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: Joshua Merten, Engineer Il
City of Fresno – Department of Public Utilities
747 R Street, 2nd Floor
Fresno, CA 93721
Phone: 559-621-1625
Email: [email protected]
PROJECT TITLE: Emergency Replacement of Air Supply Pipeline at the Fresno-Clovis Regional Wastewater Reclamation Facility
(RWRF)
PROJECT LOCATIONS: Fresno-Clovis Regional Wastewater Reclamation Facility (RWRF) 5607 W Jensen Ave, Fresno, CA 93706
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The Project entails the replacement and temporary shutdown of the air supply pipeline.
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 requirements 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. The subsection relevant to this Project are (b) and (d), which are listed below:
(b) Existing facilities of both investor and publicly -owned utilities used to provide electric power, natural gas, sewerage, or other public utility services;
(d) Restoration or rehabilitation of deteriorated or damaged structures, facilities, or mechanical equipment to meet current standards of public health and safety, unless it is determined that the damage was substantial and resulted from an environmental hazard such as earthquake, landslide, or flood;
The Project described herein represents the necessary emergency repair to an existing public owned Wastewater Treatment Facility , as described in subsection (b), to rehabilitate deteriorated structures to allow continued use of the sewer pipeline to meet standards for public health, as described in subsection (d). The specific work tasks may include the following:
• Installing replacement piping to supply air to the aeration basins. • Temporary shutdowns of the air supply pipeline to allow for tying the replacement piping into the existing air supply distribution system. • Reconstructing and reinstating the areas disturbed for the purposes of the Project.
All work will occur within existing publicly-owned RWRF. The Project will not expand the use of the existing facility, nor will it relocate any existing facilities or structures. The Project is merely to replace the existing air supply pipeline. As such, replacement work and software upgrade for the programmable logic control are exempt under Section 15301/Class 1 (b/d).
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 within the
RWRF.
(b) Cumulative Impact The Project will not have a cumulative negative impact over time that is significant. The Project
merely entails replacement of the air supply pipeline.
(c) Significant Effect The Project will not have a significant effect on the environment due to unusual circumstances. All work
will be limited to 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 RWRF where the emergency replacement is
occurring is 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: March 6, 2026
Prepared by: Joshua Merten