PG&E Richmond-to-Pittsburg Pipeline
Section 2-XIII Public Services
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SETTING

Fire Protection

The pipeline and pump station are located in areas served by several fire protection and emergency medical response service providers.

The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District is governed by the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, and provides fire protection services to Antioch, Briones Hills, Clayton, Concord, Lafayette, the Mt. Diablo Area, Martinez, Oakley, Pleasant Hill, San Pablo, Walnut Creek, and nearby unincorporated areas. This District has over 30 stations; each station averages 2 to 4 engines and three firefighters, one of which is a paramedic. Stations 12, 13 and 14 are located in the City of Martinez and Station 70 is located in the City of San Pablo.

The Crockett-Carquinez Fire Protection District is governed by the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, and provides fire protection services and emergency medical response in the Crockett area, including the Port Costa area. Its station is located at 746 Loring Avenue, Crockett.

The Rodeo-Hercules Fire Protection District is an independent district that provides fire protection services and emergency medical response for the City of Hercules and the Rodeo area. Its station is located at 1680 Refugio Valley Road, Hercules.

The Pinole Fire Department provides fire protection services and emergency medical response to the City of Pinole and the Tara Hills area. It also provides back up for the adjacent cities of Hercules, Crockett, Rodeo, San Pablo and Richmond. Its station is located at 880 Tennent Avenue, Pinole.

The Richmond Fire Department provides fire protection services and emergency medical response to the City of Richmond, and automatic mutual aid to the cities of El Cerrito, San Pablo, Pinole and El Sobrante. The Department is staffed by 97 firefighters and 6 non-sworn personnel, and equipped with seven engines, two trucks, two rescue vehicles, and a hazardous materials unit. The Department’s headquarters are located at 330 – 25^th Street, Richmond.

Police Protection

The pipeline and pump station are located in the following police jurisdictions:

Parks

The underground Richmond pipeline passes through and/or adjacent to the following public parks:

Schools

In Contra Costa County, public education for kindergarten through 12^th grade is administered by 18 school districts in 232 schools that serve approximately 154,000 students. In addition, over 80 private schools offer primary and/or secondary classes.

The pipeline passes near several schools, listed below. The school nearest the underground pipeline is Seaview Elementary School, located at 2000 Southwood Drive in unincorporated Contra Costa County.

PUBLIC SERVICES IMPACTS DISCUSSION

• Fire. The pipeline would not require additional fire protection services outside of those services already available. The pipeline passes through fire protection districts that have established mutual aid agreements with nearby districts. All fire stations are within a few miles of the pipeline and the pump station; the Hercules Fire Station is less than a mile from the pump station. In addition, the pump station is required to adhere to strict safety measures on-site. Use of the pipeline and the pump station would not require the expansion of fire protection facilities or construction of new fire protection facilities.
  
  

  Police. The pipeline would not require additional police protection services outside of those services already available. The pipeline is underground; the pump station is, and would continue to be, secured by metal mesh fencing topped with barbed wire, a secured entry system, and an alarm system. Use of the pipeline and the pump station would not require the expansion of police protection facilities or construction of new police protection facilities.

  Schools. The underground Richmond pipeline passes near one existing school: Seaview Elementary School, located in unincorporated Contra Costa County, within the City of Pinole’s sphere of influence. Seaview is a year-round school with approximately 350 students in kindergarten through the sixth grade. However, the pipeline is within the Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way, and is set back from the school by approximately 500 feet, as well as the terminus of two streets. In addition to being used as the right-of-way for the pipeline, the railroad tracks are actively used. There are no schools located within 100 feet of the pipeline.

  Use of the pipeline would not, by itself, require the construction of a new or expanded school. The safety of the pipeline is addressed in Section VII., Hazards and Hazardous Materials, above. Employees hired as a result of the acquisition of the pipeline and pump station would most likely already live in the Bay Area and, therefore, a new school would not be required for potential new employees or new residents.

  Parks.

  Impact XIII.1: The pipeline may require maintenance in public parks, recreation areas or designated open space areas, which may result in temporary alteration of public parks.

  Temporary alteration of parks, recreation areas or designated open space areas would likely would not constitute a substantial adverse physical impact to the provision of or need for new or physically altered public parks. Nevertheless, the implementation of Mitigation Measure I.1 and IV.2 would lessen the potential impacts of temporary alterations to public parks, recreation areas and open space areas to a less than significant level.

  Mitigation Measure: Implement Mitigation Measures I.1 and IV.2.

  Significance after mitigation: Less than significant.

REFERENCES

On-Line Guide to Bay Area Private Schools,

http://www.baprivateschools.com, accessed March 21, 2001.

California Highway Patrol, http://www.chp.ca.us, accessed March 19, 2001.

City of Hercules, http://www.ci.hercules,ca.us/Police/HPDHome/index.htm,

accessed March 19, 2001.

City of Hercules, New Pacific Properties Specific Plan Draft

Environmental Impact Report, December, 1999.

City of Hercules, New Pacific Properties Specific Plan Environmental

Impact Report Comments and Responses, March 6, 2000.

City of Martinez, http://www.cityofmartinez.org, accessed March 19, 2001.

City of Pinole, http://www.ci.pinole.ca.us, accessed March 20, 2001.

City of Richmond, http://www.ci.richmond,ca.us, accessed March 20, 2001.

Contra Costa County Sheriff, http://www.cocosheriff.org, accessed March 19,

2001.

Contra Costa County, http://co.contra-costa.ca.us, accessed March 20, 2001.

Education Data Partnership, Fiscal, Demographic, and Performance Data

on California’s K-12 Schools, http://www.ed-data.k12.ca.us, accessed March 20, 2001.

PG&E, Proponent’s Environmental Assessment, November 8, 2000.

Site visit, January 31, 2001.

Thomas Brothers Maps, 1999 The Thomas Guide: San Francisco, Alameda

and Contra Costa Counties.