Twin Cities Road 69kV Feeder Tie
Summary
SCH Number
2020120370
Public Agency
Sacramento Municipal Utility District
Document Title
Twin Cities Road 69kV Feeder Tie
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
12/18/2020
Present Land Use
Utility easement
Document Description
The purpose of this project is to provide reliability and operational flexibility to maintain and improve restoration time during unplanned outages on the 69 kilovolt (kV) feeders serving the southern portion of SMUD’s service territory. Improving this line will relieve a forecasted 1-megawatt (MW) overload projected for the summer of 2021. The project would provide SMUD operational flexibility to minimize restoration time during unplanned outages on the 69kV feeders serving the southern portion of SMUD’s service territory. This project would also provide SMUD operational flexibility for planned outages. To provide system reliability, the project would reconstruct an existing 12kV line as a single circuit69kV line with 12kV underbuild along Twin Cities Road between Marengo Road and Cherokee Lane. Anew single-circuit 69kV line would be constructed from Stockton Blvd east for a quarter mile along Twin Cities Road. The project involves replacing 27 poles, 6 of which will be steel and the remaining 21 will be wood; a total of 3 new poles will be constructed, one pole west of Stockton Blvd, onepoleabout800 feet north of Twin Cities Road on Cherokee lane, and one pole about 300 feet south of Twin Cities Road on Cherokee Lane. The existing poles along the project alignment are 40-50 feet tall. Generally, the new poles would be installed in the same location as the existing poles but would be between 15-25 feet taller. The poles along Twin Cities Road from Highway 99 to Cherokee Lane are configured for 69kV but would be replaced with new poles approximately 5 feet taller. This project would eliminate the forecasted deficiency for sustained outages during summer peak load and would minimize power restoration time during off-peak times. Construction access will be from the roadside and traffic control measures will be implemented. This project is expected to start in Spring 2021 and take approximately 2 months.
Contact Information
Name
Rob Ferrera
Agency Name
Sacramento Municipal Utility District
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Email
Name
Agency Name
Sacramento Municipal Utility District
Contact Types
Project Applicant
Location
Coordinates
Cities
Galt
Counties
Sacramento
Regions
Citywide, Countywide
Cross Streets
Merengo Road and Twin Cities Road
Zip
95632
Township
05N
Range
06E
Section
14
Other Location Info
Along Twin Cities Road, from Stockton Blvd west of Highway 99 east to Cherokee Lane
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
CEQA Guidelines §15301, §15302, §15303, and §15061(b)(3).
Reasons for Exemption
Under CEQA Guidelines §15062, a lead agency must identify the rationale for making the determination that a project is exempt under CEQA. SMUD has determined that the Twin Cities Road 69kV Feeder Tie Project is exempt under CEQA Guidelines §15301, Existing Facilities, which reads, “Class 1 consists of the...minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, involving negligible or no expansion of existing or former use. The key consideration is whether the project involves negligible or no expansion of use,” and (b) “Existing facilities of both investor and publicly-owned utilities used to provide electric power, natural gas, sewerage, or other public utility services,” and §15302, Replacement or reconstruction, which reads, “Class 2 consists of replacement or reconstruction of existing structures and facilities where the new structure will be located on the same site as the structure replaced and will have substantially the same purpose and capacity as the structure replaced...” and “(c) Replacement or reconstruction of existing utility systems and/or facilities involving negligible or no expansion of capacity”, and §15303, New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures, which reads, “Class 3 consists of construction and location of limited numbers of new, small facilities or structures; installation of small new equipment and facilities in small structures; and the conversion of existing small structures from one use to another where only minor modifications are made in the exterior of the structure...”Lastly, the common sense exemption which states that “CEQA applies only to projects which have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA.” The Twin Cities Road69kV Feeder Tie project involves the replacement of existing utility poles within the project limits and extending a 69kV line above an existing 12kV line in the project area to better utilize existing capacity and provide redundancy. The purpose of the project is to increase reliability in the area during planned or unplanned outages and to better utilize existing capacity and therefore is considered exempt in accordance with CEQA Guidelines §15301, §15302, §15303, and §15061(b)(3).
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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