CITY OF FRESNO
CATEGORICAL EXEMPTION
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
THE PROJECT DESCRIBED HEREIN IS DETEMINED TO BE CATEGORICALLY
EXEMPT FROM THE PREPARATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENTS
PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 19 OF THE STATE CEQA GUIDELINES.
CONTACT: Patricia Diep, Project Manager
City of Fresno – Capital Projects Department
1626 E Street
Fresno, CA 93706
Phone: 559-621-1609
Email: Patricia.Diep
@Fresno.gov
PROJECT TITLE: Replacement of Variable Frequency Drives
PROJECT LOCATIONS: Regional Wastewater Reclamation Facility 5607 W. Jensen Ave.
Fresno, CA 93706
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The project is for the repl acement of two (2) Allen- Bradley PF755TL 800 HP ND TYPE 1 Variable
Frequenc
y Drives (VFD).
The Project is exempt under Section 15302/Class 2 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines.
Under Section 15302/Class 2, projects are exem pt from CEQA requirements when they consist of the replacement or reconstruction of existing structures and facilities where the new structure will be located on the same site as the structure replaced and will have substantially the same purpose and capacity as the structure replaced.
The Variable Frequency Drive Replacement Project (Project) involves the purchase and recommended replacement of t he existing two variable fr equency drives that are no longer reliable and become less efficient as time progresses at the Regional Wastewater Reclamation Facility. The specific work tasks are the purchase and installation of two new Allen-Bradley Variable Frequency Drives (VFD).
The Project will not expand the use of the existing facility, nor will it relocate any existing facilities or structures. The Project is mere ly the purchase and installation of two new Allen-Bradley VFDs to replace the existing VFD that are no longer reliable at the Regional Wastewater Reclamation Facility (RWRF). The VFDs are used to power the raw sewage pump motors and vary the speed in order to accommodate the varying wastewater flows in the facility. The new VFDs will be replaced installed in the same location as the old VFDs and will have the same purpose and capacity as those being replaced. In the past five years, the Wastewat er Management Division has been experiencing VFD output section failures at the rate of two per year, necessitating new and reliable VFDs.
As such, replacement work for the variabl e frequency drives is exempt under Section 15302/Class 2.
None of the exceptions to Categorical Exemptions set forth in the CEQA Guidelines, Section 15300.2, apply:
(a) Location The Project is not located in a sensitive environment or an environmental resource of hazardous or critical
concern as designated by federal, state, or local
a
gencies. The work is entirely located at the RWRF.
(b) Cumulative Impact The Project will not have a cumulative negative impact over time that is significant. The Project
merely entails replacement work at an existing
facilit
y.
(c) Significant Effect The Project will not have a significant effect on the environment due to unusual circumstances. All work
will be limited to an existin
g facility at the RWRF.
(d) Scenic Highways The Project will not result in damage to scenic resources, including but not limited to, trees, historic buildings, rock outcroppings, or similar resources,
within a highway official ly designated as a state
scenic highway. The Project is not located near
scenic hi
ghways.
(e) Hazardous Waste Sites The Project is not located on a hazardous waste site which is included on any list compiled pursuant to
Section 65962.5 of the Government Code.
(f) Historical Resources The Project will not cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource.
The existing facilities at the RWRF are not
considered historical resources.
Furthermore, the proposed proj ect is not expected to have a significant effect on the environment. Accordingly, a categorical exemption, as noted above, has been prepared for the project.
Date: January 11, 2024
Prepared by: Patricia Diep