Valley Center Well PFAS Groundwater Treatment Project
Summary
SCH Number
2020080122
Public Agency
Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency
Document Title
Valley Center Well PFAS Groundwater Treatment Project
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
8/10/2020
Document Description
The whole of the action includes authorization to prepare final design for the project, construction, and operation of the project. Based on the preliminary project design and anticipated final design, and because the project construction is a minor alteration limited to construction within SCV Water’s existing facility property, we find construction and operation of this project to be categorically exempt under the provisions of CEQA and the State CEQA Guidelines, specifically State CEQA Guideline sections 15301 (aka Class 1), Minor Alterations to Existing Facilities and 15303 (aka Class 3) for New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures. The Treatment System will consist of 2 tanks (approx. 12' diameter, 17' height), associated cartridge filters, piping, booster pumps, a chloramination disinfection facility housed within an approximate 15 ft by 25 ft open shade structure, along with associated electrical, SCADA, and water quality measuring equipment. The vessels will be loaded with Ion Exchange Resin which will trap the contaminants via adsorption. The treatment system will treat up to 1,200 gpm of instantaneous flow. The treatment is needed since the chemical group PFAS, has begun to be regulated, and these wells have had detections of these chemicals, which has led to our inability to use said wells without treatment. A portion of the facility’s block wall will be reconfigured to enclose additional equipment. The discharge line outfalls are within an existing rap bank approximately 70 feet from the Santa Clara River that is dry most of the time. During normal operations the primary discharge at the site will occur when the wells are started up and the well water is discharged to waste prior to sending water through the treatment and distribution system. For well start-up the pump to waste duration is approximately 2-3 minutes at a rate of 1,200 gallons per minute. At a well-shut down/start up frequency of once per month, the total annual volume of discharge is approximately 28,800 to 43,200 gallons.
Contact Information
Name
Rick Viergutz
Agency Name
Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Location
Counties
Los Angeles
Cross Streets
26715 Valley Center Drive
Other Location Info
within the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency (SCV- Water) service area
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Section 15301 and 15303
Reasons for Exemption
The project, aka the whole of the action, qualifies for an exemption under Class 1 Existing Facilities because it is a minor alteration of an existing public facility and it concerns proposed new mechanical equipment involving negligible or no expansion of use, i.e. no additional extraction of water, beyond that existing at the time of the lead agency’s determination. The project, aka the whole of the action, also qualifies for an exemption under Class 3 New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures because the project construction is limited to construction within SCV Water’s existing facility property. None of the exceptions listed in Section 15300.2 of the CEQA Guidelines would apply to the action. In particular, a biological resources survey was conducted, and no special status species were observed. Based on discharge rate and duration, the well discharge will not create flowing water in the river sufficient to reach the closest unarmored three spine stickleback occupied habitat downstream. This finding is supported by the biological resources assessment prepared for the project.
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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