PG&E Richmond-to-Pittsburg Pipeline
Section 2-XVI Utilities and Service Systems
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SETTING

The Richmond to Pittsburg Pipeline parallels numerous public utility and service system corridors, including water lines, sewer lines, electric lines, natural gas lines, and communication lines. Several service providers operate these utilities and service systems and provide these resources to residents and businesses in the vicinity of the pipeline.

WATER SERVICE

There are two major water providers in Contra Costa County: the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) and the Contra Costa Water District (CCWD).

The EBMUD collects water from the Mokelumne River watershed in the Sierra Nevada and conducts it to the east Bay Area through three 81-mile aqueducts. The EBMUD is the largest water district in Northern California serving approximately 1.2 million people in a 325-square-mile area extending from Crockett on the north, southward to San Lorenzo (encompassing the major cities of Oakland and Berkeley), eastward from San Francisco Bay to Walnut Creek, and south through the San Ramon Valley.

The CCWD takes its water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, which is the primary source of water for 430,000 residents in central and eastern Contra Costa County. The CCWD supplies treated water to all urbanized areas in central Contra Costa County that are not serviced by EBMUD. The CCWD provides untreated water, or "raw" water, to the cities of Antioch, Pittsburg, and Martinez, and various industrial and agricultural users. The CCWD also sells raw water to the California Cities Water Company (Bay Point) and the Oakley Water District.

SEWER SERVICE

The following eight service districts manage sewer service along the pipeline corridor:

• The Central Contra Costa Sanitary District is an independent local utility that provides wastewater collection and treatment services for over 400,000 residents in all the cities and unincorporated areas of central Contra Costa County from Martinez to San Ramon. The treated wastewater is piped from the treatment plant in Concord, north into Suisun Bay.
  
  
• The Crockett-Valona Sanitary District (CVSD) provides wastewater collection and transport services for approximately 3,200 customers in the unincorporated area of Crockett. The sewage is treated at the Joint Treatment Plant, which is partly owned by the CVSD and managed and operated by the C&H Sugar Company. The plant discharges treated effluent into the Carquinez Strait.
  
  
• The Delta Diablo Sanitation District operates a sewage treatment plant that treats wastewater from unincorporated Bay Point, the City of Pittsburg, and the City of Antioch. The treatment plant has a capacity of 12.6 million gallons per day. The treated effluent is discharged into the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
  
  
• The East Bay Municipal Utility District wastewater system treats domestic, commercial, and industrial wastewater for approximately 600,000 people in an 83-square-mile area of Alameda and Contra Costa counties along the bay's east shore, extending from Richmond on the north, southward to San Leandro. Each of these communities operates sewer collection systems that discharge into one of five EBMUD intercepting sewers. The 29 miles of interceptors collect wastewater from approximately 1,400 miles of sewers.
  
  
• The Mt. View Sanitary District (MVSD) provides wastewater collection and treatment services to approximately 20,000 residents in the unincorporated areas east of the City of Martinez. The MVSD treats an average daily flow of 1.7 million gallons of wastewater.
  
  
• The West Contra Costa Sanitary District (WCCSD) operates a sewage treatment plant for the City of San Pablo, parts of Richmond, El Sobrante, Pinole, and other unincorporated areas of western Contra Costa County. The WCCSD plant has the capacity to treat 12 million gallons of wastewater per day.
  
  
• The City of Richmond operates a municipally owned sewer collection and treatment system for approximately 50,000 customers in the city.
  
  
• The City of Pinole operates a municipally owned sewage treatment plant that treats effluent from both the Pinole and Hercules municipal collection systems. The plant serves a combined population of approximately 34,000, with an average flow of 2 million gallons of wastewater per day.

At the Hercules Pump Station, water is provided by the EBMUD, but the station is not connected to a public sewer system. Sewage from the pump plant's control room restroom drains into a 1,200-gallon septic tank. A pump truck service drains the septic tank as needed.

ELECTRIC AND NATURAL GAS SERVICE

Pacific Gas and Electric Company provides electric service to the Hercules Pump Station and residents and businesses in the cities of Hercules, Martinez, Pinole, Pittsburg, Richmond, and the unincorporated areas of Contra Costa County.

CABLE SERVICE

The American Telephone and Telegraph Company provides cable service to residents and businesses in the cities of Hercules, Martinez, Pinole, Pittsburg, Richmond, and the unincorporated areas of Contra Costa County.

TELEPHONE SERVICE

Pacific Bell provides telephone service and access to local and long distance carriers to the Hercules Pump Station and all of the jurisdictions crossed by the pipeline.

GARBAGE AND RECYCLING SERVICE

The following companies provide garbage and/or recycling services:

• Browning Ferris Industries serves Rodeo, Pleasant Hill, Martinez, and west Pittsburg
  
  
• The Crockett Garbage Company serves Crockett and Port Costa
  
  
• Richmond Sanitary Service provides garbage and recycling services to the cities of Richmond, Hercules (including the Hercules Pump Station), and Pinole
  
  
• Pittsburg Disposal provides garbage and recycling services to the City of Pittsburg
  
  
• Pleasant Hill Bay Shore Disposal provides garbage and recycling services to the City of Martinez
  
  
• Numerous providers serve the remaining unincorporated areas of Contra Costa County

UTILITIES AND SERVICE SYSTEMS IMPACTS DISCUSSION

a-g) The only potential construction-related impact to utilities and service systems would result from the proposed construction of the 4,000-foot replacement section. Existing landfills would have adequate capacity for the disposal of wastes associated with the 4,000-foot replacement section. As a result, impacts to landfill capacity would be less than significant. Operation of the pipeline would involve existing services from local utility, communication, water, and solid waste systems, and therefore would not create a need for new systems, supplies, or substantial alterations to power or natural gas, communications systems, local or regional water treatment or distribution facilities, sewer or septic tanks, storm water drainage, solid waste disposal, or local or regional water supplies. As a result, operation of the pipeline would not impact utilities and service systems, and mitigation measures are not required for operation of the Richmond to Pittsburg Fuel Oil Pipeline and Hercules Pump Station. However, construction activities could inadvertently contact underground facilities during underground construction, possibly leading to short-term service interruptions. While the likelihood of this occurring is remote and this impact is less than significant, the following mitigation measure was proposed by PG&E to further reduce this less than significant impact to an even lower level of significance.

REFERENCES

Pacific Gas and Electric Company. 2000. Proponents Environmental Assessment, Pacific Gas and Electric Richmond to Pittsburg Pipeline, and Hercules Pump Station.