Ground Source Heat Pump Systems San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center San Francisco, San Francisco County, California
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FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE PROPOSED INSTALLATION AND OPERATION OF GROUND SOURCE HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS SAN FRANCISCO VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTER SAN FRANCISCO, SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS NATIONAL ENERGY BUSINESS CENTER 4141 ROCKSIDE ROAD, SUITE 110 SEVEN HILLS, OHIO 44131 PREPARED BY: TTL Associates, Inc. 22 NOVEMBER 2011 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION PAGE LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS v 1.0 PURPOSE, NEED, AND SCOPE 1 1.1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.2 BACKGROUND 1 1.3 PURPOSE AND NEED 5 1.4 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT PROCESS 5 1.5 PUBLIC INVOLVMENT AND AGENCY COORDINATION 5 1.6 STATUTES AND REGULATIONS 8 2.0 DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED ACTION AND ALTERNATIVES 9 2.1 INTRODUCTION 9 2.2 PROPOSED ACTION 9 2.3 ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED 14 3.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 19 3.1 INTRODUCTION 19 3.1.1 AESTHETICS 19 3.1.2 AIR QUALITY 19 3.1.3 COMMUNITY SERVICES AND UTILITIES 21 3.1.4 CULTURAL RESOURCES 22 3.1.5 FLOODPLAINS, WETLANDS, WATERSHEDS, RIVERS, LAKES, AND COASTAL ZONES 24 3.1.6 GEOGRAPHY, TOPOGRAPHY, AND SOILS 25 3.1.7 HYDROLOGY AND WATER QUALITY 29 3.1.8 LAND USE 30 3.1.9 NOISE 30 3.1.10 SOCIOECONOMICS 30 3.1.11 SOLID AND HAZARDOUS WASTES 33 3.1.12 TRANSPORTATION AND PARKING 34 3.1.13 VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE 34 4.0 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES 35 4.1 INTRODUCTION 35 4.2 AESTHETICS 37 4.3 AIR QUALITY 38 4.4 COMMUNITY SERVICES AND UTILITIES 39 4.5 CULTURAL RESOURCES 39 4.6 FLOODPLAINS, WETLANDS, WATERSHEDS, RIVERS, LAKES, AND COASTAL ZONES 40 4.7 GEOLOGY, TOPOGRAPHY, AND SOILS 41 4.8 HYDROLOGY AND WATER QUALITY 42 4.9 LAND USE 43 4.10 NOISE 43 4.11 SOCIOECONOMICS 44 4.12 SOLID AND HAZARDOUS WASTES 44 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT ii PROPOSED GROUND SOURCE HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS VAMC, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA NOVEMBER 2011 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS TABLE OF CONTENTS 4.13 TRANSPORTATION AND PARKING 45 4.14 VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE 46 4.15 SUMMARY OF MITIGATION MEASURES 47 5.0 CUMULATIVE IMPACTS 48 5.1 KEY FACTORS IN EVALUATING CUMULATIVE EFFECTS 48 5.2 PLANNED PROJECTS IN THE VICINITY 48 5.3 PROJECTS PLANNED AT SAN FRANCISCO VA MEDICAL CENTER 48 5.4 CUMULATIVE IMPACTS 50 6.0 SOURCES CONSULTED 52 7.0 REPORT PREPARERS 54 8.0 REFERENCES 55 LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE Table 1. Evaluation of Alternatives against Established Screening Criteria 15 Table 2. Population Totals for San Francisco and California 31 Table 3. Regional Population by Race and Ethnicity 31 Table 4. Educational Attainment: California and San Francisco 31 Table 5. Regional Income 32 Table 6. Regional Housing Characteristics 32 Table 7. Total Population Versus Population Under Age 18 33 LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE PAGE Figure 1. San Francisco VAMC Regional Location Map 2 Figure 2. San Francisco VAMC Site Location Map 3 Figure 3. Proposed Action Map 4 Figure 4. Representative Schematic of a Closed-Loop System 11 Figure 5. Representative Schematic of a Open-Loop System 12 Figure 6. Representative Schematic of a Standing Column Wells System 13 Figure 7. San Francisco VAMC Historic District 23 Figure 8. Topographic and Coastal Zone Map 27 Figure 9. Soils Map 28 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT iii PROPOSED GROUND SOURCE HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS VAMC, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA NOVEMBER 2011 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF APPENDICES APPENDIX A — Consultation Documents APPENDIX B — Photograph Log APPENDIX C — Completed “Attachment B” and Checklist from the VA Environmental Compliance Manual APPENDIX D — Other Relevant Environmental Data (Relevant EDR data) APPENDIX E — Public Notices and Comments ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT iv PROPOSED GROUND SOURCE HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS VAMC, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA NOVEMBER 2011 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ACHP Advisory Council on Historic IICEP Interagency and Preservation Intergovernmental Coordination AGL Above Ground Level for Environmental Planning AIRFA American Indian Religious IMP Institutional Master Plan Freedom Act kWh Kilowatt-hours ARPA Archaeological Resources LUST Leaking Underground Storage Protection Act Tank BAAQMD Bay Area Air Quality NAAQS National Ambient Air Quality Management District Standards BAS Building Automation System NAGPRA Native American Graves bgs Below Ground Surface Protection and Repatriation Act BLM Bureau of Land Management NDMS National Disaster Medical System BMP Best Management Practice NEPA National Environmental Policy CAA Clean Air Act Act of 1969 CAAA Clean Air Act Amendments NHPA National Historic Preservation CARB California Air Resources Board Act CCR California Code of Regulations NOA Notice of Availability CEQ Council on Environmental NOX Nitrogen Oxides Quality NPDES National Pollution Discharge CFR Code of Federal Regulations Elimination System CHP Combined Heat & Power NPS National Park Service CO Carbon Monoxide NRCS Natural Resources Conservation CZMA Coastal Zone Management Act Service DEA Draft Environmental Assessment NRHP National Register of Historic DOGGR Division of Oil, Gas, & Places Geothermal Resources NWI National Wetland Inventory EA Environmental Assessment O3 Ozone EDR Environmental Data Resources Pb Lead Incorporated PM Particulate matter EIS Environmental Impact PM10 Particulate matter less than or Statement equal to 10 micrometers in EO Executive Order aerodynamic size FEMA Federal Emergency Management PM2.5 Particulate matter less than or Agency equal to 2.5 micrometers in FONSI Finding of No Significant Impact aerodynamic size FPPA Farmland Protection Policy Act PTE Potential to Emit FY Fiscal Year PV photovoltaic GSHP Ground Source Heat Pump RP Research Park HAP Hazardous Air Pollutant SFBAAB San Francisco Bay Area Air Basin HDPE High Density Polyethylene SFBWQCB San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board HTMW Hazardous and Toxic Materials and Wastes SFPUC San Francisco Public Utilities Commission HVAC Heating, Cooling, and Ventilation SIP State Implementation Plan ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT v PROPOSED GROUND SOURCE HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS VAMC, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA NOVEMBER 2011 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS SHPO State Historic Preservation Office SO2 Sulfur dioxide Thm Therm TPY Tons per year USACE United States Army Corps of Engineers USC United States Code USEPA United States Environmental Protection Agency USFWS United States Fish and Wildlife Service USGS United States Geological Survey UST Underground Storage Tank VA Department of Veterans Affairs VAMC Veterans Affairs Medical Center VMC Veterinary Medical Unit ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT vi PROPOSED GROUND SOURCE HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS VAMC, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA NOVEMBER 2011 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS PURPOSE AND NEED SECTION 1: PURPOSE OF AND NEED FOR THE PROPOSED ACTION 1.1 Introduction This Section provides the reader with necessary introductory and background information concerning the Proposed Action for proper analytical context; identifies the purpose of and need for the Proposed Action and the Federal decision to be made; and provides a summary of public/agency involvement (and key issues identified), and applicable Federal, State, and local regulations. 1.2 Background The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), a Federal agency, currently operates the San Francisco Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC) located at 4150 Clement Street in the City of San Francisco, San Francisco County, California. Figure 1 provides a regional location map; Figure 2 provides a site location map; and Figure 3 provides a Proposed Action map, including onsite buildings. The Proposed Action is described in Section 2. In 2005, the Energy Policy Act was passed by Congress. Section 203 of this Act requires that, of the total amount of electric energy the Federal government consumes during any Fiscal Year (FY), specific amounts shall be from renewable energy sources. Renewable energy sources include wind, solar, geothermal, and other sustainable methods. While VA is required to meet these renewable energy requirements, the San Francisco VAMC does not currently do so. Pacific Gas & Electric currently provides electrical power and natural gas service to the VAMC. The VAMC consumes approximately 212,699,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) per year, at an average cost of $0.1253 per kWh. This results in an annual electric bill of approximately $2,371,500. When added to the $1,509,600 annual natural gas bill, VA spends approximately $3,881,100 per year on utilities to operate the San Francisco VAMC (Alares 2010). According to Section 203 of the Energy Policy Act: for FYs 2010 through 2012, not less than 5 percent of the Federal agency's consumed energy must be renewable in nature. For FYs 2013 and each fiscal year thereafter, not less than 7.5 percent of the consumed energy must be renewable. In addition, the Act specifies that: “For the purposes of determining compliance, the amount of renewable energy saved shall be doubled if: (a) The renewable energy is produced and used on- site at a Federal facility; (b) The renewable energy is produced on Federal lands and is used at a Federal facility; or (c) The renewable energy is produced on Indian land and used at a Federal facility.” In an effort to help meet VA's requirements under the Energy Policy Act at the VAMC, VA has proposed to install solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on five existing buildings located throughout the 29-acre campus. A Final Environmental Assessment (EA) describing and analyzing the environmental effects of these proposed solar PV systems was completed in May 2011 (AMEC 2011). While these PV systems have not yet been installed, they would ultimately work in combination with the proposed Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) systems (i.e., geothermal systems) described and analyzed within this EA to help VA meet the overall goal of increased renewable energy use at the VAMC. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT 1 PROPOSED GROUND SOURCE HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS VAMC, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA NOVEMBER 2011 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS PURPOSE AND NEED PREPARED FOR FIGURE 1 SAN FRANCISCO VAMC U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS REGIONAL LOCATION MAP SEVEN HILLS, OHIO ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT PROPOSED GROUND SOURCE HEAT PUMP TTL PROJECT NO.