Budd Inlet Treatment Plant Process Control Improvements SEPA Environmental Checklist October 2015 LOTT Budd Inlet Treatment Plant Process Control Improvements This page left intentionally blank. LOTT Budd Inlet Treatment Plant Process Control Improvements TABLE OF CONTENTS A. BACKGROUND .......................................................................................................................................... 3 B. ENVIRONMENTAL ELEMENTS ........................................................................................................... 6 1. Earth ..........................................................................................................................................6 2. Air ..............................................................................................................................................7 3. Water .........................................................................................................................................8 4. Plants ......................................................................................................................................10 5. Animals ...................................................................................................................................11 6. Energy and Natural Resources ...............................................................................................12 7. Environmental Health ..............................................................................................................13 8. Land and Shoreline Use ..........................................................................................................15 9. Housing ...................................................................................................................................16 10. Aesthetics ................................................................................................................................17 11. Light and Glare ........................................................................................................................17 12. Recreation ...............................................................................................................................17 13. Historic and Cultural Preservation ...........................................................................................18 14. Transportation .........................................................................................................................20 15. Public Services ........................................................................................................................21 16. Utilities .....................................................................................................................................21 C. SIGNATURE .............................................................................................................................................. 21 SEPA Environmental Checklist Page | i This page left intentionally blank. SEPA Environmental Checklist Page | ii LOTT Budd Inlet Treatment Plant Process Control Improvements A. Background 1. Name of proposed project, if applicable: Budd Inlet Treatment Plant Process Control Improvements 2. Name of applicant: LOTT Clean Water Alliance 3. Address and phone number of applicant and contact person: Matt Kennelly Engineering Project Manager LOTT Clean Water Alliance 500 Adams Street NE Olympia, WA 98501 (360) 528-5750 4. 4. Date checklist prepared: October 14, 2015 5. Agency requesting checklist: LOTT Clean Water Alliance (LOTT) 6. Proposed timing or schedule (including phasing, if applicable): Construction is currently expected to commence in June of 2018 with substantial completion to occur in October of 2019. 7. Do you have any plans for future additions, expansion, or further activity related to or connected with this proposal? If yes, explain. This project is part of a broader improvement plan to enhance treatment processes at the Budd Inlet Treatment Plant, increase the reliability of treatment, and maintain LOTT’s facilities at optimal operational efficiency. Some projects have been completed over the past several years. Related projects are detailed in the Budd Inlet Treatment Plant Master Plan published in 2006. (LOTT Alliance, 2006). 8. List any environmental information you know about that has been prepared, or will be prepared, directly related to this proposal. The following studies have been conducted for the project site, but are not specific to this project: • Notice of State Environmental Policy Act Determination of Nonsignificance (DNS) LOTT Alliance Budd Treatment Plant Master Plan, 2007 SEPA Environmental Checklist Page | 3 LOTT Budd Inlet Treatment Plant Process Control Improvements • Budd Inlet Treatment Plant Master Plan- Primary Sedimentation and Biological Treatment Facilities: Biological Assessment and Essential Fish Habitat Assessment, 2008 (LOTT Alliance, 2008a) • Budd Inlet Treatment Plant Master Plan- Primary Sedimentation and Biological Treatment Facilities: Facilities Plan Environmental Report, 2008 (LOTT Alliance, 2008b) 9. Do you know whether applications are pending for governmental approvals of other proposals directly affecting the property covered by your proposal? If yes, explain. There are no such applications at this time. 10. List any government approvals or permits that will be needed for your proposal, if known. The project will require: • Floodplain Permit, City of Olympia • Construction Permit, City of Olympia • Design Review, City of Olympia • National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Baseline Construction General permit, Ecology 11. Give brief, complete description of your proposal, including the proposed uses and the size of the project and site. There are several questions later in this checklist that ask you to describe certain aspects of your proposal. You do not need to repeat those answers on this page. (Lead agencies may modify this form to include additional specific information on project description.) The Budd Inlet Treatment Plant (Plant) provides wastewater treatment capacity for approximately 50,000 homes, apartments, and commercial/industrial connections in the LOTT service area (LOTT Alliance, 2008a). In response to increased performance requirements, and increasingly stringent discharge limits, the project would streamline the current biological treatment process to increase energy efficiency, improve operational flexibility, and improve the reliability of nitrogen removal at the Plant. The project also replaces aging equipment that is reaching the end of its useful life. The location of the Plant and the proposed improvements are shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3. The Plant’s current biological treatment system operates as a four-step process consisting of: 1) first anoxic basin; 2) first aeration basin; 3) second anoxic basin; and 4) second aeration basin. Nitrogen is selectively removed biologically by exposing the wastewater to controlled alternating anoxic and aerobic environments, which allow nitrification and denitrification to occur sequentially. The existing biological treatment system has met discharge requirements. However, the facilities are expensive to operate and consume large amounts of energy. Although the treatment plant currently treats wastewater to the most stringent standards on Puget SEPA Environmental Checklist Page | 4 LOTT Budd Inlet Treatment Plant Process Control Improvements Sound, even lower nitrogen limits may ultimately be required to achieve compliance with the ongoing Total Maximum Daily Loading (TMDL) effort for the Deschutes/Budd Inlet Basin. Therefore, LOTT has decided to take proactive measures to ensure its compliance. The project would reconfigure the existing first aeration basins, reducing the energy required to accomplish biological nutrient removal. The improvements would also include replacing oversized blowers and minimizing recycle pumping, which would reduce power consumption. In addition, the project would optimize methanol addition to the secondary process, enabling more precise control over the nutrient removal process. All process improvements at the Plant would be located within the existing site footprint, as shown on Figure 2. Major design components to be included in the improvements consist of the following (Figures 2 and 3): 1. Upgraded aeration control. Upgrades include new air control valves, expanded instrumentation, a revised control strategy, and a diffuser grid reconfiguration. 2. Expanded blower capacity. The capacity of aeration blower system would be expanded to provide full redundancy at the peak condition. A long-term plan for blower expansion and control integration would be developed to include upgrades to substation G/H to accomodate the new requirements. 3. Upgraded process control instrumentation. Process control instrumentation would be expanded and upgraded to include several in-situ probes, to monitor raw effluent and primary effluent, as well as operational processes in the aeration basins. All of these probes would occur within the Plant, and would involve minimal construction. 4. In-tank internal recycle and swing selector zones to include mixing capability where necessary. 5. Automated flow control gates. Flow control gates in the reconfigured First Aeration Basin, as well as in the Second Anoxic and Final Aeration basins would be upgraded to motorized models which would facilitate safe and reliable operation. 6. Foam trapping