City of Visalia - First Addendum to Initial Study/ Negative Declaration Document No. 2009-88 (State Clearinghouse 2009101032)
DESCRIPTION OF ORIGINAL PROJECT IN INITIAL STUDY/ NEGATIVE DECLARATION:
Project Title: Detention Basin Borrow Sites Project
Project Description: This project is comprised of increasing the freeboard capacity of two City-owned wastewater treatment plant detention basins totaling 240 acres by excavating up to 591,000 cubic feet of native earth materials, and transporting the materials to two road construction sites located up to two miles away at State Highway 198. Site One is in the City of Visalia corporate limits (within the sites boundaries of the city -owned wastewater treatment plant), and Site Two is owned by the City of Visalia, and is in unincorporated Tulare County. The City of Visalia has assumed Lead Agency responsibilities over the project, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15051(b).
The sites are as follows:
Site One: Southeast corner of Road 68 and Avenue 288. This site consists of 80 acres of existing ponding basins that are five feet deep. APNs: 118-020-031, -032 (portion), and -036 (portion), City of Visalia, County of Tulare.
Site Two: Northeast corner of Road 44 and Avenue 280. APN: 118-010-017, County of Tulare.
SUMMARY
This document is an addendum to Initial Study/ Negative Declaration Document No. 2009-88 (State Clearinghouse 2009101032) originally prepared for the Detention Basin Burrow Sites Project. The decision to prepare an addendum was based on the original document’s adequate analysis regarding the excavation project at the City’s wastewater treatment plant facilities. In accordance with CEQA Guidelines Section 15164(a), none of the conditions described in CEQA Guidelines Section 15162, which would require the preparation of a Subsequent EIR, Negative Declaration, or Supplemental EIR have been met.
This addendum is being prepared to incorporate into the project description the Basin 3 and Basin 4 Excavation Project, described as follows:
The proposed Basin 3 and Basin 4 Excavation Project involves the removal of approximately 495,000 cubic yards of soil from two existing City-owned stormwater basins located near Avenue 280 (Caldwell Avenue) and Roads 44 and 68 in Tulare County. The project is intended to deepen and regrade the basins to improve stormwater storage and groundwater percolation capacity, consistent with their long-established use as part of the City’s stormwater management system. There is no expansion of use or change in basin function will occur, and all work will take place within the existing basin footprints. The excavated material will be transported by Granite Construction for beneficial reuse as engineered fill on the nearby Caltrans Caldwell Avenue and Highway 99 Widening Project.
All the work will be completed at no cost to the City, and in accordance with City-approved grading plans and environmental compliance requirements.
No changes will be made to the zoning or land use designations associated with the project, and no changes will be made to the land uses themselves. The change to the Initial Study/ Negative Declaration’s project description is minor and is supported by evidence in the record. A copy of the original Initial Study/ Negative Declaration is included together with this addendum.
This addendum shall be attached to and considered with Initial Study / Negative Declaration No. 2009-88, which was prepared for the Detention Basin Borrow Sites Project, and was approved on November 9, 2009. The Initial Study / Negative Declaration was prepared in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and disclosed that environmental impacts are determined to be not significant for the project.
City of Visalia - First Addendum to Initial Study/ Negative Declaration Document No. 2009-88 (State Clearinghouse 2009101032)
DECISION TO PREPARE AN ADDENDUM PURSUANT TO CEQA GUIDELINES, SEC. 15162 According to CEQA Guidelines Section 15162, a subsequent Negative Declaration is required if one or more of three criteria have occurred. These criteria generally involve substantial changes proposed in the project or occurring with respect to the circumstances under which the project is taken that warrant major revisions to the Negative Declaration due to new or increased significant environmental effects, or the revealing of new information of substantial importance that was not and could not have reasonably been known previously that show an increased significant impact from the project.
The City’s evaluation of the proposed project has determined that the excavation of native earth from the same location that was previously considered for the burrow / excavation project is not a substantial change that brings about a new significant environmental impact or significantly increases the severity of an environmental impact. Also, no new information has arisen since the approval of Negative Declaration No. 20 09-88 regarding the project or its site conditions that warrant a change in environmental effects.
Staff makes the following findings for the First Addendum to Initial Study/ Negative Declaration Document No. 2009-88:
FINDINGS
1. That the inclusion of the Basin 3 and Basin 4 Excavation Project , constitutes a minor change to the Initial Study/ Negative Declaration Document No. 2009 -88 (State Clearinghouse 2009101032) prepared for the Detention Basin Borrow Sites Project, and none of the conditions which would require the preparation of a Subsequent Negative Declaration have occurred, in accordance with CEQA Guidelines Section 15164(a).
2. That no changes have occurred since Initial Study/Negative Declaration No. 2009-88 was approved that would change the outcome of the previous Initial Study.
Addendum to Initial Study/ Negative Declaration No. 2009-88 prepared by:
October 13, 2025
Brandon Smith Date
Environmental Coordinator
City of Visalia Planning Division
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION
The following documents are hereby incorporated into this Addendum by reference:
• Initial Study/ Negative Declaration Document No. 2009-88 (State Clearinghouse 2009101032)
• California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines