CESA Incidental Take Permit No. 2081-2020-043-04 for the Southern California Gas Company Line 85 Milepost 75.75/75.94 Pipe Recoat Project

2021040737

California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Central Region 4 (CDFW)

NOE - Notice of Exemption

4/29/2021

4/29/2021

Craig Bailey

California Department of Fish and Wildlife

Lead/Public Agency

1234 East Shaw Avenue
Fresno, CA 93710

(559) 243-4014 ext. 227

craig.bailey@wildlife.ca.gov

32S

24E

12

MDB&M

The Project is located in the southern San Joaquin Valley approximately 5.5 miles east of the City of Taft in Kern County, California. The Project is specifically located on California Department of Water Resources-owned land adjacent to and on both sides of the California Aqueduct near Lake Station Road within the USGS 7.5-Minute Quadrangle Map Buena Vista Lake Bed in Township 32 South, Range 24 East, Section 12, MDBM; Latitude 35.158737, Longitude -119.350087 and Latitude 35.157882, Longitude -119.345651.

Statutory Exemption

California Code of Regulations, Title 14, section 15269, subd.(b); Public Resources Code, section 21080, subd.(b)(4)

Approval of this Project is statutorily exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA, Pub. Resources Code, § 21000 et seq.) because the Project is subject to California Code of Regulations, Title 14, section 15269, subdivision (b), “Emergency repairs to publicly or privately owned service facilities necessary to maintain service essential to the public health, safety, or welfare which includes those actions that require a reasonable amount of planning to address an anticipated emergency” and Public Resources Code, section 21080, subdivision (b)(4), “Specific actions necessary to prevent or mitigate an emergency”. “Emergency” is defined as “a sudden, unexpected occurrence, involving a clear and imminent danger, demanding immediate action to prevent or mitigate loss of, or damage to, life, health, property, or essential public services” (Pub. Resources Code, § 21060.3). The Project includes the repair of two segments of the existing 26-inch natural gas pipeline (Line) 85 located at Mile Post (MP) 75.75 and MP 75.94 where anomalies have been identified for inspection and recoating. The repairs are needed urgently to protect the integrity and safety of the pipeline as well as to ensure service to natural gas customers is not impacted in winter of 2021. Additionally, repairs are needed urgently to reduce potential impacts to other pipelines in the vicinity of the California Aqueduct, and possibly to the California Aqueduct itself. The proposed Project includes: 1) excavating two trenches approx. 50 feet long by six feet wide by six feet deep to expose the pipeline; 2) stockpiling soil adjacent to trenches within approx. 150-foot long by 50-foot wide work areas; 3) wrapping exposed pipeline segments in plastic containment and sandblasting or scraping existing coating from the exposed pipe; 4) cleaning pipeline of all dirt and debris, inspecting visually or with portable phased-array ultrasonic testing, and preparing for recoating; 5) recoating with fusion-bonded epoxy using a handheld sprayer or brush to correct the identified pipeline anomalies and eliminate the potential safety risk associated with those anomalies; 6) inspecting segments using a pipe jeep meter, and any imperfections detected will be sandblasted, cleaned, and recoated using the procedure described above; 7) upon successful coating and inspection, reburying exposed pipeline segments with stockpiled native soil and returning to pre Project conditions to the extent feasible. Project activities include: clearing; grubbing; removing vegetation; excavating; stockpiling soil; removing existing pipeline coating; installing new fusion-bonded epoxy pipeline coating; reburying pipeline; compacting soil; materials and equipment laydown and storage; transporting construction materials and other Project-related traffic; site recontouring; installing and removing temporary exclusion fencing; and other activities. Impacts will be minimized and fully mitigated through the implementation of measures required by Incidental Take Permit No. 2081 2020 043 04. Measures include: 1) Monthly Compliance Reports; 2) establishment of avoidance zones; 3) worker education; 4) species relocation; and 5) permanent habitat protection.