SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON PEBBLY BEACH GENERATING STATION SELECTIVE CATALYTIC REDUCTION (SCR) INSTALLATION PROJECT

SOUTH COAST AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT DISTRICT FINAL NEGATIVE DECLARATION FOR: SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON PEBBLY BEACH GENERATING STATION SELECTIVE CATALYTIC REDUCTION (SCR) INSTALLATION PROJECT SCH No 2003031050 April 2003 Executive Officer Barry R Wallerstein, D Env Deputy Executive Officer Planning, Rule Development, and Area Sources Elaine Chang, DrPH Assistant Deputy Executive Officer Planning, Rule Development, and Area Sources Laki Tisopulos, Ph.D., P.E Planning and Rules Manager (Acting) CEQA Jill Whynot Prepared by: Southern California Edison Reviewed by: Steve Smith, Ph.D., Program Supervisor, CEQA Kathy C Stevens, Air Quality Specialist, CEQA Frances Keeler, Senior Deputy District Counsel SOUTH COAST AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT DISTRICT GOVERNING BOARD Chairman: WILLIAM A BURKE, Ed.D Speaker of the Assembly Appointee Vice-Chairman: S ROY WILSON, Ed.D Supervisor, Fourth District Riverside County Representative MEMBERS: FRED AGUIAR Supervisor, Fourth District San Bernardino County Representative MICHAEL D ANTONOVICH Supervisor, Fifth District Los Angeles County Representative HAL BERNSON Councilmember, City of Los Angeles Cities Representative, Los Angeles County, Western Region JANE W CARNEY Senate Rules Committee Appointee WILLIAM CRAYCRAFT Councilmember, City of Mission Viego Cities Representative, Orange County BEATRICE J.S LAPISTO-KIRTLEY Councilmember, City of Bradbury Cities Representative, Los Angeles County, Eastern Region RONALD O LOVERIDGE Mayor, City of Riverside Cities Representative, Riverside County LEONARD PAULITZ Councilmember, City of Montclair Cities Representative, San Bernardino County JAMES W SILVA Supervisor, Second District Orange County Representative CYNTHIA VERDUGO-PERALTA Governor’s Appointee EXECUTIVE OFFICER: BARRY R WALLERSTEIN, D Env i PREFACE This document constitutes the Final Negative Declaration (ND) for the Southern California Edison Pebbly Beach Generating Station Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) Installation Project The Draft ND was released for a 30-day public review and comment period from March 13, 2003 to April 11, 2003 No public comments were received during the public review and comment period i TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION PAGE 1.0 INTRODUCTION 2.0 3.0 1.1 REGULATORY BACKGROUND 1.2 AGENCY AUTHORITY 1.3 PROJECT LOCATION 1.4 EXISTING GENERATING STATION CONFIGURATION AND OPERATION 1.5 PROJECT DESCRIPTION .2 1.5.1 SELECTIVE CATALYTIC REDUCTION SYSTEM 1.5.2 UREA USE, STORAGE AND TRANSPORTATION 1.5.3 CONSTRUCTION 1.5.4 OPERATION .3 1.5.5 PROJECT TERMINATION AND DECOMMISSIONING ENVIRONMENTAL CHECKLIST FORM 2.1 Environmental Checklist Form 2.2 Background 2.3 Environmental Factors Potentially Affected: 2.4 Determination DISCUSSION OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHECKLIST 10 3.1 Aesthetics 10 3.2 Agriculture Resources .11 3.3 Air Quality .12 3.4 Biological Resources .17 3.5 Cultural Resources 19 3.6 Energy 20 i 4.0 3.7 Geology and Soils 21 3.8 Hazards and Hazardous Materials 23 3.9 Hydrology and Water Quality 25 3.10 Land Use and Planning 27 3.11 Mineral Resources 28 3.12 Noise 29 3.13 Population and Housing 30 3.14 Public Services 31 3.15 Recreation 32 3.16 Solid & Hazardous Wastes 33 3.17 Transportation/Traffic .33 3.18 Mandatory Findings of Significance .35 REFERENCES/LITERATURE CITED 37 ii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Project Location Map Figure PBGS Plot Plan LIST OF TABLES Table Air Quality Significant Thresholds 13 Table Peak Daily Construction Emissions 15 Table Peak Daily Operational Emissions 16 APPENDICES A Air Quality Analysis iii Abbreviations and Acronyms ADT Average Daily Trip AHM Acutely Hazardous Materials bbl Barrel (42 gallons) CAA Clean Air Act CARB California Air Resources Board UBC California Building Code CEQA California Environmental Quality Act CO Carbon Monoxide EPA U.S Environmental Protection Agency H2 Hydrogen HP Horsepower HRA Health Risk Assessment LAFD Los Angeles County Fire Department MVEIG Mobile Source Emission Inventory Program MW Megawatt N2 Nitrogen NH3 Ammonia NH4HSO4 Ammonium bisulfate (NH4)2SO4 Ammonium sulfate NH4OH Ammonium hydroxide NOX Oxides of nitrogen OES Office of Emergency Services PBGS Pebbly Beach Generating Station ppm Parts per million RECLAIM Regional Clean Air Incentives Market RMPP Risk Management Plan RTCs Reclaim Trading Credits SCAQMD South Coast Air Quality Management District SCE Southern California Edison SCR Selective Catalytic Reduction iv SO3 Sulfur trioxide SOX Sulfur oxides SPCC Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure TACs Toxic Air Contaminants UBC Uniform Building Code USEPA United States Environmental Protection Agency VOC Volatile Organic Compounds v 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 REGULATORY BACKGROUND The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) Regulation XX – Regional Clean Air Incentives Market (RECLAIM), adopted in 1993, is a cap and trade program designed to reduce oxides of nitrogen (NO X) and sulfur oxides (SO X) emissions from stationary sources in the South Coast Air Basin (Basin) The goals of RECLAIM are to give affected facilities flexibility in meeting their emission reduction requirements, to lower the cost of compliance, and to assist the SCAQMD’s efforts to attain and maintain state and federal ambient air quality standards RECLAIM prescribes only total facility emissions goals, and facility operators are free to choose control strategies The emission reduction goals are established in the form of a declining annual allocation Facilities comply with RECLAIM either by: 1) installing control equipment that limits their annual NOX or SOX emissions to levels that not exceed their annual RECLAIM allocations, or 2) purchasing additional RECLAIM Trading Credits (RTCs) to account for emissions that exceed their annual allocations To supplement the RECLAIM program, the SCAQMD Governing Board adopted Rule 2009.1 in May 2001 Rule 2009.1 applies to non-power producing facilities, which are those facilities that have a generation capacity of 50 megawatts or less of electrical power and that emit 25 tons or more of NOX per year Rule 2009.1 requires facilities emitting over 50 tons per year of NOX to select and implement methods to comply with their annual RECLAIM NO X allocations, starting in 2003 Southern California Edison (SCE) is the major supplier of electricity to the island of Santa Catalina (commonly referred to as Catalina Island), in southern California To meet the electrical demand of its customers, SCE operates six diesel-fueled engines at the Pebbly Beach Generating Station (PBGS) The combined generation for the six diesel-fueled engines is 9.3 megawatts Because PBGS also emits more than 25 tons per year of NO X, PBGS is a nonpower generating facility under SCAQMD Rule 2009.1 Because PBGS also emits more than 50 tons per year of NOX, PBGS is required to implement emission reduction methods to comply with its annual RECLAIM NOX allocations SCE is proposing to install selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems on the six diesel-fueled engines at PBGS SCR will be used to reduce NOX emissions as part of SCE’s plan to meet the declining facility-wide NOX emission limits required by the RECLAIM Program Consistent with the intent of RECLAIM, the proposed project is expected to achieve an overall decrease in NOX emissions from the facility 1.2 AGENCY AUTHORITY The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) applies to proposed “projects” that require “discretionary” approval by state and/or other public agencies (Under the CEQA guidelines, a “project” is an activity that has the potential to have a physical impact on the environment; “discretionary” means that the agency has the authority to approve or deny the permit or approval.) The proposed installation of the SCR systems at the PBGS meets these criteria and thus is subject to CEQA Final Negative Declaration SCR Installation April 2003 Where a project requires approvals from more than one public agency, CEQA requires one of these agencies to serve as the “lead agency.” The lead agency is the public agency that has the principal responsibility for carrying out or approving a project Since the proposed project requires discretionary approval from the SCAQMD, it was determined that the SCAQMD is the most appropriate public agency to act as lead agency To fulfill the purpose and intent of CEQA, this Final Negative Declaration (ND) has been prepared to address the potential environmental impacts associated with the SCR Installation project Under CEQA, a ND is prepared when the Initial Study (the analysis of the project’s environmental impacts contained in this document) does not identify potential significant effects 1.3 PROJECT LOCATION The proposed project is located in the City of Avalon, the principal community and main ferry terminus for the 76-square-mile Catalina Island Catalina Island, located about 22 miles off the coast of southern California near Long Beach, is the third largest of the eight Channel Islands The island is about 21 miles long, ranges in width from about eight miles to one-half mile, and has a permanent population of about 3,500 The proposed project will be constructed at SCE’s existing Pebbly Beach Generating Station (PBGS) The PBGS is located on Pebbly Beach Road in an industrial area in the southeast portion of Avalon, just southeast of the Catalina Island Harbor Figure shows the facility location The PBGS occupies approximately two acres and is bounded by Pebbly Beach Road and the Pacific Ocean 1.4 EXISTING GENERATING STATION CONFIGURATION AND OPERATION The PBGS receives diesel fuel by barge shipments from the Port of Los Angeles The fuel is combusted in six reciprocating internal combustion engines to drive the electrical generators With all six units in operation, the power plant has a maximum output of 9.3 megawatts Figure shows the facility plot plan: it houses the six diesel­fueled internal combustion engines, two fuel oil storage tanks, electricity power generators, a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tank farm, a water desalination plant, warehouse, shops and an office building 1.5 PROJECT DESCRIPTION The following pages describe the various elements of the proposed project, including its construction, operation, and eventual decommissioning 1.5.1 SELECTIVE CATALYTIC REDUCTION SYSTEM As part of the combustion process, NOX is produced and emitted to the atmosphere with the other flue gas constituents (mostly nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and water vapor) SCR is an air pollution control technology that reduces NOX in engine flue gas by combining ammonia (NH3) and oxygen (O2) with NOX in the presence of a catalyst to form nitrogen molecules (N 2) and water vapor In the SCR system proposed for this project, the source of ammonia is liquid urea The liquid urea is diluted with air and injected into the diesel-fueled engine flue gas stream Final Negative Declaration SCR Installation April 2003 water vapor The proposed SCR system uses aqueous urea injection as the source of ammonia Aqueous urea is diluted with air and injected into the engine flue gas stream through a matrix of nozzles In the high temperature environment of the flue gas stream, the urea breaks down to ammonia and carbon dioxide There are no risks associated with the use and handling of ammonia, since the ammonia is formed in-situ inside the engine exhaust duct, and the majority of ammonia formed is consumed in the reaction process Although some of the ammonia will not react and will be emitted in the SCR exhaust, it is not anticipated to pose a significant adverse health risk, as demonstrated by the health risk assessment described in 3.3 Aqueous urea is not a hazardous material Its transport, use and storage are not covered by federal or California regulations that address the transport of hazardous materials Therefore, the routine transport, use and storage of aqueous urea or reasonably foreseeable upset or accident conditions not create a significant hazard to the public or the environment c) The proposed project site is not located within one-quarter of a mile of an existing or proposed school Therefore, the proposed project will not emit hazardous emissions within one-quarter mile of an existing or proposed school d) The proposed project is not located on property that is included on the list of hazardous material sites compiled pursuant to Government Code Section 65962.5 e) and f) The proposed project site is not within two miles of an airport The Avalon airport is located 10 miles northwest of PBGS Therefore, the proposed project will not interfere with any aviation activities g) The proposed project is not expected to impair or physically interfere with any locally adopted emergency response or evaluation plans Procedures for emergency response are provided to all PBGS employees, along with training guidelines in the use of personal protective equipment These procedures and guidelines will be updated as necessary to encompass the new equipment associated with the project Project construction and operation personnel will receive safety training in accordance with applicable relevant procedures and guidelines h) The proposed project will not increase the risk of loss, injury or death involving wild land fires, as the project will be constructed within the boundaries of the existing PBGS and will meet all relevant fire codes The proposed project does not involve installation of any new combustion sources i) Implementation of the proposed project will not significantly increase the amount of flammable or combustible materials or create new ignition sources During construction activities, small amounts of flammable materials may be used as required Best management practices and compliance with applicable regulations regarding the handling and storage of these materials will reduce the potential for fire hazards The proposed project is not expected to result in significant adverse hazards and hazardous materials impacts, and no further analysis of this topic area is required FinalDraft Negative Declaration SCR Installation 24 AprilMarch 2003 3.9 Hydrology and Water Quality Potentially Significant Impact Less-ThanSignificant Impact No Impact Would the project: a) Violate any water quality standards or waste discharge requirements? b) Substantially deplete groundwater supplies or interfere substantially with groundwater recharge such that there would be a net deficit in aquifer volume or a lowering of the local groundwater table level (e.g., the production rate of pre-existing nearby wells would drop to a level which would not support existing land uses or planned uses for which permits have been granted? c) Substantially alter the existing drainage pattern of the site or area, including through the alteration of the course of a stream or river, or substantially increase the rate or amount of surface runoff in a manner which would result in flooding on- or off-site? d) Create or contribute runoff water which would exceed the capacity of existing or planned storm water drainage systems or provide substantial additional sources of polluted runoff? e) Otherwise substantially degrade water quality? f) Place housing within a 100-year flood hazard area as mapped on a Federal Flood Hazard Boundary or Flood Insurance Rate Map or other flood hazard delineation map? g) Place within a 100-year flood hazard area structures which would impede or redirect flood flows? h) Expose people or structures to a significant risk of loss, injury or death involving flooding, including flooding as a result of the failure of a levee or dam? i) Inundation by seiche, tsunami, or mudflow? j) Exceed wastewater treatment requirements of the applicable Regional Water Quality Control Board? FinalDraft Negative Declaration SCR Installation 25 AprilMarch 2003 k) Require or result in the construction of new water or wastewater treatment facilities or expansion of existing facilities, the construction of which could cause significant environmental effects? l) Require or result in the construction of new storm water drainage facilities or expansion of existing facilities, the construction of which could cause significant environmental effects? m) Have sufficient water supplies available to serve the project from existing entitlements and resources Or are new or expanded entitlements needed? n) Require in a determination by the wastewater treatment provider which serves or may serve the project that it has adequate capacity to serve the project’s projected demand in addition to the provider’s existing commitments? a) Accidental spills of aqueous urea that could create water quality impacts potentially could occur from: 1) operation of the SCR system; 2) piping that transfers urea from the storage tank to the engine exhaust, 3) urea tanker truck loading, transport, and unloading; or, 4) the barge during transport from the Port of Los Angeles to Catalina Island The on-site aqueous urea storage and handling facility will be equipped with several safety devices These safety features will include continuous tank level monitors (e.g., high and low level), temperature and pressure monitors, leak monitoring and detection system, alarms, check valves, and emergency block valves In addition the aqueous urea storage tank will include a containment system; the containment system will be designed to contain the complete contents of the tank plus storm water, which is equivalent to 110 percent of the capacity of the tank The PBGS currently has a Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plan in place, as required by federal regulations The SPCC Plan, along with the Hazardous Materials Release Contingency Plan, outlines emergency procedures, operating procedures, training of employees and engineering controls (e.g secondary containment) necessary to prevent spills, overflows, or other incidents that may discharge materials to the environment These plans will be updated to include the aqueous urea storage and handling b) and m) Water is not required as part of the SCR systems to reduce NO X emissions Additionally, the proposed project will not create any new permanent jobs, and thus will not lead to increased population and increased water consumption Thus, the proposed project will not ground water or surface water resources FinalDraft Negative Declaration SCR Installation 26 AprilMarch 2003 c) - e) The proposed project will not alter infiltration rates, drainage patterns, the quality and quantity of storm water runoff, or erosion rates because the project will occur within the existing PBGS Station, on an existing impervious surface, and will utilize the existing drainage system Surface and groundwater quality, quantity and flow rates, as well as currents or other water movements, will not be affected, since the SCR systems will be installed within the ducts of the existing diesel-fueled engines, and their operation does not use or discharge water Therefore, the project will not change current baseline water discharges or result in any degradation of water quality f) - h) The PBGS, including the project site, will continue to use its existing storm water collection system The project site is not within a mapped 100-year floodplain or a 100year flood hazard area, and does not include construction of housing Thus, no structures will be placed within a 100-year flood hazard area, and the proposed project will not expose people or structures to flooding-related risk of loss, injury or death i) The PGBS is adjacent to the Pacific Ocean The topography of the site slopes from the western portion to the eastern portion of the facility, but the terrain is relatively flat, with no hills or elevated ground surface within the site Thus, the proposed project will not result in an increased risk of seiche, tsunami, or mudflow hazards j), k) and n) The PBGS currently discharges wastewater to the City of Avalon’s Avalon Wastewater Treatment Plant No alteration to existing wastewater discharges is associated with the proposed project, and no impacts on wastewater flows are expected The project will not require modifications to the existing wastewater discharge permit or require construction of a new wastewater treatment facility l) The proposed project will be constructed at an existing facility and will not modify the facility’s existing storm water drainage patterns, nor will it require the construction or expansion of storm water or wastewater facilities The proposed project is not expected to result in significant adverse hydrology and water quality impacts, and no further analysis of this topic area is required 3.10 Land Use and Planning Potentially Significant Impact Less-ThanSignificant Impact No Impact Would the project: a) Physically divide an established community? b) Conflict with applicable environmental plan, policy, or regulation of an agency with jurisdiction over the project (including, but not limited to the general plan, specific plan, local coastal program, or zoning ordinance) adopted for the purpose of avoiding or mitigating an environmental effect? FinalDraft Negative Declaration SCR Installation 27 AprilMarch 2003 c) Conflict with any applicable habitat conservation plan or natural community conservation plan? a) and c) The proposed project site is located within the property boundaries of the existing PBGS, which is within an area zoned for industrial use by the City of Avalon The project does not divide an established community or conflict with a habitat conservation or natural community conservation plan There are no residences or habitats regulated by environmental plans located nearby b) The PBGS is located in the southeast portion of the City of Avalon, in an area characterized primarily by industrial uses The City of Avalon is divided into 17 planning sectors and eight land use districts that correspond with the city’s zoning designations The applicable sector and land use districts is: Pebbly Beach, SCE Plant Site – M2, Utilities and Industrial District The new equipment and minor modifications to existing equipment are consistent with the existing land use and zoning of the PBGS and vicinity and will not change the character of the surrounding area As the proposed project is compatible with existing and planned land uses and the industrial zoning designation, no general plan or zoning modifications are needed The proposed project is not expected to result in significant adverse land use impacts, and no further analysis of this topic area is required 3.11 Mineral Resources Potentially Significant Impact Less-ThanSignificant Impact No Impact Would the project: a) Result in the loss of availability of a known mineral resource that would be of future value to the region and the residents of the State? b) Result in the loss of availability of a locally-important mineral resource recovery site delineated on a local general plan, specific plan, or other land use plan? a) and b) The proposed project will be constructed within the boundaries of the existing PBGS facility The proposed project will not interfere with development or production of a mineral resource, nor does it involve consumption of locally or regionally important mineral resources such as aggregate, shale, etc The proposed project also will not inhibit the future use or loss of availability of any mineral resource FinalDraft Negative Declaration SCR Installation 28 AprilMarch 2003 The proposed project is not expected to result in significant adverse mineral resource impacts, and no further analysis of this topic area is required 3.12 Noise Potentially Significant Impact Less-ThanSignificant Impact No Impact Would the project: a) Exposure of persons to or generation of noise levels in excess of standards established in the local general plan or noise ordinance, or applicable standards of other agencies? b) Exposure of persons to or generation of excessive groundborne vibration or groundborne noise levels? c) A substantial permanent increase in ambient noise levels in the project vicinity above levels existing without the project? d) A substantial temporary or periodic increase in ambient noise levels in the project vicinity above levels existing without the project? e) For a project located within an airport land use plan or, where such a plan has not been adopted, within two miles of a public airport or public use airport, would the project expose people residing or working in the project area to excessive noise levels? f) For a project within the vicinity of a private airstrip, would the project expose people residing or working in the project area to excessive noise levels? a) - d) The proposed project will occur within an existing power plant (PBGS) in an industrial area Current operations at this facility comply with applicable local general plan and noise ordinance requirements The City of Avalon noise ordinance does not contain a specific noise level limit expressed in decibels (dBA), and it prohibits activities that generate noise disturbance between 10:00 p.m and a.m Project construction will involve noise emissions associated with the use of construction equipment (e.g., an erection crane) and motor vehicles (truck deliveries and worker vehicles) Construction noise sources will be temporary and will cease following construction activities The estimated noise level during equipment installation is expected to be an average of about 80 dBA at 50 feet from the center of construction activity, which is well within the facility property This estimate is based FinalDraft Negative Declaration SCR Installation 29 AprilMarch 2003 on typical noise levels from construction equipment as measured by manufacturers In general, construction activities will occur during daylight hours when exposure to higher noise levels is more acceptable Operational noise will most likely be associated with the increased blower rating required to inject the urea into the engine exhaust stream This may produce a small increase in overall facility noise The proposed project is expected to have no significant effect on the character or levels of noise emissions at the property boundary Because the project facilities will be in the center of the facility, and because of noise attenuation due to factors such as distance and intervening structures, no significant impacts are expected to sensitive noise receptor (e.g., residents) e) and f) The proposed project in not located within an airport land use plan or in the vicinity of an airport and, therefore, would not have no noise impacts on people living or working in such areas The proposed project is not expected to result in significant adverse noise impacts, and no further analysis of this topic area is required 3.13 Population and Housing Would the project: a) Induce substantial population growth in an area, either directly (for example, by proposing new homes and businesses) or indirectly (for example, through extension of roads or other infrastructure)? Potentially Significant Impact Less-ThanSignificant Impact No Impact b) Displace substantial numbers of existing housing, necessitating he construction of replacement housing elsewhere? c) Displace substantial numbers of people, necessitating the construction of replacement housing elsewhere? a) Construction activities for the proposed project will not involve population changes or housing impacts The construction work force is small (five to 10 employees), temporary and is expected to come largely from the existing labor pool in the local area A few specialized employees from the Los Angeles area might be needed occasionally for short periods Project operation will not require any new permanent employees or the construction of new housing, and thus will have no population impacts b) and c) The proposed project involves modifications to mechanical equipment at an existing industrial facility No existing homes, people or businesses will be displaced as a result of this project, and no construction of replacement housing will be necessary FinalDraft Negative Declaration SCR Installation 30 AprilMarch 2003 The proposed project is not expected to result in significant adverse impacts to population and housing, and no further analysis of this topic area is required 3.14 Public Services Potentially Significant Impact Less-ThanSignificant Impact No Impact Would the project result in substantial adverse physical impacts associated with the provision of new or physically altered governmental facilities, need for new or physically altered governmental facilities, the construction of which could cause significant environmental impacts, in order to maintain acceptable service ratios, response times or other performance objectives for any of the public services: a) Fire protection? b) Police protection? c) Schools? d) Parks? e) Other public facilities? a) and b) The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department provides full law enforcement services for the existing facility through the Avalon Sheriffs Station Fire and emergency services are provided by the Avalon Fire Department, which is well equipped and trained for responding to and dealing with fires, paramedic rescues, and certain types of hazardous materials incidents In the event that an incident exceeds the scope of Avalon Fire Department capabilities, the Los Angeles County Fire Department is contacted The proposed project requires no additional combustion sources at the facility, since the NOX reduction process does not require any fuel combustion (Urea is converted to ammonia by the engine exhaust heat.) Therefore, the proposed project will not require additional fire protection services from the Avalon Fire Department There are no additional requirements for police protection, since the project is within the existing PBGS facility boundary c) - e) Because the project will not involve growth in population or employment, it will not place additional demands on local schools, parks or other public facilities The proposed project is not expected to result in significant adverse public services impacts, and no further analysis of this topic area is required FinalDraft Negative Declaration SCR Installation 31 AprilMarch 2003 3.15 Recreation Potentially Significant Impact Less-ThanSignificant Impact No Impact Would the project: a) Would the project increase the use of existing neighborhood and regional parks or other recreational facilities such that substantial physical deterioration of the facility would occur or be accelerated? b) Does the project include recreational facilities or require the construction or expansion of recreational facilities which might have an adverse physical effect on the environment? a) and b) The proposed project is a modification to equipment at an existing facility and thus will not result in population growth or an increase in the use of parks or other recreational facilities There are no recreational facilities in the PBGS vicinity that will be affected by the proposed project The proposed project is not expected to result in significant adverse recreation impacts, and no further analysis of this topic area is required FinalDraft Negative Declaration SCR Installation 32 AprilMarch 2003 3.16 Solid & Hazardous Wastes Potentially Significant Impact Less-ThanSignificant Impact No Impact Would the project result in a need for new systems, or substantial alterations to the following: a) Substantially increase the amount or volume of solid or hazardous waste generated? b) Result in a need for new systems, or substantial alterations to existing solid or hazardous waste disposal facilities? a) and b) Project construction will generate a small amount (approximately 1,000 pounds of demolition/construction debris) of non-hazardous solid waste and minimal amounts of such wastes during operation The solid waste will be disposed of at the Pebbly Beach Disposal Site, a privately operated facility approximately one-half mile from the PBGS Project wastes will not represent a substantial increase in the volume handled at the disposal facility and will not result in the need for new solid waste disposal facilities The SCR and oxidation catalysts normally have operational lives of three to five years before needing replacement and being considered as “spent” The spent catalyst will be shipped to a facility for recycling or reuse Because recycled materials are not considered wastes, and the project will generate no other waste streams that are considered hazardous, it will have no impact on hazardous waste disposal facilities The proposed project is not expected to result in significant adverse solid or hazardous waste impacts, and no further analysis of this topic area is required 3.17 Transportation/Traffic Would the project: a) Cause increased traffic which is substantial in relation to the existing traffic load and capacity of the street system (i.e., result in a substantial increase in either the number of vehicle trips, the volume to capacity ratio on roads, or congestion at intersections)? FinalDraft Negative Declaration SCR Installation Potentially Significant Impact Less-ThanSignificant Impact No Impact 33 AprilMarch 2003 b) Exceed, either individually or cumulatively, a level of service standard established by the county congestion management agency for designated road or highways? c) Result in a change in air traffic patterns, including either an increase in traffic levels or a change in location that results in substantial safety risks? d) Substantially increase hazards due to a design feature (e.g., sharp curves or dangerous intersections) or incompatible uses (e.g., farm equipment)? e) Result in inadequate emergency access? f) Result in inadequate parking capacity? g) Conflict with adopted policies, plans, or programs supporting alternative transportation (e.g., bus turnouts, bicycle racks)? a) and b) During project construction, a very small, temporary increase in vehicular traffic is expected in the PBGS area, associated with construction workers, construction equipment, and the delivery of construction materials Construction equipment and materials will be delivered at the Santa Catalina Island Company’s dock and shipped by trucks to the PBGS, located one block away The peak on-site work force is estimated to be about 10 workers during the day shift The primary access road to the facility is Pebbly Beach Road Although there are no traffic data available for Pebbly Beach Road, the roadway leads to the industrial area of the island and away from the tourist area Thus, traffic counts likely are low and the project’s temporary traffic increase on Pebbly Beach Road is not expected to have a significant impact No permanent additional employees will be added at the PBGS as a result of the proposed project, and thus there will be no increase in worker-related vehicle traffic Aqueous urea delivery is estimated to involve one tanker truck delivery every 10 to 11 days The truck trip from the dock is a one-block trip routed away from the City of Avalon downtown area, and will have no significant impact c) The proposed project is not within the vicinity of a public or private airport and will not alter existing air traffic patterns or affect air safety d) - g) The proposed project includes modifications to existing equipment within the existing PBGS boundaries and will not substantially increase hazards, affect emergency access or parking capacity, and will not conflict with adopted policies, plans or programs supporting alternative transportation The proposed project is not expected to result in significant adverse traffic impacts, and no further analysis of this topic area is required FinalDraft Negative Declaration SCR Installation 34 AprilMarch 2003 3.18 Mandatory Findings of Significance Potentially Significant Impact a) Less-ThanSignificant Impact No Impact Does the project have the potential to degrade the quality of the environment, substantially reduce the habitat of a fish or wildlife species, cause a fish or wildlife population to drop below selfsustaining levels, threaten to eliminate a plant or animal community, reduce the number or restrict the range of a rare or endangered plant or animal, or eliminate important examples of the major periods of California history or prehistory? b) Does the project have impacts that are individually limited, but cumulatively considerable? (“Cumulatively considerable” means that the incremental effects of a project are considerable when viewed in connection with the effects of past projects, the effects of other current projects, and the effects of probable future projects.) c) Does the project have environmental effects which will cause substantial adverse effects on human beings, either directly or indirectly? a) The purpose of the project is to improve air quality by installing pollution control systems on existing equipment at an existing facility Although temporary increases in emissions of criteria pollutants will occur during construction, these increases are below significance thresholds Similarly, operational increases in criteria air pollutant emissions associated with the project will be below significance thresholds The project will not reduce the habitat of any fish or wildlife species, cause a fish or wildlife population to drop below self-sustaining levels, threaten to eliminate a plant or animal community, or reduce the number or restrict the range of a rare or endangered plant or animal No important examples of history or prehistory will be affected b) Based on the foregoing analyses, since the proposed project will not result in projectspecific significant environmental impacts, implementation of the proposed project is not expected to cause cumulative impacts in conjunction with other projects that may occur concurrently with or subsequent to the proposed project The effects of the proposed project will not be "cumulatively considerable" because project-specific impacts not exceed any significance criteria used by the SCAQMD This conclusion is based on the fact that the analyses for each of the environmental areas concluded that the incremental effects of the proposed project would be minor FinalDraft Negative Declaration SCR Installation 35 AprilMarch 2003 and, therefore, not considered to be cumulatively considerable Therefore, the potential for significant cumulative or cumulatively considerable impacts will not be evaluated further c) The project is not expected to have substantial adverse effects on air quality visual resources, agricultural or mineral resources, noise levels, land use and planning, population and housing, public services, or recreation, and as such, will not have substantial direct or indirect adverse effects on human beings FinalDraft Negative Declaration SCR Installation 36 AprilMarch 2003 4.0 REFERENCES/LITERATURE CITED Eschenroeder, A., et al A Preliminary Screening Study of Potential Health Risks of Selective Catalytic Reduction Systems Applied to Gas Turbine Cogeneration Plants Lincoln, MA: Alanova, Inc., 1988 South Coast Air Quality Management District 1980 A climatological-air quality profile: California South Coast Air Basin November Diamond Bar, CA South Coast Air Quality Management District 1993 CEQA Air Quality Handbook Diamond Bar, CA Benchley, D L., and G F Athey Assessment of Research and Development (R&D) Needs in Ammonia Safety and Environmental Control Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest Laboratories, September, 1981 Bryant, W A 1988 Recently active traces of the Newport-Inglewood fault zone, Los Angeles and Orange Counties, California (DMG Open-File Report 88-14.) California Department of Conservation, Division of Mines and Geology Sacramento, CA Eschenroeder, A., et al A Preliminary Screening Study of Potential Health Risks of Selective Catalytic Reduction Systems Applied to Gas Turbine Cogeneration Plants Lincoln, MA: Alanova, Inc., 1988 Hart, E W 1994 Fault rupture hazard zones in California (Special Publication 42.) California Department of Conservation, Division of Mines and Geology Sacramento, CA FinalDraft Negative Declaration SCR Installation 37 AprilMarch 2003 APPENDIX A AIR QUALITY ANALYSIS FinalDraft Negative Declaration SCR Installation 38 AprilMarch 2003 ... the Final Negative Declaration (ND) for the Southern California Edison Pebbly Beach Generating Station Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) Installation Project The Draft ND was released for a 30-day... that may be created by the proposed project 2.2 Background Project Title: Pebbly Beach Generating Station Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) Installation Project Lead Agency Name & Address:... Stevens (909) 396-3439 Project Location: Pebbly Beach Generating Station (PBGS) Pebbly Beach Road Avalon, California 90704 Project Sponsor’s Name & Address: Southern California Edison (SCE) 2244 Walnut