STATE OF CALIFORNIA
PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION

San Diego Gas and Electric
TL 649 Wood-to-Steel Replacement Project

(Application No. A.15-08-006)

Last Updated: August 13, 2019


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Schedule

Milestone
Date
Application Deemed Complete by CPUC
January 25, 2016
Publication of Draft IS/MND
May 16, 2018
Public Comment Period on Draft IS/MND (30 Days)
May 16 - June 15, 2018
Publication of Final IS/MND
October 5 2018
CPUC Decision
January 22, 2019
Start of Construction
July 2019
End of Construction
April 2020

 

Introduction and Background

Welcome to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) web page for the environmental review of the San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E or the Applicant) Tie Line (TL) 649 Wood-to-Steel Replacement Project (the "Project"). The CPUC is the lead agency under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for the Project, and is therefore responsible for evaluating the Project's potential environmental impacts.

The Project will replace the existing wood poles supporting the power line with steel poles to increase fire safety and service reliability. The portion of TL 649 in which the existing poles will be replaced is approximately seven miles long, located in southern California, near San Diego and the United States-Mexico border. The Project extends through portions of the City of Chula Vista, the City of San Diego, and unincorporated San Diego County.

SDG&E submitted to CPUC a Proponent's Environmental Assessment (PEA) in August 2015, as part of its application (A.15-08-006) for a Permit to Construct, as specified in CPUC General Order (G.O.) 131-D. The PEA and related project documents are available under the "Quick Links" heading below. Additional information on the Project and the CPUC's environmental review process are also provided below.

Quick Links

Project Objectives

The objectives of the Project as defined by the Applicant are as follows:

  • Increase the fire safety and service reliability of TL 649
  • Locate proposed facilities within existing utility corridors to the extent feasible

Project

Project Description

The Project includes four primary components:

  1. Wood-to-steel replacement of existing facilities
  2. Conversion of approximately 430 feet of underground power line cable under State Route 125 to an overhead configuration
  3. Interception of existing underground distribution lines by trenching approximately 80 to 100 feet to pole location 25 and approximately 20 feet to pole location 18.5
  4. Modification of existing access roads as needed to ensure safe access by expanding the road width by approximately five feet at pole location 34, 35, 36, and 75 for lengths measuring approximately 50 feet, or as dictated by the condition of the road at the time of construction

Because the existing 69 kV conductors will be transferred to the new poles and no changes to any associated substation or other infrastructure were proposed, the Project would not increase the capacity of the existing system.

Project Location

The Project is located in the southeastern portion of San Diego County, California, approximately 12 miles southeast of downtown San Diego and approximately 1.5 miles north of the United States–Mexico border. The Project would traverse the City of Chula Vista, the City of San Diego, and unincorporated San Diego County. The portion of TL 649 that will be replaced is approximately seven miles in length and between pole locations 1 and 117. TL 649 extends farther than the Project alignment; however, wood-to-steel replacement will only occur on this portion of the power line. Replacement poles will be placed within SDG&E's existing alignment. Land uses along the Project route include residential, recreation, institutional, open space, public lands, rural lands, and utility corridors.

Environmental Review

As the lead agency under CEQA, CPUC conducted its own independent analysis of the potential environmental effects of the Project, and prepared an appropriate CEQA document based on the potential for significant environmental effects. Part of CPUC’s environmental review process involved assessing the completeness of the PEA.

The CPUC deemed SDG&E’s application complete on January 25, 2015 after receiving SDG&E's responses to Deficiency Letters #1 and #2. Based on its preliminary review of the Project as a whole, CPUC decided to prepare an Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND).

The Draft IS/MND was published for public review and comment on May 16, 2018. The Draft IS/MND can be downloaded under the "Quick Links" section above. The Draft IS/MND was circulated for a 30-day public review period, ending on June 15, 2018. CPUC received comment letters from California Department of Fish and Wildlife and Caltrans.

The Final IS/MND was published on October 5, 2018. The Final IS/MND can be downloaded under the "Quick Links" section above.

Construction Monitoring

The Project is currently under construction. The construction process is estimated to take approximately nine months, beginning in July 2019 and ending in April 2020. SDG&E will be responsible for fully implementing the mitigation measures included in the Mitigation, Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP) for the Project, which was included as part of the IS/MND (Appendix C). CPUC will monitor SDG&E's compliance, and, as lead agency under CEQA, is ultimately responsible for ensuring that the MMRP is fully implemented.

The Mitigation, Monitoring, Compliance and Reporting Program (MMCRP) is the CPUC's framework for ensuring environmental compliance for projects during construction. The MMCRP for the Project is available for viewing/download at the Quick Links above, and provides additional information on the project schedule, monitoring requirements, communication protocols, and other procedures to be followed during the Project construction period. Appendix C of the MMCRP documents compliance with specific mitigation measures and associated monitoring actions. This appendix will be continuously updated throughout the course of the construction process as items are completed.

For Additional Information

The CPUC's Environmental Review Team is managing the environmental evaluation of the Project. To request additional information or be added to the mailing list, please contact us by email, fax, or phone at:

Email: TL649@horizonh2o.com
Fax: (510) 350-3592
Toll-free voicemail: (844) 211-7510

Mail: John Forsythe, CPUC
c/o Tom Engels
Horizon Water and Environment, LLC
266 Grand Avenue, Suite 210
Oakland, CA 94610

The CPUC's project manager for the Project is:

John Forsythe, AICP
Energy Division
Infrastructure Permitting and CEQA
300 Capitol Mall, Suite 418
Sacramento, CA 95814

   

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