CITY OF FRESNO
CATEGORICAL EXEMPTION
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
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.
CONTACT: Joshua Merten, Engineer II
City of Fresno – Department of Public Utilities
747 R Street, 2nd Floor
Fresno, CA 93721
Phone: 559-621-1625
Email: [email protected]
PROJECT TITLE: Secondary Treatment Process Rehabilitation at the Fresno-Clovis Regional Wastewater Reclamation
Facility (RWRF)
PROJECT LOCATIONS: 5607 W. Jensen Avenue Fresno, CA 93706 Fresno-Clovis Regional Water Reclamation Facility
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The Project involves conducting a comprehensive condition assessment of the RWRF B ‑ and C ‑Side
secondary treatment systems and Dissolved Air Flotation Thickeners ( DAFTs), located at the City of Fresno’s
Regional Water Reclamation Facility (RWRF), followed
by a rehabilitation of the existing infrastructure.
The Project is exempt under Section 15301/Class 1 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines.
Section 15301 applies to projects involving the operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, where the work results in negligible or no expansion of existing or former use. The subsections applicable to this Project are:
(b) Existing facilities of publicly ‑owned utilities used to provide 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, provided the damage did not result from a major environmental hazard.
The Project consists of conducting structural and mechanical condition assessment inspections, design, and thereafter, rehabilitation of the existing B‑ and C‑Side aeration basins, secondary clarifiers, and DAFTs. These activities restore deteriorated infrastructure necessary for continued wastewater treatment operations and public health protection, consistent with subsections (b) and (d).
All work will occur entirely within the existing RWRF footprint and involves the repair, restoration, or replacement of existing equipment with no expansion of footprint, capacity or change in use. The project is limited to improving the condition and reliability of existing facilities and does not result in any changes that would increase environmental impacts.
As such, the Project qualifies for a Class 1 exemption under CEQA Guidelines Section 15301(b) and (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. All work will occur entirely within the
boundaries of the Fresno-Clovis RWRF site.
(b) Cumulative Impact The Project will not have a cumulative negative impact over time that is significant. The Project
merely entails the assessment and rehabilitation of
existing wastewater treatment facilities with no
expansion of capacity or change in use.
(c) Significant Effect The Project will not have a significant effect on the environment due to unusual circumstances. All work
will be limited within the existing RWRF structures
and will not introduce new or unusual environmental
risks.
(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 facilities subject to the Project are not
identified as 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: May 12, 2026 Date: May 12, 2026
Prepared
by:
_____________________
Submitted by:
___________________
Joshua Merten
Engineer II
City of Fresno
Department of Public
Utilities
(559) 621-1625
Debbie Khounsavath
Project Manager
City of Fresno
Department of Public Utilities
(559) 621-1624