Georgetown Divide Public Utility District Canal Piping Resiliency Project
Summary
SCH Number
2024080089
Public Agency
Georgetown Divide Public Utilities District
Document Title
Georgetown Divide Public Utility District Canal Piping Resiliency Project
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
8/2/2024
Document Description
The Project consists of the installation of multiple piped segments of the Georgetown Ditch Water Conveyance System (canal) totaling approximately 8,000 linear feet and is generally located north of Wentworth Springs Road, north of Quintette, and along Georgetown Water Supply Road. In order to improve system reliability and resiliency, the Project entails the installation of irrigation piping within canal sections that were identified as priority for conversion from open ditch to piped conveyance due to significant water loss and exposure to erosion as a result of the Mosquito Fire of
2022. The Mosquito Fire burned 76,788 acres and there was a Presidential Disaster Declaration (FM-5453-CA) declared on September 9, 2022.
The proposed Project would include installing a 48-inch high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe within the existing canal footprint and backfilling over the pipe with native/imported material. Once the pipe is installed, the access road will be widened over the top of the pipe/canal trench, to provide a wider, more reliable access and maintenance road and protect the water supply from contaminated runoff entering
the system. The Project would be constructed by contractors that were selected through public bidding.
The proposed Project would include removing sediment and/or gunite from the canal, recompacting the flow line and preparing the canal bottom for installation of the 48-inch HDPE pipe. In addition, maintenance access structures would be installed along the alignment to provide access to pipes for maintenance. The maintenance access structures would be concrete lined and equipped with trash racks to keep large debris from flowing into the pipe. The maintenance access structures would provide GDPUD
access to remove sediment and or blockages from the piped segments. These structures would be installed where a new pipe section is ending at an existing pipe section, angle points, and on runs which exceed approximately 500 feet.
Backfill for the pipe would be sourced from the adjacent areas within GDPUD’s existing prescriptive easements. In addition, supplemental backfill material may be provided from another approved source.
Any supplemental material to be used would be obtained from stockpiles temporarily stored at the staging areas. Project construction on each segment would occur in phases to reduce canal shut down times. Each phase would begin with cutting off supply from Stumpy Meadows, damming the upstream ditch, pipe or maintenance access structure, then completing approximately 300 to 500 linear feet of pipe placement before restoring flows. The construction approach and methods are further
described below.
The existing piped sections of the canal are 48-inch diameter. GDPUD has not experienced capacity issues and does not anticipate rapid population growth within the service area. The design diameter for the new piping would be consistent with the existing 48-inch piping and there is no additional capacity being
proposed as part of this project. There is still available capacity in the existing pipe sections. Multiple pipe materials were considered but HDPE pipe was selected because it is light weight and easy to place with
manual labor when an excavator cannot be used, which is important as access can be limited. HDPE is also more widely available, easier to transport and stage, lower in cost, easier to install, and is traffic rated with appropriate soil cover, as recommended by the manufacturer specifications.
Contact Information
Name
Adam Brown
Agency Name
GDPUD
Job Title
Operations Manager
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Email
Location
Coordinates
Cities
Quintette
Counties
El Dorado
Regions
Countywide
Other Location Info
The Project Area is generally located north of Wentworth Springs Road, north of Quintette, and along Georgetown Water Supply Road. The canal, along the El Dorado Conduit, is located within an approximate 50-foot-wide prescriptive easement (25-feet from centerline on each side) on private property and National Forest Land. The Project Area includes the approximately 8,000 linear-foot segments where piping installation would occur and the approximately 14,100-linear feet of the GDPUD access roads that would provide access to the installation sites. While only piping is proposed along the identified segments, access and staging would occur along the service roads within the project vicinity. The approximate 9.5-acre, 8,000 linear-foot total segments where the piping would be installed corresponds to Sections 31-32, Township 13 North, and Range 12 east (Mount Diablo Base and Meridian) of the “Tunnel Hill, California” 7.5-minute quadrangles (U.S. Geological Survey [USGS] 1950 [photo revised 1973]; The approximate center of the Project Area is located at 38.928988° latitude and -120.676114° longitude within the North Fork American watershed (Hydrological Unit Code #18020128; Natural Resources Conservation Service [NRCS] et al. 2019
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
15301(b); 15302(c)
Reasons for Exemption
The proposed project involves piping an existing public utility canal. The project will not involve expansion of capacity. The project qualifies under categorical exemption section 15301(b)- Existing Facilities/publicly owned utilities and 15302(c) Replacement or Reconstruction
County Clerk
El Dorado
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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