQ. FT. 8 16.0 62 3330 WAREHOUSING. DISTRIBUTION OVER 50,000 SQ. FT. 28 56.0 63 3400 PUBLIC STORAGE (BEKINS, LYONS) 1 1.0 64 3800 PARKING LOT (INDUSTRIAL USE) 2 1.0 65 3910 OPEN STORAGE - Trucking companies, terminals 2 10.0 66 6400 CLUBS, LODGE HALLS, FRATERNAL ORGANIZATIONS 5 10.0 67 100V COMMERCIAL - VACANT LAND 1 0.5 68 300V INDUSTRIAL - VACANT LAND 2 1.0 69 330C WAREHOUSING, DISTRIBUTION UNDER 10,000 SQ. FT. 32 64.0 70 331C WAREHOUSING, DISTRIBUTION 10,000-24,999 SQ. FT. 1 2.0 71 7610 ADULT DAY SERVICES - SKILLED CARE SERVICES OFFERED 2 20.0 72 7100 CHURCHES 11 22.0
73 7200 SCHOOLS (PRIVATE) 2 10.0 74 7410 CONVALESCENT HOSPITALS, NURSING HOMES 1 50.0 75 7700 CEMETERIES, MAUSOLEUMS, MORTUARIES 1 1.0 76 7710 MORTUARIES, FUNERAL HOMES 1 1.0 77 Sewer System Total 4,036 9,993.5
[1] The number of sewage units by land use code per parcel was provided from LA County Code of Ordinances "20.40.100 Table A - Sewer Usage for Designated Land Uses".
Notes:
B - 3
APPENDIX - B
CITY OF BELL, CA
ALLOCATION OF SEWER COSTS - TEST YEAR FY 2025
Line No: Description Sewer Costs Customer Total (Check) Allocation Factors:
1 Treatment 0.00% 100.00%
2 Collection 100.00% 100.00%
3 Administration 100.00% 100.00%
4 Transfers 100.00% 100.00%
5 CIP 100.00% 100.00%
6 Existing Debt 100.00% 100.00%
7 New Debt 100.00% 100.00%
Allocation of Costs:
8 Treatment -$ -$ -$ 9 Collection 145,320 145,320 145,320
10 Administration 139,048 139,048 139,048
11 Transfers 153,218 153,218 153,218
12 CIP 285,000 285,000 285,000
13 Existing Debt - - -
14 New Debt - - -
15 Non-Rate Rev & Fund Balance (217,992) (217,992) (217,992) 16 Total 504,594$ 504,594$ 504,594$
Total Units of Service 9,993.5
Units
Sewage
Units/Yearly
Cost Per Unit 50.49$
Units
Per Sewage
Unit/Yearly
B - 4
APPENDIX - B
CITY OF BELL, CA
SEWER COST OF SERVICE BY COST COMPONENT AND LAND USE CODE (LUC) - TEST YEAR FY 2025 [A] [B]
Customer Total
1 0100 SINGLE RESIDENCE 94,067.01$ 94,067.01$
2 0101 SINGLE RESIDENCE - Pool 3,231.50 3,231.50 3 0103 SINGLE RESIDENCE - Pool and misc. 100.98 100.98 4 0104 SINGLE RESIDENCE - Therapy pool (spa) 50.49 50.49 5 0106 SINGLE RESIDENCE - Tennis court 252.46 252.46 6 0108 SINGLE RESIDENCE - Guesthouse 100.98 100.98 7 0109 SINGLE RESIDENCE - Other improvements only 151.48 151.48 8 010D SINGLE RESIDENCE - Planned unit development (PUD) 656.40 656.40 9 010V SINGLE RESIDENCE - Vacant 50.49 50.49 10 01A6 SINGLE RESIDENCE 50.49 50.49
11 01D6 SINGLE RESIDENCE 201.97 201.97
12 010C SINGLE RESIDENCE - Condominium 1,868.21 1,868.21 13 01DC SINGLE RESIDENCE - Condominium detached 353.45 353.45 14 0200 DOUBLE, DUPLEX, OR TWO UNITS 67,760.56 67,760.56 15 0201 DOUBLE, DUPLEX, OR TWO UNITS 605.91 605.91 16 0203 DOUBLE, DUPLEX, OR TWO UNITS 100.98 100.98 17 0300 THREE UNITS (ANY COMBINATION) 58,167.04 58,167.04 18 0301 THREE UNITS (ANY COMBINATION) 151.48 151.48 19 0400 FOUR UNITS (ANY COMBINATION) 43,423.31 43,423.31 20 0401 FOUR UNITS (ANY COMBINATION) 605.91 605.91 21 0500 FIVE OR MORE APARTMENTS OR UNITS 132,340.11 132,340.11 22 0501 FIVE OR MORE APARTMENTS OR UNITS 9,745.00 9,745.00 23 0900 MANUFACTURED HOME PARK 2,423.63 2,423.63 24 1000 COMMERCIAL 50.49 50.49
25 1001 COMMERCIAL 50.49 50.49
26 1100 STORE 3,635.44 3,635.44
27 1200 STORE COMBINATION (WITH OFFICE OR RESIDENTIAL) 1,211.81 1,211.81 28 1210
STORE COMBINATION (WITH OFFICE OR RESIDENTIAL) - Store and residential combination 5,958.08 5,958.08
29 1212 STORE COMBINATION (WITH OFFICE OR RESIDENTIAL) 201.97 201.97 30 1400 SUPERMARKET - Supermarket - 12000 sq. ft. or more 757.38 757.38 31 1420 SUPERMARKET - Small food store - less than 6000 sq. ft. 50.49 50.49 32 1500 SHOPPING CENTER (NEIGHBORHOOD, COMMUNITY) 2,019.69 2,019.69 33 1600 SHOPPING CENTER (REGIONAL) 3,029.53 3,029.53 34 1700 OFFICE BUILDING 5,301.68 5,301.68
35 1702 OFFICE BUILDING 252.46 252.46
36 1720 OFFICE BUILDING - Office and residential 100.98 100.98 37 1802 HOTEL AND MOTEL 1,262.31 1,262.31
38 1820 HOTEL AND MOTEL - Motels - under 50 units 8,836.14 8,836.14 39 1832 HOTEL AND MOTEL - Motels - 50 or more units 2,019.69 2,019.69 40 1900 PROFESSIONAL BUILDING 1,767.23 1,767.23
41 1910 PROFESSIONAL BUILDING - Medical/dental Building 1,767.23 1,767.23 42 1912 PROFESSIONAL BUILDING - Medical/dental Building 252.46 252.46 43 2100 RESTAURANT, COCKTAIL LOUNGE 4,796.76 4,796.76 44 2102 RESTAURANT, COCKTAIL LOUNGE 504.92 504.92 45 2110 RESTAURANT, COCKTAIL LOUNGE - Fast Food - Walk up 403.94 403.94 46 2300 BANK, SAVINGS & LOAN 201.97 201.97
47 2400
SERVICE SHOPS - RADIO AND TV, PAINT SHOPS, ELECTRIC REPAIR, LAUNDRIES, REFRIGERATION SERVICE 302.95 302.95 48 2500 SERVICE STATION 151.48 151.48
49 2510 SERVICE STATION 100.98 100.98
50 2600 AUTO, RECREATION/CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT, SALES AND SERVICE 1,312.80 1,312.80 51 2610 USED CAR SALES 252.46 252.46
52 2620 NEW CAR SALES AND SERVICE 151.48 151.48 Line
No: DescriptionLUC
B - 5
APPENDIX - B
CITY OF BELL, CA
SEWER COST OF SERVICE BY COST COMPONENT AND LAND USE CODE (LUC) - TEST YEAR FY 2025 [A] [B]
Customer Total
Line
No: DescriptionLUC
53 2670 AUTO SERVICE CENTERS (NO GASOLINE) 252.46 252.46 54 2700 PARKING LOT (COMMERCIAL USE PROPERTIES) 732.14 732.14 55 2710 PARKING LOT (COMMERCIAL USE PROPERTIES) - Lots - commercial parking 25.25 25.25 56 3010 MISCELLANEOUS INDUSTRIAL 100.98 100.98 57 3100
LIGHT MANUFACTURING, SMALL EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURING, SMALL MACHINE SHOPS, INSTRUMENTS MANUFACTURING, PRINTING PLANTS 5,301.68 5,301.68 58 3200 HEAVY MANUFACTURING 20,196.89 20,196.89
59 3300 WAREHOUSING, DISTRIBUTION UNDER 10,000 SQ. FT. 605.91 605.91 60 3310 WAREHOUSING, DISTRIBUTION 10,000-24,999 SQ. FT. 807.88 807.88 61 3320 WAREHOUSING, DISTRIBUTION 25,000-50,000 SQ. FT. 807.88 807.88 62 3330 WAREHOUSING. DISTRIBUTION OVER 50,000 SQ. FT. 2,827.56 2,827.56 63 3400 PUBLIC STORAGE (BEKINS, LYONS) 50.49 50.49 64 3800 PARKING LOT (INDUSTRIAL USE) 50.49 50.49 65 3910 OPEN STORAGE - Trucking companies, terminals 504.92 504.92 66 6400 CLUBS, LODGE HALLS, FRATERNAL ORGANIZATIONS 504.92 504.92 67 100V COMMERCIAL - VACANT LAND 25.25 25.25 68 300V INDUSTRIAL - VACANT LAND 50.49 50.49 69 330C WAREHOUSING, DISTRIBUTION UNDER 10,000 SQ. FT. 3,231.50 3,231.50 70 331C WAREHOUSING, DISTRIBUTION 10,000-24,999 SQ. FT. 100.98 100.98 71 7610 ADULT DAY SERVICES - SKILLED CARE SERVICES OFFERED 1,009.84 1,009.84 72 7100 CHURCHES 1,110.83 1,110.83
73 7200 SCHOOLS (PRIVATE) 504.92 504.92
74 7410 CONVALESCENT HOSPITALS, NURSING HOMES 2,524.61 2,524.61 75 7700 CEMETERIES, MAUSOLEUMS, MORTUARIES 50.49 50.49 76 7710 MORTUARIES, FUNERAL HOMES 50.49 50.49 77 Total 504,594.00$ 504,594.00$
B - 6
APPENDIX - B
CITY OF BELL, CA
SEWER RATE CALCULATION - TEST YEAR FY 2025
[A] [B] [C]
Total Costs Yearly Sewage
Units
Total Annual
Fee Per
Sewage Unit
1 0100 SINGLE RESIDENCE $ 94,067.01 1,863.0 $ 50.49 2 0101 SINGLE RESIDENCE - Pool $ 3,231.50 64.0 $ 50.49 3 0103 SINGLE RESIDENCE - Pool and misc. $ 100.98 2.0 $ 50.49 4 0104 SINGLE RESIDENCE - Therapy pool (spa) $ 50.49 1.0 $ 50.49 5 0106 SINGLE RESIDENCE - Tennis court $ 252.46 5.0 $ 50.49 6 0108 SINGLE RESIDENCE - Guesthouse $ 100.98 2.0 $ 50.49 7 0109 SINGLE RESIDENCE - Other improvements only $ 151.48 3.0 $ 50.49 8 010D
SINGLE RESIDENCE - Planned unit development
(PUD) $ 656.40 13.0 $ 50.49 9 010V SINGLE RESIDENCE - Vacant $ 50.49 1.0 $ 50.49 10 01A6 SINGLE RESIDENCE $ 50.49 1.0 $ 50.49 11 01D6 SINGLE RESIDENCE $ 201.97 4.0 $ 50.49 12 010C SINGLE RESIDENCE - Condominium $ 1,868.21 37.0 $ 50.49 13 01DC SINGLE RESIDENCE - Condominium detached $ 353.45 7.0 $ 50.49 14 0200 DOUBLE, DUPLEX, OR TWO UNITS $ 67,760.56 1,342.0 $ 50.49 15 0201 DOUBLE, DUPLEX, OR TWO UNITS $ 605.91 12.0 $ 50.49 16 0203 DOUBLE, DUPLEX, OR TWO UNITS $ 100.98 2.0 $ 50.49 17 0300 THREE UNITS (ANY COMBINATION) $ 58,167.04 1,152.0 $ 50.49 18 0301 THREE UNITS (ANY COMBINATION) $ 151.48 3.0 $ 50.49 19 0400 FOUR UNITS (ANY COMBINATION) $ 43,423.31 860.0 $ 50.49 20 0401 FOUR UNITS (ANY COMBINATION) $ 605.91 12.0 $ 50.49 21 0500 FIVE OR MORE APARTMENTS OR UNITS $ 132,340.11 2,621.0 $ 50.49 22 0501 FIVE OR MORE APARTMENTS OR UNITS $ 9,745.00 193.0 $ 50.49 23 0900 MANUFACTURED HOME PARK $ 2,423.63 48.0 $ 50.49 24 1000 COMMERCIAL $ 50.49 1.0 $ 50.49 25 1001 COMMERCIAL $ 50.49 1.0 $ 50.49 26 1100 STORE $ 3,635.44 72.0 $ 50.49 27 1200
STORE COMBINATION (WITH OFFICE OR
RESIDENTIAL) $ 1,211.81 24.0 $ 50.49 28 1210
STORE COMBINATION (WITH OFFICE OR
RESIDENTIAL) - Store and residential combination $ 5,958.08 118.0 $ 50.49 29 1212
STORE COMBINATION (WITH OFFICE OR
RESIDENTIAL) $ 201.97 4.0 $ 50.49 30 1400
SUPERMARKET - Supermarket - 12000 sq. ft. or
more $ 757.38 15.0 $ 50.49 31 1420
SUPERMARKET - Small food store - less than 6000
sq. ft. $ 50.49 1.0 $ 50.49 32 1500
SHOPPING CENTER (NEIGHBORHOOD,
COMMUNITY) $ 2,019.69 40.0 $ 50.49 33 1600 SHOPPING CENTER (REGIONAL) $ 3,029.53 60.0 $ 50.49 34 1700 OFFICE BUILDING $ 5,301.68 105.0 $ 50.49 35 1702 OFFICE BUILDING $ 252.46 5.0 $ 50.49 36 1720 OFFICE BUILDING - Office and residential $ 100.98 2.0 $ 50.49 37 1802 HOTEL AND MOTEL $ 1,262.31 25.0 $ 50.49 38 1820 HOTEL AND MOTEL - Motels - under 50 units $ 8,836.14 175.0 $ 50.49 39 1832 HOTEL AND MOTEL - Motels - 50 or more units $ 2,019.69 40.0 $ 50.49 40 1900 PROFESSIONAL BUILDING $ 1,767.23 35.0 $ 50.49 41 1910
PROFESSIONAL BUILDING - Medical/dental
Building $ 1,767.23 35.0 $ 50.49 42 1912
PROFESSIONAL BUILDING - Medical/dental
Building $ 252.46 5.0 $ 50.49 43 2100 RESTAURANT, COCKTAIL LOUNGE $ 4,796.76 95.0 $ 50.49 44 2102 RESTAURANT, COCKTAIL LOUNGE $ 504.92 10.0 $ 50.49 45 2110
RESTAURANT, COCKTAIL LOUNGE - Fast Food -
Walk up $ 403.94 8.0 $ 50.49 Line
No: Customer ClassLUC
B - 7
APPENDIX - B
CITY OF BELL, CA
SEWER RATE CALCULATION - TEST YEAR FY 2025
[A] [B] [C]
Total Costs Yearly Sewage
Units
Total Annual
Fee Per
Sewage Unit
Line
No: Customer ClassLUC
46 2300 BANK, SAVINGS & LOAN $ 201.97 4.0 $ 50.49 47 2400
SERVICE SHOPS - RADIO AND TV, PAINT SHOPS,
ELECTRIC REPAIR, LAUNDRIES, REFRIGERATION
SERVICE $ 302.95 6.0 $ 50.49 48 2500 SERVICE STATION $ 151.48 3.0 $ 50.49 49 2510 SERVICE STATION $ 100.98 2.0 $ 50.49 50 2600
AUTO, RECREATION/CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT,
SALES AND SERVICE $ 1,312.80 26.0 $ 50.49 51 2610 USED CAR SALES $ 252.46 5.0 $ 50.49 52 2620 NEW CAR SALES AND SERVICE $ 151.48 3.0 $ 50.49 53 2670 AUTO SERVICE CENTERS (NO GASOLINE) $ 252.46 5.0 $ 50.49 54 2700 PARKING LOT (COMMERCIAL USE PROPERTIES) $ 732.14 14.5 $ 50.49 55 2710
PARKING LOT (COMMERCIAL USE PROPERTIES) -
Lots - commercial parking $ 25.25 0.5 $ 50.49 56 3010 MISCELLANEOUS INDUSTRIAL $ 100.98 2.0 $ 50.49 57 3100
LIGHT MANUFACTURING, SMALL EQUIPMENT
MANUFACTURING, SMALL MACHINE SHOPS,
INSTRUMENTS MANUFACTURING, PRINTING
PLANTS $ 5,301.68 105.0 $ 50.49 58 3200 HEAVY MANUFACTURING $ 20,196.89 400.0 $ 50.49 59 3300
WAREHOUSING, DISTRIBUTION UNDER 10,000 SQ.
FT. $ 605.91 12.0 $ 50.49 60 3310
WAREHOUSING, DISTRIBUTION 10,000-24,999 SQ.
FT. $ 807.88 16.0 $ 50.49 61 3320
WAREHOUSING, DISTRIBUTION 25,000-50,000 SQ.
FT. $ 807.88 16.0 $ 50.49 62 3330
WAREHOUSING. DISTRIBUTION OVER 50,000 SQ.
FT. $ 2,827.56 56.0 $ 50.49 63 3400 PUBLIC STORAGE (BEKINS, LYONS) $ 50.49 1.0 $ 50.49 64 3800 PARKING LOT (INDUSTRIAL USE) $ 50.49 1.0 $ 50.49 65 3910 OPEN STORAGE - Trucking companies, terminals $ 504.92 10.0 $ 50.49 66 6400
CLUBS, LODGE HALLS, FRATERNAL
ORGANIZATIONS $ 504.92 10.0 $ 50.49 67 100V COMMERCIAL - VACANT LAND $ 25.25 0.5 $ 50.49 68 300V INDUSTRIAL - VACANT LAND $ 50.49 1.0 $ 50.49 69 330C
WAREHOUSING, DISTRIBUTION UNDER 10,000 SQ.
FT. $ 3,231.50 64.0 $ 50.49 70 331C
WAREHOUSING, DISTRIBUTION 10,000-24,999 SQ.
FT. $ 100.98 2.0 $ 50.49 71 7610
ADULT DAY SERVICES - SKILLED CARE SERVICES
OFFERED $ 1,009.84 20.0 $ 50.49 72 7100 CHURCHES $ 1,110.83 22.0 $ 50.49 73 7200 SCHOOLS (PRIVATE) $ 504.92 10.0 $ 50.49 74 7410 CONVALESCENT HOSPITALS, NURSING HOMES $ 2,524.61 50.0 $ 50.49 75 7700 CEMETERIES, MAUSOLEUMS, MORTUARIES $ 50.49 1.0 $ 50.49 76 7710 MORTUARIES, FUNERAL HOMES $ 50.49 1.0 $ 50.49 B - 8