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HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution 1984 - 0042RESOLUTION NO.84-42 A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARDS OF DIRECTORS OF COUNTY SANTITATION DISTRICTS NOS.1,6 and 7,CERTIFYING FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT “CONSOLIDATED MASTER PLAN OF TRUNK SEWER FACILITIES TO SERVE COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICTS NO.1,NORTH HALF OF NO.6,AND NO.7,MAKING CERTAIN FINDINGS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH,AND ADOPTING A STATEMENT OF OVERRIDING CONSIDERATIONS. ~ WHEREAS,on December 8,1982 the Boards of Directors of County Sanitation Districts Nos.1,6 and 7 of Orange County,California,adopted a Consolidated Master Plan of Trunk Sewer Facilities for County Sanitation Districts No.1,North Half of No.6 and No.7 (the Project),and WHEREAS,County Sanitation Districts Nos.1,6 and 7 (hereinafter “DISTRICTS”)are the lead agency for the preparation and consideration of environmental documents for projects contained within said Master Plan as defined in the California Environmental Quality Act of 1970,as amended, (hereinafter “CEQA”)and the State of California Guidelines for the Implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act as modified and adopted by the DISTRICTS (hereinafter “CEQA Guidelines”);and WHEREAS,in order to facilitate an objective assessment of the individual and collective environmental impacts associated with the expansion of the sewage collection system,the DISTRICTS have caused to be prepared,a Draft Environmental Impact Report “Consolidated Master Plan of Trunk Sewer Facilities to Serve County Sanitation Districts No.1,North Half of No.6, and No.7”to address the significant,adverse environmental impacts,mitigation measures and project alternatives associated with the Project;and WHEREAS,the DISTRICTS have consulted with other public agencies, and the general public and given them an opportunity to comment on said Draft EIR as required by the provisions of CEQA and the CEQA Guidelines;and WHEREAS,on January 11,1984,a duly noticed public hearing was held by the Boards of Directors of the DISTRICTS to provide a further opportunity for the general public to comment on and respond to the Draft EIR at which time no person other than the DISTRICTS’consultant spoke;and WHEREAS,the DISTRICTS have evaluated the coments received from public agencies and persons who reviewed the Draft EIR;and WHEREAS,said comments and recommendations received on the Draft EIR, either verbatim or in summary and the responses of the DISTRICTS to significant environmental points raised in the review and consultation process have been included in and made part of said Draft EIR to form the Final EIR for said Project as required by Section 15132 of the CEQA Guidelines;and WHEREAS,said Final EIR has been presented to the members of the Boards of Directors of DISTRICTS for review and consideration prior to the final approval of,and commitment to,any Master Plan projects. NOW,THEREFORE,BE IT RESOLVED by the Boards of Directors of County Sanitation Districts Nos.1,6 and 7 of Orange County,California as follows: 1.That the Boards of Directors of said DISTRICTS do hereby certify that the Final Environmental Impact Report,“Consolidated Master Plan of Trunk Sewer Facilities to Serve County Sanitation Districts No.1,North Half of No.6 and 2 No.7”,has been completed in compliance with CEQA and the CEQA Guidelines and that the DISTRICTS have reviewed and considered the information contained in said Final EIR prior to approval of,or commitment to,the Project.Said Final EIR is composed of the following elements: A.Draft Environmental Impact Report “Consolidated Master Plan of Trunk Sewer Facilities to Serve County Sanitation Districts No.1, North Half of No.6 and No.7 and all appendices thereto; B.Comments and responses to comments on said Draft EIR; 2.That the Boards of Directors of DISTRICTS do hereby find that changes or alterations have been required in,or incorporated into the Project which will mitigate or avoid any significant adverse effects identified in the Final EIR as specifically itemized below. A..Earth Resources Impacts Construction of various projects contemplated in the Master Plan will require temporary landforrn alterations;e.g. trenching,excavation,paving (Draft EIR,page 19).Certain projects will result in net earth removal. Findings All grading and landform alterations will be in accordance with the appropriate jurisdictions’grading ordinances.Landform impacts are temporary and will be avoided when mitigation measures identified in the Draft EIR are applied (Draft EIR,page 21). 3 Impacts Erosion potential is increased during construction (Draft EIR,page 20).The proposed improvements may be subject to geologic hazards,e.g.,seismic shaking,liquefaction (Draft EIR,pages 18 &19). Findings An erosion siltation control plan will be developed and submitted tothe Regional Water Quality Control Board and Department of Fish &Game for alternate phases of construction (Final EIR, pages 1 &2).Detailed geotechnical reports will be prepared during design to determine local bedrock or soil conditions and to determine proper methods of construction (Draft EIR,page 10).Standard engi neering practices and construction techniques will be employed to ensure structural integrity of all facilities.Seismic considerations will be evaluated in conjunction with design.Implementation of the adopted mitigation measures identified in the Draft EIR (pages 21, 22 &23)and Final EIR,(pages 1 &.2)will eliminate significant adverse impacts. B.Hydrology Impacts Construction could result in potential water quality effects from erosion and sediment transport (Draft EIR,page 25). Groundwater may be encountered during construction.The Tustin Orange Trunk lies adjacent to an existing stream bed and could be affected by significant storm flows. Findings Mitigation measures within the Draft EIR include erosion control methods (Draft EIR,pages 26 &27)and use of portable surnp pumps discharging into an existing sewer line to control groundwater 4 to meet NPDES dewatering permit requirements (Final EIR,page 6). The Tustin Orange Trunk will be designed to resist flotation if a flooding hazard exists.Construction of this facility between October 1 and April 1 will be avoided to minimize sedimentation of downstream areas (Final EIR,page 1).These adopted measures will eliminate significant adverse impact.Discharge of groundwater and surface runoff will be in accordance with the DISTRICTS’NPDES dewatering permit (Final EIR,pages 1 &2). Impacts The Fairview—Gisler Trunk alignment may cross the Santa Ana River. Findings Projects which could impact flood control facilities will be reviewed by Orange County Environmental Management Agency when applications for permits are filed.Coordination with Orange County Environmental Management Agency will mitigate significant adverse impacts. C.Biology Impacts No significant biological impacts are expected in District No.1 as the facilities are to be located within sites previously disturbed.While most projects in Districts No.6 and 7 are within street rights of way,a riparian habitat extends adjacent to portions of the Tustin-Orange Trunk.The area to the north of the proposed Tustin—Orange Trunk has been identified as an area of sensitive habitat (Draft EIR,page 36).Construction of the Fairview—Gisler project 5 could potentially impact the foraging season of the California least tern,an endangered species,in the Santa Ana River downstream from the project site (Final EIR,page 1).Some vegetation removal would be required (Draft EIR,page 37). Findings The California Department of Fish &Game recommended avoiding construction of the Tustin-Orange Trunk from October 1 to April 1 to minimize sedimentation of the downstream area (Final EIR, page 1).Every attempt will be made to adhere to the?r recommendation. The Department of Fish &Game further recommended that construction of the Fairview—Gisler Trunk be scheduled for other than April 1 to August 1 to avoid interference with foraging activities of the California least tern (Final EIR,page 1).Every attempt will be made to meet that schedule and the DISTRICTS will coordinate with the California Department of Fish &Game during design of these facilities and in obtaining the Department of Fish &Game 1601-1606 permit.The DISTRICTS find that with appropriate mitigation measures as outlined in the Draft EIR,pages 38 &39 and the Final EIR,page 1,and coordination with the California Department of Fish &Game,the impacts can be mitigated to a level of non-significance. 0.Cultural Resources Impacts The proposed projects will not affect any known archaeological or historical sites (Draft EIR,page 45). 6 Findings Since the majority of the proposed facilities lie within disturbed areas,no mitigation measures are required.No known sites lie within the alignment of the Tustin—Orange Trunk which passes through an area still remaining in its natural state (Draft EIR, page 45).Should a site be encountered during construction,the DISTRICTS will contact a qualified archaeologist to investigate the findings. E.Water Supply Impacts The completion of the proposed project would accommodate growth as approved by local planning jurisdictions which in turn would place a greater demand on all water resources (Draft EIR, page 46,Final EIR,page 6). Findings The County Sanitation Districts are a single purpose agency with the sole function to collect,treat and dispose of wastewater.As such,it is the DISTRICTS responsibility to accommodate the growth approved by other local zoning authorities. The DISTRICTS recommend the use of flow reduction measures for development projects with large wastewater flows as a water conservation measure. F.Transportation and Public Safety Impacts Potential traffic congestion,changes to circulation patterns,traffic control and attraction to the construction site will have a short term impact on the project areas during construction (Draft EIR,pages 49,88 &89). 7 Findings From a traffic engineering perspective the proposed project will have no long term impacts in terms of traffic generation (Draft EIR,pages 49 &57).The DISTRICTS will closely coordinate with the affected cities and County and Caltrans on traffic control and traffic patterns.Where possible,alternate construction techniques such as tunneling will be used to minimize traffic impacts (Draft EIR,page 57).The DISTRICTS find that all impacts are short term construction related impacts.With the mitigation measures outlined in the Draft EIR,pages 60,61,62,63,89 &90,these impacts can be reduced to a level of insignificance.The DISTRICTS take particular note concerning coordination of construction in the City of Irvine (Final EIR,page 4). G.Existing Land Uses Impacts Disruption to residential and commercial areas as well as schools may occur during construction activities. Findings The DISTRICTS will coordinate all construction activities with the affected City or the County of Orange.Impacts will be short term related to construction activities.No long term impacts are expected. H.Public Utilities Impacts Potential impacts include disruption to service and interference with other ongoing utility projects (Draft EIR,pages 78-81). 8 Findings The DISTRICTS will mitigate these impacts to a level of insignificance through close coordination with all utility companies during design of the projects.The DISTRICTS will comply with the Department of Health &Safety’s criteria for separation of water mains and sanitary sewers. I.Growth Characteristics Impacts The proposed facilities will enable the DISTRICTS to correct existing system deficiencies and accommodate increased wastewater flows from zoning changes approved by the Cities and County within Districts Nos.1,6 &7 (Draft EIR,page 81). Findings The County Sanitation Districts of Orange County are a single purpose entity with the sole responsibility to collect,treat and dispose of wastewater generated throughout our service area. As such,the DISTRICTS do not cause growth but rather accommodate growth approved by local zoning authorities.The Master Plan facilities evaluated in the EIR are necessary to correct existing system deficiencies,provide desirable system flexibility and meet the DISTRICTS’obligations to provide adequate sewerage facilities to protect the health and safety of the community. 3.The Boards of Directors of DISTRICTS further find that although changes, alterations or conditions have been incorporated into the projects contemplated in the Master Plan which will substantially mitigate or avoid significant effects identified in the Final EIR,certain of the significant effects cannot 9 be mitigated to fully acceptable levels.The remaining impacts identified below may continue to be of significant adverse impact even when all feasibly known and identified mitigation measures are applied. A.Impacts to land uses in all three Districts will be short—term in nature but unavoidable.Open space and undisturbed land uses will be temporarily impacted by construction. Findings Temporary impacts to open space and undisturbed areas during construction are an unavoidable effect of project implementation. These impacts are of a temporary nature and will be mitigated to the fullest extent possible.Upon completion of the projects,revegetation will occur.The Boards of Directors find it infeasible to further mitigate the impacts to open spaces and undisturbed lands.The projects outlined in the EIR are necessary to accommodate the waste- water flows generated by City and County approved development plans. If the projects are not implemented,development as provided for in the County and City adopted General Plans could be curtailed or reliability of the wastewater collection system could be reduced. B.Short—term construction equipment and dust emissions will result during grading and construction activities (Draft EIR,pages 66 &94). Findings The proposed projects will lead to construction activities which will cause temporary increases in exhaust and fugitive dust emissions in the immediate vicinity of construction.The DISTRICTS will comply with Rule 403 of the Southern California Air Quality Maintenance District (SCAQMD)Rules regarding fugitive dust emissions. 10 In approving the projects subject to the conditions and mitigations set forth,the DISTRICTS are doing all that is feasibly and reasonably possible at a local level for short term construction impacts.The replacement of the Lane Road Lift Station with the installation’of the South Irvine Lift Station should provide for better overall energy efficiency which helps offset some air quality impacts. C.Increased noise during construction. Findings All construction activities will comply with the noise limitations set by the individual cities or the County of Orange. Proper use and maintenance of noise reduction devices on heavy equipment will help to mitigate the problem and construction activities will be limited to daylight hours in noise sensitive areas (Draft EIR,page 76). 0.Short term aesthetic impacts will occur during construction. Findings Efforts will be made to minimize the aesthetic impacts during construction.Mitigations include constructing the Project in short segments (e.g.,1 mile)in order to confine the impact, reestablishment of landscaped areas after construction,removal or recontouring of excess earth,and burial of all sewer lines.The Boards of Directors find the above mitigation measures will substantially reduce the impact and that further measures are not economically feasible for a short term impact. 11 ~.c• 4.Certain changes or alterations (e.g.,mitigation measures)are required in or incorporated into the Project through the permitting responsibility and jurisdiction of a public agency other than County Sanitation Districts Nos.1, 6 and 7.These changes will be included in permits obtained from the applicable agency by DISTRICTS or its contractor as itemized below: A.Rule 403 of the Air Quality Management Plan is applicable to the Projects and when implemented provides partial mitigaton for short term air quality impacts.The South Coast Air Quality Management District is responsible for insuring compliance with and implementation of these rules. B.Construction permits for the Projects are required from the City in which the work will take place.Enforcement of the traffic,grading and construction permits will involve,on a project by project basis, one or more of the following cities:Costa Mesa,Irvine,Newport Beach,Orange,Santa Ana and Tustin.The County Environmental Management Agency will be responsible for construction permits in County owned streets and any permits which might be required in connection with flood control facilities. C.Encroachment permits for construction in State Highways will be required for some projects.Caltrans is responsible for insuring compliance with requirements contained in the encroachment permit. D.A dewatering permit will be required for discharge of groundwater encountered during construction.The Regional Water Quality Control 12 Board is responsible for insuring compliance with dewatering permit requirements. E.Construction in the Handy Creek and Santa Ana River habitat areas will be closely monitored by the California Department of Fish & Game. 5.The Boards of Directors of County.Sanitation Districts Nos.1,6 and 7 have balanced the benefits of the proposed Project against its unavoidable environmental risks in determining whether to approve said Project.The Boards do hereby further find,determine and state,pursuant to the provisions of Section 15093 of the State Guidelines,that the occurrence of those certain significant environmental effects identified in the Final EIR and set forth in paragraph 3 above have been found acceptable and will be permitted without further mitigation due.to the following overriding considerations: A.The projects are necessary to accommodate wastewater flows from ongoing development approved by the local zoning authorities.The DISTRICTS are a single purpose agency with the responsibility to collect,treat and dispose of wastewater generated within the DISTRICTS’service area.Construction of the Project identified in the EIR is necessary to provide sewerage facilities to serve development approved by the Cities and County after separate environmental review by the approving entity as identified in local land use plans.The DISTRICTS’growth projections are based on current trends and represent a fair estimate of growth rates in tributary areas.The present accommodation of these anticipated 13 capacity demands is more cost effective and fiscally responsible to taxpayers as well as less environmentally damaging than constructing a separate facility in a few years. B.The Boards of Directors find that implementation of the project alternativesidentified in the Final EIR are infeasible as follows: 1.No project alternative.The DISTRICTS’sole function is to provide sewerage facilities to adequately collect,treat and dispose of wastewater.If the no project alternative is implemented and no new facilities are built to accommodate City and County approved land uses it could become necessary to curtail connections to the DISTRICTS’system if adequate capacity does not exist.In addition,the sewer system could become unreliable with potential raw sewage back-up in the streets and discharge of untreated wastewater to the ocean. 2.Alternative alignments A &B were considered,for the Airport Relief Trunk Sewer.The impacts specific to both alignments are related to traffic and public safety.The alignment study prepared by Boyle Engineering,dated November 1,1983,finds that the Von Karman alignment of the Airport Relief Trunk Sewer offers the greater flexibility in serving the area.It is also the least environmentally sensitive of the two alternatives because it avoids public safety impacts where construction equipment could interfere with aircraft landings and also minimizes traffic 14 1~i ~ impacts.After consideration of the alignment study,on December 14,1983 the Boards of Directors adopted the Von Karman alignment of the Airport Trunk Sewer. C.For the reasons set forth above it is not economically feasible to further mitigate or avoid the environmental effects hereinabove identified. PASSED AND ADOPTED AT A REGULAR MEETING HELD APRIL 11,1984 15 STATE OF CALIFORNIA) SS. COUNTY OF ORANGE I,RITA 3.BROWN,Secretary of the Boards of Directors of County Sanitation Districts Nos.1,6 and 7 of Orange County,California,do hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution No.84—42 was passed and adopted at a regular meeting of said Boards on the 11th day of April,1984,by the following vote,to wit: DISTRICT 1 AYES:Robert Hanson (Chairman),Dan Griset,Don Saltarelli,Roger Stanton NOES:None ABSENT:None DISTRICT 6 AYES:James Wahner (Chairman),Philip Maurer,Roger Stanton NOES:None ABSENT:None DISTRICT 7 AYES:Don Smith (Chairman),Richard Edgar,Dan Griset,Philip Maurer, Roger Stanton,Bill Vardoulis,James Wahner NOES:None ABSENT:None IN WITNESS WHEREOF,I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the official seal of County Sanitation District No.1 on behalf of itself and Districts Nos.6 and 7 of Orange County,California,this 11th day of April,1984. Rita J.Brown,Secretary Boards of Directors,County Sanitation Dis~ric~ts Nos.1,6 and 7 of Orange County,California