Summit Reservoir Replacement Draft Environmental Impact Report State Clearinghouse #2010072060 East Bay Municipal Utility District May 2011 May 20, 2011 NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY Summit Reservoir Replacement Project Berkeley, Alameda County and Kensington, Contra Costa County Draft Environmental Impact Report SCH #2010072060 Notice is hereby given that a Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is available for public review. The project proponent is the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD, 375 Eleventh Street, Oakland, California 94607-4240). EBMUD is also the Lead Agency, pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Project Description: Facility improvements to the Summit Reservoir and the Woods and Shasta Pumping Plants located at 416 Spruce Street in the City of Berkeley are proposed to address regulatory concerns related to hazardous materials in the reservoir liner caulking (1994 Alameda County District Attorney Agreement), to replace inefficient storage and improve water quality by downsizing with optimal storage from projected future demand and cost perspectives, and to restore operational flexibility and reliability in the greater Summit Pressure Zone. The project involves demolition of the existing 37-million gallon (MG) open-cut reservoir and appurtenances (including the roof system, roof features, and concrete lining) as well as decommissioning of the Woods and Shasta Pumping Plants located below the southwestern reservoir embankment. Construction includes a new 3.5-MG, partially buried concrete tank, replacement pumping plants (including pumps and motors, instrumentation, motor control centers, transformers and related appurtenances) in a new structure west of the new Summit tank location, a new Summit flow control valve within the pumping plant structure to access 1.5-MG storage from existing Woods Reservoir located approximately one mile to the east, and a replacement inlet/outlet pipeline from the new Summit tank. The project would also replace other water distribution pipelines and drainage facilities on the site. The project would remove portions of the dam embankments to ensure that the remaining basin would be below the California Division of Safety of Dams’ (DSOD) jurisdictional size. The entire reservoir basin would be re-graded and landscaped with a mixture of drought-tolerant trees, grasses and shrubs. Significant Impacts: Analysis of environmental impacts associated with the Summit Reservoir Replacement Project identified potentially significant impacts in the following areas: Aesthetics/Visual Quality; Geology and Soils; Biological Resources; Cultural Resources; Transportation and Traffic; Air Quality; Hydrology and Water Quality; Hazards and Hazardous Materials; Greenhouse Gas Emissions; and Noise and Vibration. Except for Transportation and Traffic and Noise and Vibration, impacts would be mitigated to less-than-significant levels by implementation of mitigation measures. Impacts for Transportation and Traffic and Noise and Vibration would remain temporarily significant and unavoidable, even with mitigation periodically during the construction period. Cumulative impacts identified in the Draft EIR are either found to not be significant or are mitigated to less than significant levels with implementation of mitigation measures. Once the project is constructed and operational, all impacts would be less than significant. Hazardous Waste Disclosure: Section 15087 (c)(6) of the CEQA Guidelines requires that this notice specify whether the project sites are on any of the lists enumerated under Section 65962.5 of the California Government Code. The Summit Reservoir site is not on any list. Public Review: Persons interested in reviewing the Draft EIR, receiving a copy of the Draft EIR or in reviewing documents referenced in the Draft EIR should contact Gwendolyn A. Alie, Associate Planner, EBMUD, at [email protected]. The Draft EIR and all documents referenced in the EIR are available for public review at the EBMUD office located at 375 Eleventh Street in Oakland. The Draft EIR is available for public review at the libraries listed below, or by download at the EBMUD website www.ebmud.com. Berkeley Public Library - Central Contra Costa Public Library Kensington Fire House 2090 Kittredge Avenue 61 Arlington Avenue 217 Arlington Avenue Berkeley, CA 94704 Kensington, CA 94707 Kensington , CA 94707 Public meetings: A public meeting is scheduled to review the Draft EIR, on June 22, 2011, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, 401 Grizzly Peak Boulevard, Berkeley. Other meetings may be scheduled, if required. Deadlines: The public review period is from May 20, 2011 through July 19, 2011. Comments must be received by July 19, 2011, at 4:30 p.m. Written comments should be submitted to Gwendolyn A. Alie, Associate Planner, MS #701, 375 Eleventh Street, Oakland, California 94607-4240 or emailed to [email protected]. Action on the Draft EIR is currently scheduled to be taken by the EBMUD Board of Directors at a regularly scheduled board meeting in November 2011, at 375 Eleventh Street, Oakland, California. Summit Reservoir Replacement Draft Environmental Impact Report State Clearinghouse #2010072060 Prepared by East Bay Municipal Utility District May 2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS Summit Reservoir Replacement Draft EIR A. Acronyms and Abbreviations ............................................................................. A-1 S. Summary................................................................................................................S-1 S.1 Introduction....................................................................................................S-1 S.2 Background....................................................................................................S-1 S.3 Project Description.........................................................................................S-1 S.4 Summary of Impacts......................................................................................S-5 S.5 Analysis of Project and Design Alternatives ...............................................S-27 S.6 Issues Raised During Public Outreach/Notice of Preparation Scoping Review Period................................................................................S-28 S.7 Resources Not Evaluated Further in the EIR...............................................S-29 S.8 Organization of EIR.....................................................................................S-29 1. Introduction........................................................................................................... 1-1 1.1 Purpose of the EIR......................................................................................... 1-1 1.2 California Environmental Quality Act EIR Process ...................................... 1-1 2. Project Description............................................................................................... 2-1 2.1 Overview........................................................................................................ 2-1 2.2 Project Need and Objectives ......................................................................... 2-2 2.3 Project Location........................................................................................... 2-11 2.4. Project Characteristics................................................................................. 2-12 2.5 Project Schedule and Cost ........................................................................... 2-33 2.6 Approvals or Authorizations Required for This Project.............................. 2-33 3. Environmental Setting, Impacts And Mitigation Measures .......................... 3-1.1 3.1 Introduction................................................................................................. 3-1.1 3.2 Aesthetics/Visual Quality........................................................................... 3-2.1 3.3 Geology/Soils ...........................................................................................3-3.1 3.4 Biological Resources .................................................................................3-4.1 3.5 Cultural Resources ..................................................................................... 3-5.1 3.6 Transportation and Traffic .......................................................................... 3-6.1 3.7 Air Quality.................................................................................................. 3-7.1 3.8 Greenhouse Gas Emissions......................................................................... 3-8.1 3.9 Noise and Vibration ................................................................................... 3-9.1 3.10 Hydrology/Water Quality ......................................................................... 3-10.1 3.11 Hazards/Hazardous Materials .................................................................. 3-11.1 4. Project Alternatives.............................................................................................. 4-1 4.1 Introduction and Approach ............................................................................ 4-1 4.2 Project Alternatives........................................................................................ 4-4 4.3 Design Alternatives of the Proposed Project ............................................... 4-11 sb11_001.doc i 5/11/2011 Summit Reservoir Replacement Draft Environmental Impact Report Table of Contents 4.4 No Project Alternative................................................................................