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Welcome to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) website for the environmental review of the proposed Siskiyou Telephone Company Nordheimer Flat Line Extension Project (Project). The proposed Project would include construction of a telecommunications line within the right-of-way (ROW) of Salmon River Road in Siskiyou County, California.
Siskiyou Telephone has filed an application with the CPUC to obtain a rural telecommunications infrastructure grant to construct the Nordheimer Flat Line Extension Grant Project. The CPUC is the CEQA Lead Agency on this project, and the United States Forest Service (USFS) is the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Lead Agency. NEPA review has already occurred and the project was given a categorical exemption from further federal environmental review for work on USFS lands, including the Nordheimer Flat Campground.
The objective of Siskiyou Telephone Company’s (Siskiyou Telephone's) proposed Project is to provide telephone and dial-up internet services to two private residences and the USFS Nordheimer Flat campground in Siskiyou County, California.
The proposed Project is subject to review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). This site provides access to public documents and information relevant to the CEQA environmental review process.
Application
The Rural Telecommunications Infrastructures Grant Phase 2 Application for the Nordheimer Flat Line Extension Grant Project may be viewed here.
Project Description
The Nordheimer Flat Line Extension Grant Project involves the installation of a telephone cable line in two conduits within the right-of-way of Salmon River Road between the end of Siskiyou Telephone’s current cable facility two miles southwest of Forks of Salmon, and the terminating telecommunications pedestal at Red Cap Ranch. The length of the proposed line would be 2.77 miles. The telecommunications line would provide telephone and dial-up internet services to two private residences and the USFS Nordheimer Flat campground in Siskiyou County, California.
Due to the topographical constraints of the terrain, cellular and satellite technologies are not feasible and are cost prohibitive. Siskiyou Telephone proposes to utilize conventional landline telecommunications construction consisting of copper and fiber cables, and will utilize Rural Utilities Service (RUS) standards and specifications to be compatible with the existing Siskiyou Telephone telecommunications network.
The facilities to be constructed will provide Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) and Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) service. The Nordheimer Project is projected to take eight weeks to construct (weather permitting).
The proposed project would consist of the following two parts:
- Part 1: Construction and installation of telephone lines.
- Part 2: Service activation. Grant funds would not be used to activate service.
Siskiyou Telephone estimates that a minimum of 50 pairs of copper cable would be installed to allow for any future development in the area. Construction of the telecommunications cable line would involve trenching within the Salmon River Road right-of-way, laying the two conduits within the trench, backfilling the trench, and conducting any associated roadway repairs. Cables would be pulled through the underground conduits, and above-ground pedestals would be placed at key locations along the route for cable access.
Figure 1: Proposed Project Location and Figure 2: Proposed Project show an overview of the proposed project area and route. Figure 3: Topography and the Proposed Project shows the topography in the project area.
Environmental Review
The CPUC expects that an IS/MND will be the appropriate CEQA document to be prepared for this project. The Draft IS/MND has been distributed for public review, and a Final IS/MND has been published. Both of these documents are now available on this web site. The CPUC will be scheduling a date to make a decision on the proposed project
Draft Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration
The CPUC, as Lead Agency under CEQA has prepared the Draft Initial Study/Negative Declaration (IS/MND) for consideration of Siskiyou Telephone's proposed Nordheimer Flat Line Extension Project. The Draft IS/MND has been prepared in compliance with CEQA. The Draft IS/MND was released for public review on November 26, 2008 and is available for review at the Etna Branch Library and on this Project website. Copies of these documents are available on CD-ROM and may be requested by phone at (415) 703-5484, or by e-mail at nordheimerflat@rmtinc.com.
The Draft IS/MND is available for review at the following project information repository location:
Etna Branch Library
115 Collier Way
Etna, California 96027
Comments will be accepted though 5:00 p.m. on December 29, 2008. Please send your comments regarding the Draft IS/MND, along with the name and address of an appropriate contact person, to:
Jensen Uchida
California Public Utilities Commission
505 Van Ness Avenue, Room 4a
San Francisco, California 94102
Tel (415) 703-5484
Final Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration
The CPUC, as Lead Agency under CEQA, has prepared the Final Initial Study/Negative Declaration (IS/MND) for consideration of Siskiyou Telephone's proposed Nordheimer Flat Line Extension Project. The Final IS/MND has been prepared in compliance with CEQA, and includes all comments received on the Draft IS/MND. The Final IS/MND also includes a Mitigation Monitoring Program (MMP). The Final IS/MND was produced on January 26, 2009 and is available for review on this Project website. Copies of these documents are available on CD-ROM and may be requested by phone at (415) 703-5484, or by e-mail at nordheimerflat@rmtinc.com.
For Additional Information
The CPUC, through its Environmental Review Team, is conducting an environmental review of the project. To request additional information or to be added to the mailing list, please contact us by email, fax, or phone, as follows:
Project email: nordheimerflat@rmtinc.com
Project fax number: (650) 373-1211
Project voicemail: (650) 340-4855
The CPUC’s Project Manager is:
Jensen Uchida, CPUC Project Manager
California Public Utilities Commission
505 Van Ness Avenue, Room 4a
San Francisco CA 94102
Tel (415) 703-5484
Fax (415) 703-2200
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