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 – Department of Public Utilities
1626 E Street
Fresno, CA 93706
Phone: 559-621-1609
Email: [email protected]
PROJECT TITLE: Upgrade of Programmable Logic Controller #1 and #5
PROJECT LOCATIONS: Regional Wastewater Reclamation Facility 5607 W. Jensen Ave.
Fresno, CA 93706
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The project consists of replacement of two 800 series Programmable Logic Controls (PLC) and upgrade of the
existing software program.
The Project is exempt under Section 15301/Class 1 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines.
Under Section 15301/Class 1, projects are exempt from CEQA when they consist of the operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, involving negligible or no expansion of existing or former use. Examples include but are not limited to existing facilities of both investor and publicly owned utilities used to provide electric power, natural gas, sewerage, or other public utility services.
The Project described herein represents the recommended upgrade of the existing PLCs at the Regional Wastewater Reclamation Facility (RWRF). The Project will not expand the use of the existing facility, nor will it relocate any existing facilities or structures. The Project consists of replacing the two existing 800 series PLCs with new Modicon M580 PLCs and update to the software which controls the operations of the RWRF to ensure continuous and reliable operation of vital wastewater treatment activities at RWRF. The new Modicon M580 PLCs will be located on the same site as the 800 series PLCs currently being used and will involve no expansion of the existing use.
As such, the replacement work and software upgrade for the PLCs are exempt under Section 15301/Class 1.
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
agencies. The work is entirely located at the RWRF
on the site of the existing PLCs. This is an industrial environment which is not particularly sensitive.
(b) Cumulative Impact The Project will not have a cumulative negative impact over time that is significant. The Project
merely entails one-time replacement work at an
existing facility.
(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 existing 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 officially designated as a state
scenic highway. The Project is not located near
scenic highways.
(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 project 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: February 1, 2024
Prepared by: Patricia Diep