CITY OF FRESNO
CATEGORICAL EXEMPTION
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT NO. TC00185-EP007
THE PROJECT DESCRIBED HEREIN IS DETERMINED TO BE CATEGORICALLY
EXEMPT FROM THE PREPARATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENTS
PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 19 OF THE STATE CEQA GUIDELINES.
APPLICANT: Samuel Nadores, PE
City of Fresno Capital Projects Department
747 R Street, 2 nd Floor
Fresno, CA 93721
PROJECT LOCATION: Fresno-Clovis Regional Wastewater Reclamation Facility 5607 W Jensen Ave
Fresno, CA 93706
(City of Fresno Council District 3)
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Installation of (3)-2.5-megawatt natural gas emergency backup generators and related appurtenances within a 5,000 square- foot area at the existing Fresno-Clovis Regional Wastewater Reclamation facility. Scope of work includes but not limited to, installation of a natural gas supply pipeline, transfer switches, electrical system modifications, and site grading.
This project is exempt under Section 15301/ Class 1 (a) and (b) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines. None of the exceptions to Categorical Exemptions set forth in the CEQA Guidelines, Section 15300.2 apply to this project.
EXPLANATION:
Section 15301/Class 1 (a) and (b)
Class 1 exemptions, for projects pertaining to Existing Facilities, 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 use beyond that existing at the time of the lead agency’s determination. Examples include:
(a) Interior or exterior alterations involving such things as interior partitions, plumbing, and electrical conveyances.
(b) Existing facilities of both investor and publicly owned utilities to provide electric power, natural gas, sewerage, or other public utility services.
The proposed project includes construction for the installation of three (3)-2.5-megawatt natural gas backup generators and related appurtenances within a 5,000 square-foot area at the existing Fresno-Clovis Regional Wastewater Reclamation Facility. Scope of work includes but not limited to, installation of natural gas supply pipeline, transfer switches, electrical system modifications, and site grading. The work involves minor alterations to the existing facility and the proposed emergency backup generators are intended to ultimately run by on-site biogas supply.
None of the exceptions to Categorical Exemptions set forth in the CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2 apply to this project.
(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.
(b) Cumulative Impact The Project will not have a cumulative negative impact over time that is significant, as the three 2.5
MW generators are for redundancy and will operate
only during power outages and not simultaneously.
(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 Project is located inside the Fresno-Clovis
Regional Wastewater Reclamation Facility, which
are not historical resources.
None of the exceptions to Categorical Exemptions set forth in the CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2 apply to this project. 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.