Draft Environmental Assessment for Cargill, Incorporated Solar Sea Salt System Maintenance and Operations Activities
2 Documents in Project
Summary
SCH Number
2020080442
Lead Agency
San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission
(BCDC)
Document Title
Draft Environmental Assessment for Cargill, Incorporated Solar Sea Salt System Maintenance and Operations Activities
Document Type
EA - Environmental Assessment
Received
Present Land Use
Solar Salt System Maintenance and Operations Activities
Document Description
This Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) analyzes the environmental impacts of the proposed continued maintenance and operation activities of Cargill, Incorporated’s (Cargill’s) Solar Salt System in Newark and Redwood City, California (Proposed Project).
With respect to Cargill’s proposed Project, the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) serves as the lead agency for purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). However, BCDC is exempt from typical CEQA requirements of a lead agency to prepare an environmental impact report, negative declaration, or mitigated negative declaration for Cargill’s Proposed Project because it instead implements a regulatory program that has been certified by the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency as meeting the requirements of section 21080.5 of CEQA. (See Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations section 15251(h).) Therefore, BCDC has prepared this Draft EA in compliance with its regulations implementing its certified regulatory program as codified at 14 CCR sections 11511 to 11521.
Although the regulations governing BCDC’s certified regulatory program do not require that BCDC prepare an interim “Draft EA” for public consideration prior to inclusion of the EA with the permit application summary for Commission consideration of the Project at a properly noticed public hearing (see in particular 14 CCR section 11511(c)), BCDC has nonetheless prepared a Draft EA and is providing a public review period from April 30, 2021 until June 1, 2021 for the document.
Written comments on the Draft EA are welcome and should be sent so as to be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on June 1, 2021, to:
San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission
Attn: Schuyler Olsson, Coastal Program Analyst
375 Beale Street, Suite 510 San Francisco, California 94105
Email: schuyler.olsson@bcdc.ca.gov
Contact Information
Name
Michael Ng
Agency Name
Staff Attorney
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Email
Name
Schuyler Olsson
Agency Name
Coastal Program Analyst
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Location
Cities
Newark, Redwood City
Counties
Alameda, San Mateo
Regions
San Francisco Bay Area
Other Location Info
The Newark Plant 1 complex is located west of Fremont, extending from Coyote Hills Slough/Alameda Creek (also known as the Alameda Flood Control Channel) on the north to the Union Pacific Railroad ("UPRR") right-of way and the lower reach of Newark Slough to the south. The Plant 1 Project area encompasses approximately 4,100 acres and is located within the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge (the "Refuge"). SR 84, the approach to the Dumbarton Bridge, and Newark Slough traverse the southern portion of the complex. Baumberg Pond B-3C, an approximately 166-acre pond, is located north of Coyote Hills Slough/Alameda Creek, and adjacent to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Eden Landing Ecological Reserve. The Newark Plant 2 complex is located south of Newark Plant 1. It is bounded by the UPRR right-of-way to the northwest, northeast, and east; by Mud Slough/Coyote Creek to the south; and by the Bay to the southwest. Plummer, Mowry, and Albrae Sloughs traverse or border the Plant 2 complex area. Plant 2 includes concentrators as well as crystallizers and encompasses approximately 6,400 acres. Approximately 3,020 acres are owned by Cargill and the remainder is within the Refuge. The Redwood City Plant is on the west shore of the Bay and is bordered by Redwood City to the west and south, Menlo Park to the southeast, and Redwood Creek and commercial/industrial facilities to the northwest. Westpoint Slough and Flood Slough form the northern and eastern borders between the Redwood City Plant and Greco Island. (Greco Island is part of the Refuge.) The Redwood City Plant encompasses approximately 1,430 acres. The brine pipeline alignment connecting the Redwood City Plant to Newark includes a 10-foot-wide strip of land extending south and east from the Redwood City Plant to the Redwood City Maintenance Pond. This pond is a very small pond located at the northeastern corner of US Fish and Wildlife Service Pond SF-2, immediately southeast of SR 84.
Notice of Completion
State Review Period Start
State Review Period End
State Reviewing Agencies
California Air Resources Board (ARB), California Department of Conservation (DOC), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Bay Delta Region 3 (CDFW), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Marin Region 7 (CDFW), California Department of Parks and Recreation, California Department of State Parks, Division of Boating and Waterways, California Department of Transportation, District 4 (DOT), California Highway Patrol (CHP), California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC), California Natural Resources Agency, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), California Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Francisco Bay Region 2 (RWQCB), Department of Toxic Substances Control, Office of Historic Preservation, San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Water Quality, California State Lands Commission (SLC), California Department of Water Resources (DWR)
State Reviewing Agency Comments
California State Lands Commission (SLC), California Department of Water Resources (DWR)
Development Types
Other ((Solar salt system maintenance and operations))
Local Actions
Ministerial permits, if any
Project Issues
Air Quality, Biological Resources, Coastal Zone, Cultural Resources, Cumulative Effects, Flood Plain/Flooding, Geology/Soils, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Hazards & Hazardous Materials, Hydrology/Water Quality, Noise, Transportation, Tribal Cultural Resources, Utilities/Service Systems
Attachments
Draft Environmental Document [Draft IS, NOI_NOA_Public notices, OPR Summary Form, Appx,]
Notice of Completion [NOC] Transmittal form
State Comment Letters [Comments from state reviewing agencies]
Disclaimer: The Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) accepts no responsibility for the content or accessibility of these documents. To obtain an attachment in a different format, please contact the lead agency at the contact information listed above. You may also contact the OPR via email at state.clearinghouse@opr.ca.gov or via phone at (916) 445-0613. For more information, please visit OPR’s Accessibility Site.