GEO GOGO Hospitality 052024-001
Summary
SCH Number
2024110302
Public Agency
California Department of Conservation
(DOC)
Document Title
GEO GOGO Hospitality 052024-001
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
11/8/2024
Document Description
The approved project consists of drilling a new Intermediate low-temperature geothermal resources well.
Drilling and casing of single low-temperature geothermal resources well 350 feet below ground surface. The purpose of the well is to produce geothermal fluids for thermal baths or irrigation depending on water temperature. 200-220 gallons per minute (gpm) production of water is estimated if water is hot; 70 gpm if water is cold.
The drilling contractor will use one drill rig to install a 17” diameter hole 100 feet below ground surface and install 100 feet of 10” steel casing. The annulus will be filled with a 10-sack cement sand slurry using a tremie pipe. The 10” diameter hole will be screened at 100-350 feet for production of geothermal water. The construction disturbance area will be approximately 20 by 20 feet on previously disturbed ground.
The water produced will be routed via existing underground plumbing to an existing 6" plumbing line feeding existing and future mineral water baths. Effluent discharge from these mineral baths is routed to percolation ponds which add to the Bedford Coldwater Basin. Future plans would be capture and use this water for on-site non-potable irrigation as well. The Bedford Coldwater Groundwater Sustainability Authority (BCGSA) issued a response letter associated with the Riverside County Environmental Health Department Water Well Application for a New Well approving the well proposal.
Contact Information
Name
Ray Mullins
Agency Name
Department of Conservation, Geologic Energy Management Division
Job Title
Associate Environmental Planner
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Location
Coordinates
Counties
Riverside
Regions
Southern California
Township
5S
Range
6W
Section
10
Base
SB
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Class 3, New Construction/Conversion of Small Structures (14 CCR § 15303)
Reasons for Exemption
Class 3 exemption applies because the proposed project would be a small new structure appurtenant to an existing spa resort, with no known sensitive resources or hazardous conditions onsite. The project is one intermediate low-temperature geothermal well, a small accessory structure, for the use in providing hot water to the spa resort’s thermal baths or as a water supply for the spa resort’s irrigation needs as well as to water avocado groves within an approximate 1,000 ft radius, depending on the water’s temperature.
Generally, geothermal wells do not have the same air quality or hazardous substance concerns as oil and gas wells. Therefore, proximity to recreation areas such as the nearby tennis court is not a point of concern.
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Class 4, Minor Alterations to Land (14 CCR §§ 15304, 1684.2)
Reasons for Exemption
Class 4 exemption applies because the project would be conducted entirely on an existing clearing with sufficient space to contain all equipment and existing roads would be utilized with no new disturbance. No impacts to biological resources are expected. The project would not disturb any undisturbed areas, cause subsidence, impact groundwater levels, storage, or availability, and is located within a private spa resort area. Therefore, the project “consists of drilling operations that result in only minor alterations with negligible or no permanent effects to the existing condition of the land, water, air, and/or vegetation.”
This is a low-temperature geothermal well proposed to be 350 feet below ground surface. The proposed project targets the geothermal fluids in the fractured bedrock underlying the shallow alluvium defined in the applicable Groundwater Sustainability Plan as the Bedford-Coldwater Basin. Unlike oil and gas wells, the proposed project does not have risks to groundwater or air quality that might be associated with deeper drilling and completion into a hydrocarbon zone.
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Common Sense Exemption (14 CCR §§ 15061(b)(3))
Reasons for Exemption
The “Common Sense” exemption applies when “a project 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 purpose of the well is to produce geothermal fluids for thermal baths or irrigation for commercial luxury resort, using low-temperature geothermal well that “consists of drilling operations that result in only minor alterations with negligible or no permanent effects to the existing condition of the land, water, air, and/or vegetation.” The proposed project does not have significant risks to groundwater or air quality that might be associated with deeper drilling and completion into a hydrocarbon zone.
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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