Utilities and Service Systems

SECTION 4
ENVIRONMENTAL CHECKLISTS

4.12 UTILITIES AND SERVICE SYSTEMS

SETTING

All of the twelve plant sites that would be sold share a common need for utilities and service systems affiliated with communications, potable water, sewer, storm water drainage, and solid waste disposal.

CHECKLIST ISSUES

a) Power or Natural Gas

The project would not result in a need for new power or natural gas systems or supplies, nor is it expected to substantially alter existing natural gas systems or supplies. The facilities being divested will continue into the future their current use of natural gas and their production, as needed, of electrical power.

The project would result in changes to the electrical power system such that the owners of the divested plants would not be owners of the transmission/distribution system. Presently, the IOUs operate their power plants in such a manner as to protect their assets - the power plants and the transmission/distribution system. The new owners would also operate their power plants in a manner so as to protect their assets, but in this case, they would only own the power plant and not the transmission distribution system. IOUs occasionally need to make a decision regarding acceptable failure (e.g., whether to "blow out" a transformer and let a portion of the electric grid fail, or to accept failure at a power plant and let the power plant shut down). New owners would not necessarily have any incentive to protect the transmission grid, but could be inclined to only protect their own newly acquired resources.

AB 1890 caused the creation of the Independent System Operator (ISO), which will coordinate the scheduling and dispatch of electricity, and will ensure that reliability of the transmission system is maintained. The ISO will control and operate the state's transmission system to schedule delivery of electric power supplies, and ensure that all standards for transmission service are met. The ISO will charge a FERC-regulated tariff to cover the cost of operating the system to ensure reliability. Entities that meet the reliability standards established by the Western States Coordinating Council (WSCC) and CPUC will be able to "ship" on the system.

Additionally, the CPUC will continue to have statutory responsibilities for system reliability.

Conclusion

Because the project would not substantially alter existing power or natural gas systems or result in a need for new systems or supplies, impacts related to power or natural gas systems would be less than significant.

b) Communications Systems

There are no foreseeable communications systems effects that would result from the project. None of the power plants to be divested would have a direct impact on communication systems, and communication services serving the plants and surrounding areas would continue after project implementation.

Conclusion

Because the project would not substantially affect communication systems, no impacts related to communication systems result from the project.

c) Local or Regional Water Treatment or Distribution

Implementation of the project at the coastal plants would not affect local or regional water treatment or distribution facilities. However, water for the Etiwanda and San Bernardino plants is supplied, in part, from public water systems. It is possible that the project could result in additional demands on these systems. However, the additional demand is likely to be small compared to the system wide demands. In addition, the water supply for these plants is from adjudicated groundwater basins. Therefore, any additional water consumed by the project would be replenished through purchases of imported water by the basin watermaster.

Conclusion

Because increased demand for water treatment or distribution facilities would be relatively small, and any additional water consumed would be replaced through the basin adjudication process, the impact would be less than significant.

d) Sewer or Septic Tanks

Wastewater disposal facilities at each of the plants are described in Table 4.12.1.

TABLE 4.12.1: WASTE WATER DISPOSAL FACILITIES

Facility Domestic Wastewater Disposal

Ellwood Energy Support Facility City of Santa Barbara collection systems

Mandalay Generating Station Septic tank

Ormond Beach Generating Station Septic tank

El Segundo Generating Station On-site treatment plant with ocean discharge of the water

Long Beach Generating Station

Sewer line is connected to the Long Beach Naval Shipyard, which is connected to the City of Los Angeles' sewer system

Redondo Generating Station

City of Redondo Beach collection system which flows to the City of Los Angeles' Hyperion Treatment Plant.

Cool Water Generating Station Septic tank

Etiwanda Generating Station Septic tank

Highgrove Generating Station Septic tank

San Bernardino Generating Station Septic tank

Alamitos Generating Station On-site treatment plant with ocean discharge

Huntington Beach Generating Station Orange County Sanitation Districts' collection system

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SOURCE: Technical Resource Document: Background Environmental Information for the Proposed Divestiture of Edison Gas-Fired Generation Plants, Entrix, 1997.

Relatively few, if any, additional employees would result from the project. Because these additional employees would be unlikely to sufficiently increase demands for wastewater disposal facilities, substantial modification of such facilities would not be necessary . The Redondo plant's wastewater flows to the City's 18" collector sewer, which presently is over capacity (Jones, 1997). Wastewater generated from the 40 current employees of the plant contribute a very small percentage of the flow in the sewer. Should the new owner employ a few additional employees, the increase in flow to the sewer system would be essentially immeasurable. Therefore, the sale of the Redondo plant would not cause a significant impact.

Conclusion

Because the project would not substantially affect the demand for wastewater treatment facilities, it would result in a less than significant impact.

e) Storm Water Drainage

The storm water drainage facilities at each of the individual power plants is described in Table 4.12.2.

Conclusion

As discussed in Section 4.4, Water, of this Initial Study, drainage conditions are not anticipated to be substantially changed by the project. The limited amount of construction that may be involved with the project (e.g. fences) would not substantially change the plant topography or the drainage conditions at the plants. Thus, impacts related to storm water drainage systems would be less than significant.

f) Solid Waste Disposal

The project may cause a slight increase in solid waste disposal as a result of minor construction associated with ownership transition or the modest potential addition of employees at the plants under new owners. Potential increases in solid waste disposal are anticipated to be small and temporary.

Conclusion

Because anticipated increases in solid waste disposal would be relatively small, and some would be temporary, impacts related to solid waste disposal would be less than significant.

TABLE 4.12.2: STORM WATER DRAINAGE FACILITIES

Facility Storm Water Drainage

Ellwood Energy Support Facility Wastewater sump

Mandalay Generating Station

All stormwater is collected in retention basins and then released into the ocean through the station outfall.

Ormond Beach Generating Station

There are five storm drain points at the plants. Two drains discharge to onsite wetlands, one drain discharges to the canal on the perimeter of the station, one drain is contained in a vault and tested before discharge onsite, and the fifth drain point is off the parking lot onto a sandy area on site.

El Segundo Generating Station

All stormwater is channeled to an onsite retention basin, and then discharged into the ocean through an outfall.

Long Beach Generating Station

All stormwater drainage at the station is pumped to a retention basin and then discharged to the ocean through an outfall.

Redondo Generating Station

All stormwater is collected in a retention basin and treated before discharge into the ocean.

Cool Water Generating Station

All stormwater drains at the station run to a retention basin and then into an open field on the plant site.

Etiwanda Generating Station

Stormwater drainage around the station is collected into a sump and is piped to an open field on the station property

Highgrove Generating Station

Runoff is collected in a retention basin and then discharged to the Santa Ana River. Cooling water is discharged into an on-site pond along with runoff from adjacent properties. This is discharged to a flood control channel that empties into Lake Cadena, which drains into the Santa Ana River.

San Bernardino Generating Station

All stormwater runoff is collected in a surface impoundment that overflows to the Santa Ana River.

Alamitos Generating Station

All drains at the plant except one run to a retention basin and then are discharged into the ocean. The remaining drain discharges on the grounds on the west side of the plant.

Huntington Beach Generating Station

All of the plant drains and 20% of the storm drains are collected in a retention basin and then are discharged into the ocean. The other 80% of the stormwater drainage is discharged to one of a number of sites, including: 1) an onsite wetland area east of the station, 2) the south parking lot, 3) the Newland Avenue ditch west of the station, or 4) Edison Way on the north side of the station.

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SOURCE: Technical Resource Document: Background Environmental Information for the Proposed Divestiture of Edison Gas-Fired Generation Plants, Entrix, 1997.

g) Local or Regional Water Supplies

Water consumed by the power plants is primarily for cooling water, although water is also used for industrial cleaning, the laboratories, air pollution control systems and domestic purposes. The project has the potential to increase the water supply requirements of the plants.

Conclusion

As described in Section 4.4, Water, of this Initial Study, the impact is less than significant because any additional groundwater used would be replaced via the basin adjudication agreement. The project would not result in the need to modify public water supply systems.

Facility	Domestic Wastewater Disposal

Ellwood Energy Support Facility	City of Santa Barbara collection systems
Mandalay Generating Station	Septic tank
Ormond Beach Generating Station	Septic tank
El Segundo Generating Station	On-site treatment plant with ocean discharge of the water
Long Beach Generating Station	Sewer line is connected to the Long Beach Naval Shipyard, which is connected to the City of Los Angeles' sewer system
Redondo Generating Station	City of Redondo Beach collection system which flows to the City of Los Angeles' Hyperion Treatment Plant.
Cool Water Generating Station	Septic tank
Etiwanda Generating Station	Septic tank
Highgrove Generating Station	Septic tank
San Bernardino Generating Station	Septic tank
Alamitos Generating Station	On-site treatment plant with ocean discharge
Huntington Beach Generating Station	Orange County Sanitation Districts' collection system

Facility	Storm Water Drainage

Ellwood Energy Support Facility	Wastewater sump
Mandalay Generating Station	All stormwater is collected in retention basins and then released into the ocean through the station outfall.
Ormond Beach Generating Station	There are five storm drain points at the plants. Two drains discharge to onsite wetlands, one drain discharges to the canal on the perimeter of the station, one drain is contained in a vault and tested before discharge onsite, and the fifth drain point is off the parking lot onto a sandy area on site.
El Segundo Generating Station	All stormwater is channeled to an onsite retention basin, and then discharged into the ocean through an outfall.
Long Beach Generating Station	All stormwater drainage at the station is pumped to a retention basin and then discharged to the ocean through an outfall.
Redondo Generating Station	All stormwater is collected in a retention basin and treated before discharge into the ocean.
Cool Water Generating Station	All stormwater drains at the station run to a retention basin and then into an open field on the plant site.
Etiwanda Generating Station	Stormwater drainage around the station is collected into a sump and is piped to an open field on the station property
Highgrove Generating Station	Runoff is collected in a retention basin and then discharged to the Santa Ana River. Cooling water is discharged into an on-site pond along with runoff from adjacent properties. This is discharged to a flood control channel that empties into Lake Cadena, which drains into the Santa Ana River.

San Bernardino Generating Station	All stormwater runoff is collected in a surface impoundment that overflows to the Santa Ana River.
Alamitos Generating Station	All drains at the plant except one run to a retention basin and then are discharged into the ocean. The remaining drain discharges on the grounds on the west side of the plant.
Huntington Beach Generating Station	All of the plant drains and 20% of the storm drains are collected in a retention basin and then are discharged into the ocean. The other 80% of the stormwater drainage is discharged to one of a number of sites, including: 1) an onsite wetland area east of the station, 2) the south parking lot, 3) the Newland Avenue ditch west of the station, or 4) Edison Way on the north side of the station.