4.14 Public Services and Utilities

4.14.1 Overview

The Public Services and Utilities Systems section addresses the environmental setting and potential impacts to public services and utility systems resulting from the proposed Project and alternatives identified in Section 3.0, Project Description. This analysis focuses on the current setting of existing public services and utility systems, and examines how the proposed Project and alternatives would affect these services and systems.

Public services include fire protection, police protection, schools, and hospitals, which are generally provided by the applicable county or municipality. Utilities systems pertain to uses of natural gas, electricity, water, wastewater, and disposal facilities. This analysis examines the public services and utilities systems in the jurisdictions traversed by the proposed Project and alternative routes, and determines the potential impact from the Project construction and operation on the capabilities and capacities of the existing public services and utilities systems. These jurisdictions consist of incorporated and unincorporated areas in the County of Kern, County of Los Angeles, County of San Bernardino, and National Forest System Lands (NFS)/Angeles National Forest (ANF).

4.14.2 Technical Methodology

This analysis first examines the project area, on a segment-by-segment basis, regulatory setting based on the existing federal, state, and local regulatory framework, which consists of regulations, plans, and standards applicable to the proposed Project and alternatives. Next, this analysis addresses the environmental setting for the project area. The setting includes a description of the existing public services (fire protection, police protection, schools, and hospitals) and utility systems (natural gas, electricity, portable water, wastewater, and disposal facilities). Following this, the analysis evaluates and characterizes the potential impacts from the construction and operation of the proposed Project and alternatives. The significance of potential impacts to the project area is determined based on the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, Appendix G significance criteria (as described in Section 4.14.4). The analysis of cumulative impacts on public services and utility systems is provided in Section 5.0, Cumulative Impacts.

This section describes the potential for the proposed Project and alternatives to create demands on fire protection services; Project issues related to fire safety and fire hazards, particularly on NFS lands, are addressed in Appendix D, SCE Fire Management Plan. Similarly, while this section addresses potential impacts on waste disposal, Project issues related to hazardous waste disposal are found in Section 4.8, Hazards and Hazardous Materials.

The following environmental analyses are presented in the order of the Project segments (Segments 4 through 11), and generally in the order of jurisdictions traversed from Kern County to Los Angeles County and from Los Angeles County to San Bernardino County.

4.14.3 Regulations, Plans, and Standards

The following section presents the federal, state, regional and local utility and service system regulations, plans, and standards that are directly applicable to the proposed Project and alternatives.

4.14.3.1 Federal

No applicable federal regulations associated with public services and utility systems were identified for the proposed Project and alternatives.

4.14.3.2 State

4.14.3.2.1 California Government Code, Title 1, Section 4216-4216.9, Protection of Underground Infrastructure. The responsibilities of utility operators working in the vicinity of utilities requires that an excavator must contact a regional notification center at least two days prior to excavation of any subsurface installation. Any utility provider seeking to begin a project that may damage underground infrastructure can call Underground Service Alert (USA), the regional notification center. USA will notify the utilities that may have buried lines within 1,000 feet of the project. Representatives of the utilities are required to mark the specific location of their facilities within the work area prior to the start of project activities in the area.

4.14.3.2.2 Public Utilities Commission of the State of California, General Order No. 131-D, Section 14, Complaints and Preemption of Local Authority, Part B. “This General Order clarifies that local jurisdictions acting pursuant to local authority are preempted from regulating electric power line projects, distribution lines, substations, or electric facilities constructed by public utilities subject to the Commission’s jurisdiction.”

4.14.3.3 Local¹

The following general plan goals, ordinances, and codes pertaining to solid waste management were identified for jurisdictions within the project area. No other public services and utilities policies applicable to the Project were identified for the project area.

4.14.3.3.1 Unincorporated County of Los Angeles.

County Code, Title 20 Utilities of the Los Angeles County Code, Chapter 20.87, Construction and Demolition Debris Recycling and Reuse. For “any work requiring one or more permits, the total value of which exceeds $100,000,” “a Recycling and Reuse Plan (RRP) must be submitted, which includes provisions that “at least 50 percent, determined by weight, of all soil, rock, and gravel,” as well as “all project construction and demolition (C&D) debris, exclusive of soil, rock, and gravel, must be recycling or reused unless a lower percentage is approved by the director upon a determination that recycling or reuse of 50 percent of all such materials is not reasonably feasible.”

4.14.3.3.2 City of Baldwin Park.

General Plan Goal 7.0. Reduce the amount of solid waste produced in Baldwin Park.

Policy 7.1. Implement goals and policies contained in the City’s Household Hazardous Waste and Source Reduction and Recycling Elements and mandated by Assembly Bill 939, as amended.

Policy 7.2. Maximize public awareness of all source reduction and recycling programs.

Municipal Code, Title 5, Chapter 23. For all construction, demolition, and renovation projects, Applicants for covered projects must submit a construction and demolition materials management plan (C&DMMP) demonstrating how the applicant will divert at least 50 percent of the project’s waste, which must be approved prior to receiving a building permit.

4.14.3.3.3 City of Duarte.

Municipal Code, Title 6, Chapter 6.10. For “all construction and demolition projects within the city [except as deemed “non-covered”]” the applicant shall submit a waste management and diversion plan demonstrating that a minimum of 50 percent, measured by weight, of all C&D waste generated shall be diverted from the landfills or disposal sites.

4.14.3.3.4 City of La Cañada Flintridge.

Municipal Code, Title 8 Sanitation and Health, Chapter 9.14 Recycling and Diversion of Construction and Demolition Debris. For “all construction, demolition, and renovation projects within the city that are 1,000 square feet [as amended in 2002] or greater,” the applicant shall submit a Building Debris Management Report containing “documentation that verifies a minimum of 50 percent of the debris or material generated was diverted from a landfill.”

4.14.3.3.5 Monterey Park.

Municipal Code, Title 6, Chapter 6.08. The city requires C&D applicants for covered projects to submit a building debris management report (BDMR) demonstrating how they will achieve 50 percent diversion. The city council shall establish by resolution the maximum square footage of a construction, remodeling, or demolition project for which the self-hauler is not required to submit a BDMR to collect, process, or dispose of C&D debris.

4.14.3.3.6 Pico Rivera.

Municipal Code, Title 8 Health and Safety, Chapter 8.6 Demolition and Recycling. For “all construction, demolition, and renovation projects within the city, the total costs of which are, or are projected to be, greater than or equal to $100,000 (“covered projects”), the city finds that the applicant “shall complete and submit a waste management plan,” which includes provisions that “except in unusual circumstances, it is feasible to divert an average of at least 50 percent of all C&D debris from construction, demolition, and renovation projects.”

4.14.3.3.7 San Gabriel.

General Plan Target 5.7.3. Reduce the generation of solid wastes, including hazardous waste and recycle those materials that are used, to slow the filling of local and regional landfills, in accord with the California Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989.

Construction and Demolition Ordinance. The city has an adopted C&D ordinance for all new construction with a value of $10,000 or more and all demolition and grading projects, irrespective of valuation. The city’s franchised waste hauler must handle all C&D material generated on a project site. Use of the franchised hauler shall waive the requirement for a waste management and recycling plan (WMRP). The franchised waste hauler shall be required to divert at least 50 percent of the material received from a job site (California Integrated Waste Management Board, 2007).

4.14.3.3.8 South El Monte.

Construction and Demolition Ordinance. The City of South El Monte has an approved C&D ordinance requiring that prior to receiving a permit from the city for construction or demolition, the contractor shall develop and submit a plan to recycle and salvage the projected C&D debris to the greatest extent feasible. In addition, all contractors producing C&D debris shall recycle to the greatest extent feasible (CIWMB, 2007).

4.14.4 Significance Criteria

Impacts to public service providers could potentially occur when an increase to the size of the population and geographic area served, the number and type of calls for service, physical development, or a conflict with any applicable plan, policy, or regulation of an agency responsible for provision of public services would occur that could result in capacity constraints to existing public service providers.

Based on significance criteria presented in Appendix G of the CEQA Guidelines, Project-related impacts to public services would be considered significant if the project resulted in substantial adverse physical impacts associated with the provision of new or physically altered governmental facilities, need for new or physically altered governmental facilities, the construction of which could cause significant environmental impacts, in order to maintain acceptable service ratios, response times or other performance objectives for any of the public services:

•  Fire protection

•  Police protection

•  Schools

•  Parks²

•  Other public facilities

Also pursuant to Appendix G of the CEQA guidelines, Project-related impacts to utilities and service systems would be considered significant if the Project would:

•  Exceed³ wastewater treatment requirements of the applicable Regional Water Quality Control Board

•  Require or result in the construction of new water or wastewater treatment facilities or expansion of existing facilities, the construction of which would cause significant environmental effects

•  Require or result in the construction of new storm water drainage facilities or expansion of existing facilities, the construction of which could cause significant environmental effects

•  Have sufficient water supplies available to serve the project from existing entitlements and resources, or are new or expanded entitlements needed

•  Result in a determination by the wastewater treatment provider which serves or may serve the project that it has adequate⁴ capacity to serve the project’s projected demand in addition to the provider’s existing commitments

•  Be served by a landfill with sufficient⁵ permitted capacity to accommodate the project’s solid waste disposal needs

•  Comply⁶ with federal, state, and local statutes and regulations related to solid waste

4.14.5 Applicant Proposed Measures

SCE has identified one Applicant Proposed Measure (APM) pertinent to public services and utilities, as described below.

APM PUB-1. Fire Management Plan. SCE has prepared a Fire Management Plan (refer to Appendix D), which would be implemented during construction and operation of the proposed Project. The Plan establishes standards and practices that would minimize the risk of fire danger, and in the case of fire, provide for immediate suppression and notification.

4.14.6 Proposed Project and Alternatives

The proposed TRTP consists of eight segments enumerated as Segment 4 through Segment 11. Segments 4, 5, and 10 involve upgrading and expanding SCE’s transmission system north of SCE’s Vincent Substation in order to integrate the Tehachapi area wind generation to SCE’s electric system. Segments 6, 7, 8, and 10 involve upgrading and expanding SCE’s transmission system south of SCE’s Vincent Substation in order to deliver Tehachapi area wind generation to SCE’s load centers. Segment 9 involves upgrading or expanding substations along various transmission line (T/L) routes. The major components of these facilities are summarized in the following sections. Complete descriptions are provided in Section 3.0, Project Description.

4.14.6.1 Segment 4

4.14.6.1.1 Environmental Setting. The following discussion pertains to the Segment 4 project area, which traverses the unincorporated southern portion of Kern County, the unincorporated northern portion of Los Angeles County, and the City of Lancaster.

Provisions for natural gas, electricity, water, wastewater, and waste disposal services for each jurisdiction within the Segment 4 Project area are presented in Table 4.14-1. Solid waste landfill data pertaining to availability (i.e., active and permitted) and daily and remaining capacities serving the Project area are presented in Table 4.14-2.

County of Kern.

Fire Protection. Kern County Fire Department provides fire protection for the portions of the project area in the unincorporated Kern County (County of Kern, 2007).

Police Protection. The Kern County Sheriff’s Department provides police protection to the unincorporated portions of Kern County, and contracts policing services to smaller cities.

Table 4.14-1
Segment 4: Utility Providers by Jurisdiction¹

¹   Sources: Antelope Valley East Kern Water Agency, 2007; California Energy Commission, 2007; California Integrated Waste Management Board, 2007; county and municipal general plans, County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works, 2007; Department of Water Resources, 2007; Los Angeles County Sanitation District, 2007; Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, 2007.

The Department has roughly 1,050 sworn, non-sworn, and civilian employees (County of Kern, 2007).

Schools. The unincorporated areas of southern Kern County are served by Kern Union High School District, Southern Kern Unified School District, and the Tehachapi Unified School District (Kern County Board of Education, 2007).

Hospitals. The Tehachapi Hospital provides the medical and health care in the southern portion of Kern County, and the Antelope Valley Hospital provides medical care in eastern Kern County.

County of Los Angeles.

Fire Protection. The Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACFD) provides fire protection for 57 incorporated, as well as the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. LACFD operates through 9 divisions, which are comprised of 159 regional fire stations throughout the service areas. Additionally, LACFD has contracted with the USDA Forest Service and the California Department of Forestry to provide wildland fire protection on state responsibility areas (SRA) (LACFD, 2007).

Police Protection. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LACSD) provides law enforcement to residents in the unincorporated communities, the ANF, and approximately 40 of the 88 cities throughout Los Angeles County. This intergovernmental contracting is known as the “Lakewood Plan,” which provides flexible police protection resources with back-up capabilities, and accommodates varying law enforcement needs. The Department is considered the largest sheriff’s department in the world. The county is divided into three

TABLE 4.14-2
SOLID WASTE CAPACITIES OF PERMITTED AND
ACTIVE DISPOSAL SITES SERVING PROJECT AREA¹

¹   Source: California Integrated Waste Management Board, Permitted and Active Solid Waste Facilities, 2007.

²   N/A: Data Not Available.

patrol divisions, Regions I, II, and III, which are each divided into multiple divisions (LACSD, 2007).

Schools. The northern unincorporated region of Los Angeles County is served by Acton Agua-Dulce Unified School District (4 schools, with an enrollment of 1,909), Antelope Valley Union High School District (13 schools with an enrollment of 25,312), Eastside Union School District (4 schools with an enrollment of 2,914), Keppel Union School District (7 schools with an enrollment of 3,073), La Cañada Flintridge Unified School District (5 schools, with an enrollment of 4,267), Lancaster Unified School District (19 schools with an enrollment of 16,058), Saugus Union School District (15 schools with an enrollment of 10,521), Sulphur Springs Union School District (9 schools with an enrollment of 5,722), and Westside Union School District (11 schools with an enrollment of 8,528) (California Department of Education, 2007).

Hospitals. Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster provides the health care and medical services to the Greater Antelope Valley region, which encompasses over 3,000 square miles, including northern Los Angeles County and eastern Kern County.

City of Lancaster.

Fire Protection. The City of Lancaster is a member of the Los Angeles County Consolidated Fire District’s Division V, in the North Region. The Department provides fire and emergency response through 19 stations in the division area, with Stations 33, 112, 117, 129, 130, 134, and 135 operating within the City. In the event that a station requires additional assistance, other stations may be called upon for support under reciprocal agreements (Padilla, 2007).

Police Protection. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department provides contracted police protection services to the City of Lancaster (LACSD, 2007).

Schools. The City of Lancaster is served by four school districts: Antelope Valley Union High School District (13 schools with an enrollment of 25,312), Eastside Unified School District (4 schools with an enrollment of 2,914), Lancaster Unified School District (19 schools with an enrollment of 16,058), and Westside Union School District (11 schools with an enrollment of 8,528) (California Department of Education, 2007).

Hospitals. The Antelope Valley and Lancaster Community Hospitals in Lancaster provide the health care and medical services in the City of Lancaster.

4.14.6.1.2 Impact Analysis.

Impact Summary. This portion of the analysis examines the extent to which the Segment 4 construction, operation, and maintenance of the proposed Project would potentially impact public services and utilities systems.

Long-term impacts to public services and utilities systems are typically associated with population growth in an area, when increased demand for utilities and services exceed existing capabilities and capacities, and then necessitate the expansion of existing facilities or construction of new facilities. As detailed in Section 4.13 Population and Housing, construction of the proposed Project, however, is not expected to result in direct population increases due to the temporary nature of construction and availability of the regional workforce. For this reason, construction of the proposed Project would not increase demands on schools. Furthermore, as a result of construction practices and precautions addressed in the following subsection, construction of the proposed Project would not be expected to place undue demands on fire protection and law enforcement services, such that existing capabilities are exceeded.

The California Aqueduct system (via various water districts) and local water supplies would provide potable water to the proposed Project. Water service is provided to jurisdictions in the Project area by a variety of water purveyors, as shown in Table 4.14-1. Project water needs are limited to fugitive dust suppression (as detailed in Section 4.4, Air Quality) and domestic uses for the construction workers, and represent a minute quantity relative to water resources available in the Project area. As a result, the construction water usage is not expected to exceed existing water service capacities.

The wastewater stream resulting from construction of the proposed Project is limited to quantities generated by the construction workers. Construction of the entire proposed Project would require between 10 to 350 workers, with an average of 155 workers. Based on these numbers, the quantity of wastewater generated during construction of the proposed Project would not introduce significant effluent quantities at the wastewater treatment facilities.

SCE would recycle waste materials to the maximum extent practical. Given that scrap metal would be recycled and other projected construction waste materials are also recyclable, SCE expects to recycle at least 50 percent of the projected construction and demolition waste materials shown in Tables 3.8-1 through 3.8-14 (Appendix P2). Table 4.14-1 identifies solid waste disposal facilities serving each jurisdiction. Based on the estimated quantities of solid waste generated during the proposed Project construction (Tables 3.8-1 through 3.8-14) and existing capacities at the active and permitted landfills serving the Project area (as shown in Table 4.14-2), construction of the proposed Project would not be expected to exceed available capacities at the disposal facilities. Table 4.14-1 also identifies electricity and gas utilities serving jurisdictions in the Project area.

Operation and maintenance of the proposed Project would be conducted by SCE’s existing labor force, and would not create new jobs locally or regionally. As a result, the proposed Project is not expected to result in long-term requirements that would place a permanent increased demand on public service providers including fire protection, police protection, schools, and hospitals, and utility providers. Refer to Section 4.13, Population and Housing, for detailed assessments of the existing labor force within the proposed Project area and Section 7.0, Growth-Inducing Effects, for further discussion regarding the growth-inducing potential of the proposed Project.

Furthermore, maintenance practices (as discussed in the Operation Impacts, below) along the T/L corridor would reduce potential fire risks, thus decreasing the potential need for fire protection services. Lastly, operation of the proposed Project does not require water nor generate wastewater; therefore, such demands on existing facilities would be negligible.

The following subsections address potential Project-related construction and operation impacts and proposed mitigation measures according to the Appendix G, CEQA Guidelines.

Construction.

Would Project construction exceed wastewater treatment requirements of the applicable Regional Water Quality Control Board?

Wastewater generated during construction of the proposed Project would be limited to quantities generated by Project personnel, and would be accommodated by portable restrooms brought to staging areas. This wastewater stream would be handled through septic tanks or through the appropriate sanitation district. As a result, construction of the proposed Project would have no impact on exceeding the applicable Regional Water Quality Control Board wastewater treatment requirements. No mitigation measures are warranted.

Would Project construction result in provision of new or physically altered governmental facilities for fire protection?

Temporary construction activities could potentially increase fire hazards, due to accidents or negligence by the construction personnel or equipment. As a result, SCE proposes to implement APM-PUB-1, Fire Management Plan (refer to Appendix D, Fire Management Plan), which addresses fire prevention practices and emergency contingency procedures in the event of such an incident. Implementation of the Plan is expected to prevent potential fire incidents, and if in the case of a fire, provide for immediate suppression. In this way, construction of the proposed Project would not be expected to impact fire protection services to the extent that new or expanded facilities would be needed. No mitigation measures are warranted.

Would Project construction result in provision of new or physically altered governmental facilities for police protection?

Construction of the proposed Project would not require the relocation of workers to the Project area (refer to Section 4.13, Population and Housing). As a result, the proposed Project would not increase demands on police protection and hence, would have no impact as to require new or expanded police protection facilities. No mitigation measures are warranted.

Would Project construction result in provision of new or physically altered governmental facilities for schools?

Construction of the proposed Project would not require the relocation of workers to the Project area (refer to Section 4.13, Population and Housing). As a result, the proposed Project would not increase demands on schools and hence, would have no impact on schools. No mitigation measures are warranted.

Would Project construction result in provision of new or physically altered governmental facilities for other public facilities?

Numerous major hospitals have been identified along the proposed Project routes, which in the event of a medical emergency, have capabilities and facilities to treat emergency conditions. Based on the estimated number construction workers (Section 3.0, Project Description) relative to the proximity and number of major medical facilities along and within the Project area, construction activities would not be expected to place an undue burden on the local hospitals, so as to require new or expanded facilities. No impact is anticipated, therefore, no mitigation measures are needed.

Construction activities could potentially disrupt services provided by underground and overhead utilities. However, as required by California Government Code Section 4216-4216.9, “Protection of Underground Infrastructure,” SCE will notify Underground Service Alert (also known as USA or Dig Alert) at least 2 days prior to any ground disturbance of the proposed Project in order to verify specific locations of existing underground utilities within 1,000 feet of the Project. In this way, the Project may avoid potential conflicts. Overhead lines in the vicinity of the proposed Project R-O-W would also be identified for avoidance. As a result, the Project would not result in reductions or interruptions of existing utility systems; therefore, the Project would have no potentially significant impacts on other public facilities. No mitigation measures are warranted.

Would Project construction require or result in the construction of new water or wastewater treatment facilities or expansion of existing facilities?

During construction, water would be required for fugitive dust suppression and domestic drinking and sanitary purposes. The amount of water required for fugitive dust suppression will vary according to the length of access roads used, climate, soil and road surface conditions, and other site-specific conditions. Based on the construction activities and schedule presented in Section 3.0, Project Description, the estimated quantity of water required for fugitive dust suppression is not expected to be sufficient as to require the construction or expansion of water facilities. Water used for drinking and sanitary purposes is expected to amount to comparatively small quantities, and would not be anticipated to impact existing facilities. No mitigation measures are needed.

Wastewater generated during the proposed Project construction would be limited to quantities generated by Project personnel, and would be accommodated by portable restrooms brought to staging areas. The portable toilets would be emptied into septic tanks or municipal sewage systems. According to the estimated construction workforce indicated in Section 3.0, Project Description, the wastewater generated as a result of the Project construction would not be expected to significantly impact the capacities of wastewater treatment facilities in each jurisdiction, as identified in the respective table, Utility Providers by Jurisdiction. In this way, the Project would have no impact as to require or result in the construction or expansion of wastewater treatment facilities. No mitigation measures are needed.

Would Project construction require or result in the construction of new storm water drainage facilities or expansion of existing facilities, the construction of which would cause significant environmental effects?

Construction of the proposed Project would include drainage structures and improvements such as wet crossings, water bars, overside drains, and pipe culverts. Such construction activities have the potential to cause significant environmental effects; however, SCE’s construction practices include preparation and implementation of a construction Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) to manage potential sources of storm water contamination. Under the construction SWPPP, SCE would implement Best Management Practices (BMPs) to control and minimize construction effects on storm water quality. As a result, construction of new or expanded storm water drainage facilities would be expected to cause less than significant environmental effects on water quality. Refer to Section 4.9 for a more complete discussion on storm water quality. No mitigation measures are needed.

SCE’s construction practices also include preparation and implementation of a Fugitive Dust Mitigation Plan (FDMP) in order to minimize air quality impacts caused by construction activities. FDMP practices would similarly apply to construction of new or expanded storm water drainage facilities, and would result in minimal impacts to air quality. As a result, construction of new or expanded storm water drainage facilities would be expected to cause less than significant environmental effects on air quality. Refer to Section 4.4 for a complete discussion on potential construction-related air quality impacts. No mitigation measures are needed.

Would Project construction have sufficient water supplies available to serve the Project from existing entitlements and resources?

As previously discussed, construction water needs consist of water procured for fugitive dust suppression, and domestic drinking and sanitary purposes. Quantities of water needs are not anticipated to be substantial. Each segment contains a table (Utility Providers by Jurisdiction) that contains information about specific utility providers the segment traverses. The proposed Project area traverses multiple jurisdictions served by a variety of water sources, which should adequately supply the required water with a less than significant impact on water supplies allocated from existing entitlements and resources. No mitigation measures are warranted.

Would Project construction result in a determination by the wastewater treatment provider which serves or may serve the Project that it has adequate capacity to serve the Project’s projected demand in addition to the provider’s existing commitments?

As previously discussed, wastewater generated during the proposed Project construction would be limited to quantities generated by Project personnel. The quantities are not expected to exceed or significantly impact the influent capacities of wastewater treatment facilities such that the treatment provider would need to assess whether existing capacities are able to accommodate the Project’s waste stream. In this way, the Project would have no impact as to require or result in the construction or expansion of wastewater treatment facilities. No mitigation measures are needed.

Would Project construction be served by a landfill with sufficient permitted capacity to accommodate the Project’s solid waste disposal needs?

The solid waste generated by construction activities would consist largely of soil, potential rock material, broken concrete, vegetative material, wood cribbing, scrap metal, sanitation waste, and other construction debris. SCE will recycle construction and demolition waste materials to the maximum extent practical, and expects to divert at least 50 percent of the waste materials from landfill disposal. Soil from drilling or excavation for new tower foundations would be screened and separated for use as backfill material at the site of origin to the maximum extent possible.

The remaining material would be disposed into landfill facilities. Over the course of the 55-month period to construct Segments 4 through 11, the average daily solid waste disposal is conservatively estimated to be 528 tons. This average overestimates the actual disposal quantity, since it only takes in account scrap metal recycling and materials reusable at SCE or on site. The actual disposal amount is expected to be substantially less, when cribbing wood, cardboard boxing and crating, soil, and vegetation are recycled to the extent practical. The waste generated by the proposed Project would be dispersed into various landfills serving the Project route. Table 4.14-2 provides the daily throughput and remaining capacities for these landfills. As shown, the conservative estimate of solid waste generated during Project construction represents a small fraction of the available landfill throughput and capacity within the Project area. In this way, the proposed Project is expected to result in a less-than-significant impact, and no mitigation measures are needed.

Would Project construction comply with federal, state, and local statutes and regulations related to solid waste?

The California Integrated Waste Management Board adopted the Integrated Waste Management Act in 1989, which requires all local and county governments to adopt a Source Reduction and Recycling Element to identify means of reducing the amount of solid waste sent to land by 50 percent as of 2000. As a result, multiple jurisdictions have adopted general plan goals, ordinances, and codes (listed in Section 4.14.3.3) requiring covered construction and demolition projects to recycle at least 50 percent of construction waste and debris. Within the proposed Project, these jurisdictions include: the County of Los Angeles (traversed by Segments 4 through 11), Baldwin Park (traversed by Segment 7), Duarte (traversed by Segments 6 and 7), La Cañada Flintridge (traversed by Segments 9 and 11), Monterey Park (traversed by Segments 7 and 11), Pasadena (traversed by Segment 11), Pico Rivera (traversed by Segment 8), San Gabriel (traversed by Segments 7 and 11), and South El Monte (traversed by Segment 7).

SCE will recycle waste materials to the maximum extent practical, and expects to recycle at least 50 percent of the construction and demolition waste materials. In this way, the Project would not be subject to violating applicable statutes and regulations relating to solid waste. As a result, the Project would have no impact, and no mitigation measures are needed.

Operation.

Would Project operation exceed wastewater treatment requirements of the applicable Regional Water Quality Control Board?

Operation of T/L portion of the proposed Project would not generate a waste stream subject to wastewater treatment requirements of the Regional Water Quality Control Board. As a result, Project operation would have no impact on exceeding the applicable Regional Water Quality Control Board wastewater treatment requirements. No mitigation measures are warranted.

Would Project operation result in provision of new or physically altered governmental facilities for fire protection?

Potential fire risks during Project operation would typically result from inadequate brush or foliage clearance in the R-O-W, or problems with the T/L support structures. SCE’s operation and maintenance procedures for the proposed transmission lines involve periodic inspection (e.g., once per year) via helicopter and truck where accessible, maintenance of the T/L corridors and access roads, and maintenance on the T/L on an as-needed basis (refer to Section 3.0, Project Description, and Appendix D, Fire Management Plan(s). Such maintenance practices would minimize potential fire risks, and would ensure that Project operation would not place an undue burden on fire protection services. In this way, operation of the proposed Project would not result in new or expanded facilities for fire protection services. No mitigation measures are needed.

Would Project operation result in provision of new or physically altered governmental facilities for police protection?

Project operation would not result in a direct increase in the local population (Section 7.0, Growth-Inducing Effects), nor would new operational employees be needed to operate and maintain the T/Ls and substations, such to generate any additional population that could exceed the capacity of local police protection providers. In this way, the Project operation would have no impact on police protection. No mitigation measures are needed.

Would Project operation result in provision of new or physically altered governmental facilities for schools?

As summarized above, Project operation would not result in a direct increase in the local population. As a result, the Project would have no impact on schools. No mitigation measures are needed.

Would Project operation result in provision of new or physically altered governmental facilities for other public facilities?

As discussed above, operation of the proposed Project would not require the relocation of new workers to the Project area, nor would the Project result in a direct increase in the local population (Section 7.0, Growth-Inducing Effects). As a result, the proposed Project would not increase any demands on other public facilities and hence, would have no impact on other public facilities. No mitigation measures are needed.

Would Project operation require or result in the construction of new water or wastewater treatment facilities or expansion of existing facilities?

Operation of the proposed Project would not require any use of water or generate any wastewater; therefore, the Project would have no impact on existing water or wastewater facilities. No mitigation measures are needed.

Would Project operation require or result in the construction of new storm water drainage facilities or expansion of existing facilities, the construction of which would cause significant environmental effects?

Construction of the proposed Project includes construction and expansion of storm water drainage facilities, as discussed above in Construction Impacts; however, Project operation would not require additional provisions for storm water drainage facilities. As a result, operation of the proposed Project would have no impact to require or result in construction or expanded storm water drainage facilities. No mitigation measures are warranted.

Would Project operation have sufficient water supplies available to serve the Project from existing entitlements and resources?

The proposed Project would be constructed with insulators which do not require cleaning. Similarly, other equipment used for the proposed Project would not require water during operation and maintenance. As a result, operation of the proposed Project would require negligible amounts of water for maintenance activities; hence, the Project would cause no impact to water supplies. No mitigation measures are needed.

Would Project operation result in a determination by the wastewater treatment provider which serves or may serve the Project that it has adequate capacity to serve the Project’s projected demand in addition to the provider’s existing commitments?

As discussed above, operation of the proposed Project would not require use of water, and would not generate wastewater; therefore, the Project would have no impact on existing wastewater facilities and capacities. No mitigation measures are needed.

Would Project operation be served by a landfill with sufficient permitted capacity to accommodate the Project’s solid waste disposal needs?

During operation, the Project may generate small amounts of solid waste during routine maintenance procedures, which would include clearing vegetative material from the T/L corridor. The extent practicable, waste materials would be recycled. Remaining waste material unfeasible to recycle would be disposed at a disposal facility. The quantity of waste material would be minute compared with the daily throughput capacities (as shown in Table 4.14-2), and would cause a less than significant impact. No mitigation measures are warranted.

Would Project operation comply with federal, state, and local statutes and regulations related to solid waste?

The California Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989 mandates all local and county governments to adopt a Source Reduction and Recycling Element to divert 50 percent of solid waste from landfills. Consequently, a substantial number of waste handling and disposal facilities operate using source or centralized separation practices to divert landfill material.

The majority of solid waste generated during operation of the proposed Project is expected to consist of vegetative material removed during maintenance activities. To the extent feasible, SCE will dispose waste materials into waste processes that incorporate diversion practices. Operation of the Project would not be expected to impact solid waste statutes and regulations. No mitigation measures are warranted.

4.14.6.1.3 Mitigation Measures. APM PUB-1 has been incorporated into the Project design and applies to this segment; therefore, any potentially significant impacts have been avoided or reduced to a less-than-significant level, and no mitigation is required.

4.14.6.1.4 Impact Significance After Mitigation Measures. The potential impacts to public services and utilities associated with construction and operation of Segment 4 are considered to be less than significant.

4.14.6.2 Segment 5

Segment 5 consists of the proposed Project area traversing through the unincorporated northern portion of Los Angeles County, and the City of Lancaster, and the City of Palmdale.

Provisions for natural gas, electricity, water, wastewater, and waste disposal services for each jurisdiction within the Segment 5 Project area appear in Table 4.14-3. Solid waste landfill data pertaining to availability (i.e., active and permitted) and daily and remaining capacities serving the Project area are presented in Table 4.14-2.

4.14.6.2.1 Environmental Setting.

Los Angeles County. Refer to Section 4.14.6.1, Segment 4, for the environmental setting.

City of Palmdale.

Fire Protection. The City of Palmdale is a member of the Los Angeles County Consolidated Fire District’s Division V, in the North Region. The Department provides fire and emergency response through 19 stations in the division area, with Stations 24, 37, 78, 114, and 131 operating within the City. In the event that a station requires additional assistance, other stations may be called upon for support under reciprocal agreements (Padilla, 2007).

Table 4.14-3
Segment 5: UTILITY PROVIDERS by Jurisdiction¹

¹   Sources: Antelope Valley East Kern Water Agency, 2007; California Energy Commission, 2007; California Integrated Waste Management Board, 2007; City of Palmdale General Plan, County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works, 2007; Department of Water Resources, 2007; Los Angeles County Sanitation District, 2007; Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, 2007

Police Protection. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department provides contracted police protection services to the City of Palmdale.

Schools. The City of Palmdale is served by three school districts: Palmdale School District (27 schools with an enrollment of 22,826), Westside Union School District (11 schools with an enrollment of 8,528), and Antelope Valley Union High School District (13 schools with an enrollment of 25,312) (California Department of Education, 2007).

Hospitals. Antelope Valley and Lancaster Community Hospitals in Lancaster provide health care and medical services in the City of Palmdale. Additionally, the Palmdale Regional Medical Center, which will provide medical care to Palmdale’s growing community, is currently under construction and is scheduled to open in Palmdale during the Fall of 2007.

4.14.6.2.2 Impact Analysis.

Impact Summary. This portion of the analysis examines the extent to which the Segment 5 construction, operation, and maintenance portion of the proposed Project would potentially impact public services and utilities systems.

Long-term impacts to public services and utilities systems are typically associated with population growth in an area, when increased demand for utilities and services exceed existing capabilities and capacities, and then necessitate the expansion of existing facilities or construction of new facilities. As detailed in Section 4.13 Population and Housing, construction of the proposed Project, however, is not expected to result in direct population increases due to the temporary nature of construction and availability of the regional workforce. For this reason, construction of the proposed Project would not increase demands on schools. Furthermore, as a result of construction practices and precautions addressed in the following subsection, construction of the proposed Project would not be expected to place undue demands on fire protection and law enforcement services, such that existing capabilities are exceeded.

The California Aqueduct system (via various water districts) and local water supplies would provide potable water to the proposed Project. Water service is provided to jurisdictions in the Project area by a variety of water purveyors, as shown in Table 4.14-3. Project water needs are limited to fugitive dust suppression (as detailed in Section 4.4, Air Quality) and domestic uses for the construction workers, and represent a minute quantity relative to water resources available in the Project area. As a result, the construction water usage is not expected to exceed existing water service capacities.

The wastewater stream resulting from construction of Segment 5 is limited to quantities generated by the construction workers. As discussed in the aforementioned section (4.14.6.1.2), based on the average and maximum workforce requirements for the entire proposed Project, the quantity of wastewater generated during construction of the proposed Project would not introduce significant effluent quantities at the wastewater treatment facilities.

As previously discussed, SCE will recycle waste materials to the maximum extent practical, and expects to recycle at least 50 percent of the projected construction and demolition waste materials shown in Tables 3.8-1 through 3.8-14 (Appendix P2). Table 4.14-3 identifies solid waste disposal facilities serving each jurisdiction in Segment 5. Based on the estimated quantities of solid waste generated during the proposed Project construction (Tables 3.8-1 through 3.8-14) and existing capacities at the active and permitted landfills serving the Project area (as shown in Table 4.14-2), construction of the proposed Project is not expected to exceed available capacities at the disposal facilities. Table 4.14-3 also identifies electricity and gas utilities serving jurisdictions in the Segment 5 Project area.

Operation and maintenance of the proposed Project would be conducted by SCE’s existing labor force, and would not create new jobs locally or regionally. As a result, the proposed Project is not expected to result in long-term requirements that would place a permanent increased demand on public service providers including fire protection, police protection, schools, and hospitals, and utility providers. Refer to Section 4.13, Population and Housing, for detailed assessments of the existing labor force within the proposed Project area and Section 7.0, Growth-Inducing Effects, for further discussion regarding the growth-inducing potential of the proposed Project.

Furthermore, maintenance practices (as discussed in the Operation Impacts, below) along the T/L corridor would reduce potential fire risks, thus decreasing the potential demand for additional fire protection services. Lastly, operation of the proposed Project does not require water nor generate wastewater; therefore, such demands on existing facilities would be negligible.

The following subsections address potential Project-related construction and operation impacts and proposed mitigation measures according to the Appendix G, CEQA Guidelines.

Construction. As noted above, construction of Segment 5 would not be expected to place an undue demand on public services and utilities systems such that expanded or additional services, facilities, and systems would be required. Additionally, the Segment 5 environmental setting (availability of public services and utilities systems) and construction characteristics (effects on fire and police protection needs, regional labor force needs, water quality and water supplies, underground and overhead infrastructure, and waste disposition) are similar to those of Segment 4 with respect to relevance and extent of potential impacts under CEQA Appendix G significance criteria. The chief difference between the Segment 5 and Segment 4 construction activities is that Segment 5 does not require R-O-W acquisition, which does not affect the impact analysis. Therefore, the Segment 4 (Section 4.14.6.2.1) discussion of significance criteria may be referenced to apply to Segment 5. No additional impacts are identified for this segment, and no mitigation would be required.

Operation. As noted above, operation of Segment 5 would not be expected to place an undue demand on public services and utilities systems such that expanded or additional services, facilities, and systems would be required. With respect to public services and utilities systems, the operation and maintenance activities required for Segment 5 are similar to those of Segment 4, such that the Segment 4 impact analysis (Section 4.14.6.1.2) under CEQA Appendix G may be referenced to apply to Segment 5. No impacts are identified for Segment 5, and no mitigation would be required.

4.14.6.2.3 Mitigation Measures. APM PUB-1 has been incorporated into the Project design and applies to this segment; therefore, any potentially significant impacts have been avoided or reduced to a less-than-significant level, and no mitigation measures are required.

4.14.6.2.4 Impact Significance After Mitigation Measures. The potential impacts to public services and utilities associated with construction and operation of Segment 5 are considered to be less than significant.

4.14.6.3 Segment 6

Segment 6 consists of the Project area traversing through the unincorporated area of Los Angeles County, ANF, and the City of Duarte.

Provisions for natural gas, electricity, water, wastewater, and waste disposal services for each jurisdiction within the Segment 6 Project area appear in Table 4.14-4. Solid waste landfill data pertaining to availability (i.e., active and permitted) and daily and remaining capacities serving the Project area are presented in Table 4.14-2.

4.14.6.3.1 Environmental Setting.

USDA Forest Service.

Fire Protection. The USDA Forest Service has primary wildland fire suppression responsibility on National Forest System Lands. The Southern California Geographic Coordination Center (GACC) has responsibility for the mobilization of federal resources with the sphere of influence of the ANF. This geographic area runs from the Stanislaus National Forest (in the Sierra Nevada) to the Cleveland National Forest (east of San Diego) and the staffing noted below is based on fire season (averages 5 to 6 months per year). During extended attack wildland fires, federal resources may be mobilized from across the nation in support of these incidents; however, for the purposes of evaluating local capabilities to respond to a local wildfire, only resources within the GACC are considered.

Police Protection. The ANF maintains high levels of contracted cooperation for police protection services, including Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LACSD), the California Department of Fish and Game, and the California Highway Patrol.

Table 4.14-4
Segment 6: UTILITY PROVIDERS by Jurisdiction¹

¹   Sources: ANF, 2007; California Energy Commission, 2007; California Integrated Waste Management Board, 2007; municipal general plans, County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works, 2007; Department of Water Resources, 2007; Los Angeles County Sanitation District, 2007; Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, 2007.

Schools. Not applicable.

Hospitals. No hospitals are located within the ANF; however, in the event of an emergency, victims would have access to public medical facilities located in the jurisdiction nearest to the incident.

City of Duarte.

Fire Protection. The City of Duarte is a member of the Los Angeles County Consolidated Fire District’s Division II, in the East Region. The Department provides fire and emergency response through 16 stations in the division area, with Station 44 operating within the City. In the event that a station requires additional assistance, other stations may be called upon for support under reciprocal agreements (Padilla, 2007).

Police Protection. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department provides contracted police protection services to the City of Duarte.

Schools. The City of Duarte is served by the Duarte Unified School District, which is comprised of 8 schools, with a total enrollment of 4,477 students (California Department of Education, 2007).

Hospitals. The Santa Teresita Hospital and Medical Center in Duarte are the primary hospitals providing medical services to the City of Duarte. Additionally, the City of Hope Medical Center, which also resides in Duarte, provides specialized services for catastrophic medical conditions.

4.14.6.3.2 Impact Analysis.

Impact Summary. This portion of the analysis examines the extent to which the Segment 6 construction, operation, and maintenance of the proposed Project potentially impacts public services and utilities systems.

As previously discussed, construction of the proposed Project is not expected to result in direct population increases (see Section 4.13, Population and Housing, and Section 7.0, Growth-Inducing Impacts). For this reason, construction of the proposed Project would not increase demands on schools. Furthermore, as a result of construction practices and precautions addressed in the following subsection, construction of the proposed Project would not be expected to place undue demands on fire protection and law enforcement services, such that existing capabilities are exceeded.

The California Aqueduct system (via various water districts) and local water supplies would provide potable water to the proposed Project. Water service is provided to jurisdictions in the Project area by a variety of water purveyors, as shown in Table 4.14-4. Project water needs are limited to fugitive dust suppression (as detailed in Section 4.4, Air Quality) and domestic uses for the construction workers, and represent a minute quantity relative to water resources available in the Project area. As a result, the construction water usage is not expected to exceed existing water service capacities.

The wastewater stream resulting from construction of Segment 6 is limited to quantities generated by the construction workers. As mentioned previously in Section 4.14.6.1.2, based on the average and maximum workforce requirements for the entire proposed Project, the quantity of wastewater generated during construction of the proposed Project would not introduce significant effluent quantities at the wastewater treatment facilities.

As previously discussed, SCE will recycle waste materials to the maximum extent practical, and expects to recycle at least 50 percent of the construction and demolition waste materials. Table 4.14-4 identifies solid waste disposal facilities serving each jurisdiction within Segment 6. Based on the estimated quantities of solid waste generated during the proposed Project construction (Tables 3.8-1 through 3.8-14) and existing capacities at the active and permitted landfills serving the Project area (as shown in Table 4.14-2), construction of the proposed Project is not expected to exceed available capacities at the disposal facilities. Table 4.14-4 also identifies electricity and gas utilities serving jurisdictions in the Project area.

Operation and maintenance of the proposed Project would be conducted by SCE’s existing labor force, and would not create new jobs locally or regionally. As a result, the proposed Project is not expected to result in long-term requirements that would place a permanent increased demand on public service providers including fire, police protection, schools, and hospitals, and utility providers. Refer to Section 4.13, Population and Housing, for detailed assessments of the existing labor force within the proposed Project area and Section 7.0, Growth-Inducing Effects, for further discussion regarding the growth-inducing potential of the proposed Project.

Furthermore, maintenance practices (as discussed in the Operation Impacts, below) along the T/L corridor would reduce potential fire risks, thus decreasing the potential need for fire protection services. Lastly, operation of the proposed Project does not require water nor generate wastewater; therefore, such demands on existing facilities would be negligible.

The following subsections address potential Project-related construction and operation impacts and proposed mitigation measures according to the Appendix G, CEQA Guidelines.

In addition to traversing the unincorporated and incorporated areas of Los Angeles County, Segment 6 crosses the ANF. In this way, the following discussion regarding the construction and operation impacts of the proposed Project pertains to potential impacts on the ANF only. The Segment 6 construction and operation-related potential impacts to the unincorporated and incorporated areas of Los Angeles County are considered analogous to those of Segment 4. Refer to Section 4.14.6.1.2 for the construction-and operation-related impact analysis.

Construction.

Would Project construction exceed wastewater treatment requirements of the applicable Regional Water Quality Control Board?

Wastewater generated during construction of the proposed Project would be limited to quantities generated by Project personnel, and would be accommodated by portable restrooms brought to staging areas. This wastewater stream would be handled through septic tanks or through the appropriate sanitation district. As a result, construction of the proposed Project would have no impact on exceeding the applicable Regional Water Quality Control Board wastewater treatment requirements. No mitigation measures are warranted.

Would Project construction result in provision of new or physically altered governmental facilities for fire protection?

Wildland fires are of particular concern in the ANF, and temporary construction activities could potentially increase fire hazards, due to accidents or negligence by the construction personnel or equipment. As a result, SCE would implement APM PUB-1, Fire Management Plan (refer to Appendix D, Fire Management Plan), which addresses fire prevention practices and emergency contingency procedures in the event of such an incident. The Plan consists of an emergency notification procedure, training, equipment and fuel monitoring according to U.S. Forest Service standards, fire contractor-supplied fire suppression equipment, and work scheduling procedures which correspond to fire activity levels. Implementation of the Plan is expected to prevent potential fire incidents; and in the case of a fire, provide for immediate suppression. In this way, construction of the proposed Project is not expected to impact fire protection services to the extent that new or expanded facilities would be needed. No mitigation measures are warranted.

Would Project construction result in provision of new or physically altered governmental facilities for police protection?

Construction of the proposed Project would not require the relocation of workers to the Project area (refer to Section 4.13, Population and Housing). As a result, the proposed Project would not increase demands on police protection and hence, would have no impact as to require new or expanded police protection facilities. No mitigation measures are warranted. Construction of the proposed Project within the ANF is not expected to impact the capacity or capabilities of police protection. No mitigation measures are needed.

Would Project construction result in provision of new or physically altered governmental facilities for schools?

No school districts serve the ANF. As a result, the proposed Project would have no impact on schools. No mitigation measures are warranted.

Would Project construction result in provision of new or physically altered governmental facilities for other public facilities?

No hospitals are located within the ANF; however, in the event of an emergency, victims would have access to public medical facilities located in the jurisdiction nearest to the incident. Numerous major hospitals have been identified along jurisdictions within the vicinity of the forest within the Project route. In the event of a medical emergency, these facilities have capabilities and facilities to treat emergency conditions. Based on the estimated number of construction workers (Section 3.0, Project Description) relative to the proximity and number of major medical facilities along and within the Project area, construction activities are not expected to place an undue burden on the local hospitals, so as to require new or expanded facilities. No impact is anticipated, and no mitigation measures are needed.

Construction activities could potentially disrupt services provided by underground and overhead utilities. However, as required by California Government Code Section 4216-4216.9, “Protection of Underground Infrastructure,” SCE will notify Underground Service Alert (also known as USA or Dig Alert) at least 2 days prior to any ground disturbance of the proposed Project in order to verify specific locations of existing underground utilities within 1,000 feet of the Project. In this way, the Project may avoid potential conflicts. Overhead lines in the vicinity of the proposed Project R-O-W would also be identified for avoidance. As a result, the Project would not result in reductions or interruptions of existing utility systems; therefore, the Project would have no potentially significant impacts on other public facilities. No mitigation measures are warranted.

Would Project construction require or result in the construction of new water or wastewater treatment facilities or expansion of existing facilities?

No public wastewater treatment facilities are located within the ANF; therefore, this criterion does not apply to the proposed Project area within the ANF. No mitigation measures are necessary.

Would Project construction require or result in the construction of new storm water drainage facilities or expansion of existing facilities, the construction of which would cause significant environmental effects?

Construction of the proposed Project would include drainage structures and improvements such as wet crossings, water bars, overside drains, and pipe culverts. Such construction activities have the potential to cause significant environmental effects; however, SCE’s construction practices include preparation and implementation of a construction Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) to manage potential sources of storm water contamination. Under the construction SWPPP, SCE would implement Best Management Practices (BMPs) to control and minimize construction effects on storm water quality. As a result, construction of new or expanded storm water drainage facilities would be expected to cause less than significant environmental effects on water quality. Refer to Section 4.9 for a more complete discussion on storm water quality. No mitigation measures are needed.

SCE’s construction practices also include preparation and implementation of a Fugitive Dust Mitigation Plan (FDMP) in order to minimize air quality impacts caused by construction activities. FDMP practices would similarly apply to construction of new or expanded storm water drainage facilities, and would result in minimal impacts to air quality. As a result, construction of new or expanded storm water drainage facilities would be expected to cause less than significant environmental effects on air quality. Refer to Section 4.4 for a complete discussion on potential construction-related air quality impacts. No additional mitigation measures are needed.

Would Project construction have sufficient water supplies available to serve the Project from existing entitlements and resources?

As previously discussed, construction water needs consist of water procured for fugitive dust suppression, and domestic drinking and sanitary purposes. Quantities of water needs are not anticipated to be substantial. Each segment contains a table (Utility Providers by Jurisdiction) that contains information about specific utility providers the segment traverses. The proposed Project area traverses multiple jurisdictions served by a variety of water sources, which should adequately supply the required water with a less than significant impact on water supplies allocated from existing entitlements and resources. No mitigation measures are warranted.

Would Project construction result in a determination by the wastewater treatment provider which serves or may serve the Project that it has adequate capacity to serve the Project’s projected demand in addition to the provider’s existing commitments?

As previously discussed, wastewater generated during the proposed Project construction would be limited to quantities generated by Project personnel. The quantities are not expected to exceed or significantly impact the influent capacities of wastewater treatment facilities such that the treatment provider would need to assess whether existing capacities are able to accommodate the Project’s waste stream. In this way, the Project would have no impact as to require or result in the construction or expansion of wastewater treatment facilities. No mitigation measures are applicable.

Would Project construction be served by a landfill with sufficient permitted capacity to accommodate the Project’s solid waste disposal needs?

No landfills are located within the ANF; therefore, this criterion does not apply to the proposed Project area within the ANF. No mitigation measures would be required.

Would Project construction comply with federal, state, and local statutes and regulations related to solid waste?

As discussed previously in the Segment 4 impact analysis (Section 4.14.6.1.2) the proposed Project would comply with solid waste statutes and regulations. No additional impacts are identified for this segment, and no mitigation measures would be needed.

Operation.

Would Project operation result in provision of new or physically altered governmental facilities for fire protection?

SCE has committed to implementing an APM Fire Management Plan (refer to Appendix D), which addresses fire prevention practices. Implementation of the Plan is expected to provide prevention and organization to potential fire incidents, such as to not place an undue burden on fire protection facilities. In this way, operation of the proposed Project is not expected to impact fire protection services in the ANF to the extent that new or expanded facilities would be needed. No mitigation measures are warranted.

Would Project operation result in provision of new or physically altered governmental facilities for police protection?

Project operation would not result in a direct increase in the local population (Section 7.0, Growth-Inducing Effects), nor would new operational employees be needed to operate and maintain the T/Ls and substations, such to generate any additional population that could exceed the capacity of local police protection providers. In this way, the Project operation would have no impact on police protection. No mitigation measures are needed.

Would Project operation result in provision of new or physically altered governmental facilities for schools?

No school districts serve the ANF. As a result, the operation of the proposed Project would have no impact on schools. No mitigation measures are needed.

Would Project operation result in provision of new or physically altered governmental facilities for other public facilities?

As discussed above, operation of the proposed Project would not require the relocation of new workers to the Project area, nor would the Project result in a direct increase in the local population (Section 7.0, Growth-Inducing Effects). As a result, the proposed Project would not increase any demands on other public facilities and hence, would have no impact on other public facilities. No mitigation measures are needed.

Would Project operation require or result in the construction of new water or wastewater treatment facilities or expansion of existing facilities?

Operation of the proposed Project would not require any use of water or generate any wastewater; therefore, the Project would have no impact on existing water or wastewater facilities. No mitigation measures are needed.

Would Project operation require or result in the construction of new storm water drainage facilities or expansion of existing facilities?

Project operation would not require provisions for storm water drainage facilities. As a result, operation of the proposed Project would have no impact to require or result in construction or expanded storm water drainage facilities. No mitigation measures are warranted.

Would Project operation have sufficient water supplies available to serve the Project from existing entitlements and resources?

The proposed Project would be constructed with insulators which do not require cleaning. Similarly, other equipment used for the proposed Project would not require water during operation and maintenance. As a result, operation of the proposed Project would require negligible amounts of water for maintenance activities; hence, the Project would cause no impact to water supplies. No mitigation measures are needed.

Would Project operation result in a determination by the wastewater treatment provider which serves or may serve the Project that it has adequate capacity to serve the Project’s projected demand in addition to the provider’s existing commitments?

Operation of the proposed Project would not require use of water, and would not generate wastewater; therefore, the Project would have no impact on existing wastewater facilities and capacities. No mitigation measures are needed.

Would Project operation be served by a landfill with sufficient permitted capacity to accommodate the Project’s solid waste disposal needs?

No landfills are located within the ANF; therefore, this criterion is not applicable. No impacts are identified for this segment, and no mitigation measures are warranted.

Would Project operation comply with federal, state, and local statutes and regulations related to solid waste?

Applicable statutes and regulations pertaining to solid waste were not identified for the ANF portion of the proposed Segment 6. While the proposed Project and alternatives would recycle construction waste and debris to the extent practicable, the Project would not be subject to violating applicable statutes and regulations relating to solid waste. As a result, the Project would have no impact, and no mitigation measures are needed.

4.14.6.3.3 Mitigation Measures. APM PUB-1 has been incorporated into the Project design and applies to this segment; therefore, any potentially significant impacts would be avoided or reduced to a less-than-significant level, and no mitigation measures are required.

4.14.6.3.4 Impact Significance After Mitigation Measures. The potential impacts to public services and utilities associated with construction and operation of Segment 6 are considered to be less than significant.

4.14.6.4 Segment 7

Segment 7 consists of the proposed Project area traversing through: the Cities of Duarte, Irwindale, South El Monte, Baldwin Park, and Industry; the unincorporated County of Los Angeles community of Avocado Heights; and the cities of Rosemead, Montebello, and Monterey Park.

Provisions for natural gas, electricity, water, wastewater, and waste disposal services for each jurisdiction within the Segment 7 Project area appear in Table 4.14-5. Solid waste landfill data pertaining to availability (i.e., active and permitted) and daily and remaining capacities serving the Project area are presented in Table 4.14-2.

4.14.6.4.1 Environmental Setting.

City of Duarte. Refer to Section 4.14.6.3, Segment 6, for the environmental setting.

City of Irwindale.

Fire Protection. The City of Irwindale is a member of the Los Angeles County Consolidated Fire District’s Division II, in the East Region. The Department provides fire and emergency response through 16 stations in the division area, with Station 48 operating within the City. In the event that a station requires additional assistance, other stations may be called upon for support under reciprocal agreements (Padilla, 2007).

Police Protection. The City of Irwindale Police Department provides police protection services to the City. The Department participates in the Area D regional coordination, where mutual aid agreements are provided with the Cities of Arcadia, Azusa, Baldwin Park, Claremont, Covina, El Monte, Glendora, La Verne, Monrovia, Pomona, San Marino, Sierra Madre, and West Covina (City of Irwindale General Plan, 1973).

Schools. The City of Irwindale is served by four school districts: Azusa Unified School District (18 schools with an enrollment of 11,615), Baldwin Park Unified School District (22 schools with an enrollment of 19,683), Covina Valley Unified School District (20 schools with an enrollment of 15,299), and Duarte Unified School District (8 schools with an enrollment of 4,477) (California Department of Education, 2007).

Hospitals. The Intercommunity Hospital in Covina and the Queen of the Valley Hospital in West Covina are the primary hospitals providing medical services in the City of Irwindale.

City of South El Monte.

Fire Protection. The City of South El Monte is a member of the Los Angeles County Consolidated Fire District’s Division IX, in the East Region. The Department provides fire and emergency response through 16 stations in the division area, with Station 90 operating within the City. In the event that a station requires additional assistance, other stations may be called upon for support under reciprocal agreements (Padilla, 2007).

Police Protection. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department provides contracted law enforcement services to the City of South El Monte. The contract is reviewed periodically to ensure that the City is receiving the appropriate level of crime prevention and response service (LACSD, 2007; City of South El Monte General Plan, 2000).

Schools. The City of South El Monte is served by two school districts: El Monte City Elementary School District (19 schools with an enrollment of 10,881) and Valle Lindo Elementary School District (2 schools with an enrollment of 1,295) (California Department of Education, 2007).

Hospital. The Greater El Monte Community Hospital located within South El Monte is the primary hospital serving the City.

City of Baldwin Park.

Fire Protection. The City of Baldwin Park is a member of the Los Angeles County Consolidated Fire District’s Division II, in the East Region. The Department provides fire and emergency response through 16 stations in the division area, with Station 29 operating within the City. Service to the northeast section of the City generally comes from Station 48 in Irwindale, and Station 87 in Industry serves all areas south of Interstate-10 freeway. The department cooperates with the San Gabriel Valley Fire Authorities in West Covina under an

Table 4.14-5
Segment 7: UTILITY PROVIDERS by Jurisdiction¹

¹   Sources: California Energy Commission, 2007; California Integrated Waste Management Board, 2007; Department of Water Resources, 2007; municipal general plans, community plans, County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works, 2007; Los Angeles County Sanitation District, 2007; Los Angeles Department of Public Works, 2007; Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, 2007.

automatic aid agreement, which allows Baldwin Park and West Covina stations to provide mutual response assistance. In the event that further assistance is needed, additional stations may be called upon for support under reciprocal agreements (Padilla, 2007).

Police Protection. The Baldwin Park Police Department provides police protection services to the City. Additionally, the Department participates in the Area D regional coordination, where mutual aid agreements are provided with the Cities of Arcadia, Azusa, Claremont, Covina, El Monte, Glendora, Irwindale, La Verne, Monrovia, Pomona, San Marino, Sierra Madre, and West Covina (City of Arcadia, 2007; City of Monrovia General Plan, 2002).

Schools. The City of Baldwin Park is served by the Baldwin Park Unified School District, which consists of 22 schools, with an enrollment of 19,684 students (California Department of Education, 2007).

Hospitals. The primary hospital providing medical services to the City of Baldwin Park is the Kaiser Foundation Hospital, in Baldwin Park. Other nearby hospitals providing medical services to the City are Citrus Valley Medical Center - Valley of the Queen Campus (West Covina), City of Hope National Medical Center (Duarte), and Doctor’s Hospital of West Covina.

City of Industry.

Fire Protection. The City of Industry is a member of the Los Angeles County Consolidated Fire District’s Division VIII, in the East Region. The Department provides fire and emergency response through 19 stations in the division area, with Stations 87 and 118 operating within the City. In the event that a station requires additional assistance, other stations may be called upon for support under reciprocal agreements (Padilla, 2007).

Police Protection. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department provides contracted police protection services to the City of Industry (LACSD, 2007).

Schools. The City of Industry is served by three school districts: Bassett Unified School District (8 schools with an enrollment of 5,659), Hacienda La Puente Unified School District (39 schools with an enrollment of 23,241), and Rowland Unified School District (22 schools with an enrollment of 17,548) (California Department of Education, 2007).

Hospitals. The primary sources of medical care serving the City of Industry are Foothill Presbyterian Hospitals in Glendora, Queen of the Valley Campus in West Covina, and U.S. Healthworks in the City of Industry.

Community of Avocado Heights.

Fire Protection. The community of Avocado Heights is served by the Los Angeles County Fire Department through the Consolidated Fire District’s Division VIII, in the East Region. The Department provides fire and emergency response through 19 stations in the division area, with Station 87 providing the primary service to Avocado Heights. In the event that a station requires additional assistance, other stations may be called upon for support under reciprocal agreements (LACFD, 2007).

Police Protection. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department provides contracted police protection services to the community.

Schools. Avocado Heights is served by two school districts: Bassett Unified School District (8 schools with an enrollment of 5,659) and Whittier City School District (12 schools with an enrollment of 7,029) (California Department of Education, 2007).

Hospitals. Avocado Heights receives medical and health services through Citrus Valley Medical Center - Valley Queen Campus in West Covina, the Greater El Monte Community Hospital in South El Monte, and Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Baldwin Park.

City of Rosemead.

Fire Protection. The City of Rosemead is a member of the Los Angeles County Consolidated Fire District’s Division IX, in the East Region. The Department provides fire and emergency response through 16 stations in the division area, with Station 4 and 42 operating within the City. In the event that a station requires additional assistance, other stations may be called upon for support under reciprocal agreements (Padilla, 2007).

Police Protection. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department provides contracted police protection services to the City of Rosemead (LACSD, 2007).

Schools. The City of Rosemead is served by four school districts: Alhambra Unified School District (19 schools with an enrollment of 19,442), Garvey Elementary School District (13 schools with an enrollment of 6,297), El Monte Union High School District (7 schools with an enrollment of 10,608), and Rosemead Elementary School District (5 schools with an enrollment of 3,240) (California Department of Education, 2007).

City of Monterey Park.

Fire Protection. The City of Monterey Park Fire Department provides fire protection services to the City. The Department maintains reciprocal mutual aid agreements for fire protection with the surrounding cities of Arcadia, Burbank, Covina, El Monte, Glendale, La Verne, Monrovia, Pasadena, Sierra Madre, South Pasadena, West Covina, and the County of Los Angeles Fire Department, which also provides automatic aid to areas within southerly and westerly portions of the city. The City also has a Mutual aid contract with the United States Forest Service and the County of Los Angeles for fire protection in hillside and brush areas within the northern portion of the City (Arcadia General Plan, 1996).

Police Protection. The Monterey Park Police Department provides the police protection services to the City.

Schools. The City of Monterey Park is served by four school districts: Alhambra Unified School District (19 schools with an enrollment of 19,442), Garvey Elementary (768 schools with an enrollment of 727,319), and Montebello Unified School District (29 schools with an enrollment of 35,286) (California Department of Education, 2007).

Hospitals. The Beverly Hospital in Montebello, Garfield Medical Center in Monterey Park, Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, and Monterey Park Hospital provide health and medical services to the City.

City of Montebello.

Fire Protection. The City of Montebello Fire Department provides fire protection services to the City.

Police Protection. The City of Montebello Police Department provides police protection services to the City.

Schools. The City of Montebello is served by Montebello Unified School District, which consists of 29 schools, with an enrollment of 35,286 students (California Department of Education, 2007).

Hospitals. The Beverly Hospital in Montebello provides health and medical services to the City.

4.14.6.4.2 Impact Analysis.

Impact Summary. This portion of the analysis examines the extent to which the Segment 7 construction, operation, and maintenance of the proposed Project potentially impacts public services and utilities systems.

As previously discussed (4.14.6.1.2), construction of the proposed Project, is not expected to result in direct population increases (see Section 4.13, Population and Housing, and Section 7.0, Growth-Inducing Impacts). For this reason, construction of the proposed Project would not increase demands on schools. Furthermore, as a result of construction practices and precautions addressed in the following subsection, construction of the proposed Project would not result in placing undue demands on fire protection and law enforcement services, such that existing capabilities are exceeded.

The California Aqueduct system (via various water districts) and local water supplies would provide potable water to the proposed Project. Water service is provided to jurisdictions in the Project area by a variety of water purveyors, as shown in Table 4.14-5. Project water needs are limited to fugitive dust suppression (as detailed in Section 4.4, Air Quality) and domestic uses for the construction workers, and represent a minute quantity relative to water resources available in the Project area. As a result, the construction water usage is not expected to exceed existing water service capacities.

The wastewater stream resulting from construction of Segment 7 is limited to quantities generated by the construction workers. As previously discussed (4.14.6.1.2), based on the average and maximum workforce requirements for the entire proposed Project, the quantity of wastewater generated during construction of the proposed Project would not introduce significant effluent quantities at the wastewater treatment facilities.

As discussed previously (4.14.6.1.2), SCE would recycle waste materials to the maximum extent practical, and expects to recycle at least 50 percent of the construction and demolition waste materials. Table 4.14.-5 identified solid waste disposal facilities serving each jurisdiction with Segment 7. Based on the estimated quantities of solid waste generated during the proposed Project construction (Tables 3.8-1 through 3.8-14) and existing capacities at the active and permitted landfills serving the Project area (Table 4.14-2), construction of the proposed Project would not be expected to exceed available capacities at the disposal facilities. Table 4.14-5 also identifies electricity and gas utilities serving jurisdictions in the Project area.

Operation and maintenance of the proposed Project would be conducted by SCE’s existing labor force, and would not create new jobs locally or regionally. As a result, the proposed Project is not expected to result in long-term requirements that would place a permanent increased demand on public service providers including fire protection, police protection, schools, and hospitals, and utility providers. Refer to Section 4.13, Population and Housing, for detailed assessments of the existing labor force within the proposed Project area and Section 7.0, Growth-Inducing Effects, for further discussion regarding the growth-inducing potential of the proposed Project.

Furthermore, maintenance practices (as discussed in the Operation Impacts, below) along the T/L corridor would reduce potential fire risks, thus decreasing the potential need for additional fire protection services. Lastly, operation of the proposed Project does not require water nor generate wastewater; therefore, such demands on existing facilities would be negligible.

The following subsections address potential Project-related construction and operation impacts according to the Appendix G, CEQA Guidelines.

Construction. As noted above, construction of Segment 7 would not be expected to place an undue demand on public services and utilities systems such that expanded or additional services, facilities, and systems would be required. Additionally, the Segment 7 environmental setting (availability of public services and utilities systems) and construction characteristics (effects on fire and police protection needs, regional labor force needs, water quality and water supplies, underground and overhead infrastructure, and waste disposition) are similar to those of Segment 4 with respect to relevance and extent of potential impacts under CEQA Appendix G significance criteria. The chief difference between the Segment 7 and Segment 4 construction activities is that Segment 7 does not require R-O-W acquisition, which does not affect the impact analysis. Therefore, the Segment 4 (Section 4.14.6.1.2) discussion of impacts by significance criteria are applicable to Segment 7. No additional impacts are identified for this segment, and no mitigation would be required.

Operation. As noted above, operation of Segment 7 would not be expected to place an undue demand on public services and utilities systems such that expanded or additional services, facilities, and systems would be required. With respect to public services and utilities systems, the operation and maintenance activities required for Segment 7 are similar to those of Segment 4, such that the Segment 4 impact analysis (Section 4.14.6.1.2) under CEQA Appendix G may be referenced to apply to Segment 7. No impacts are identified for Segment 7, and no mitigation would be required.

4.14.6.4.3 Mitigation Measures. APM PUB-1 has been incorporated into the Project design and applies to this segment; therefore, any potentially significant impacts would be avoided or reduced to a less-than-significant level, and no mitigation measures are required.

4.14.6.4.4 Impact Significance After Mitigation Measures. The potential impacts to public services and utilities associated with construction and operation of Segment 7 are considered to be less than significant.

4.14.6.5 Segment 8

Segment 8 consists of the proposed Project area and alternatives traversing through: the cities of Monterey Park, Montebello, Pico Rivera, Industry, and Rosemead; the communities of Hacienda Heights and Rowland Heights (unincorporated communities of Los Angeles County); and the cities of La Habra Heights, Whittier, Chino Hills, Chino, and Ontario.

Additionally, the Segment 8A portion of the proposed Project traverses Department of Defense (DoD) lands along the existing SCE R-O-W from milepost (MP) 15.2 to MP 15.5. This portion of the TRTP would involve replacement of an existing 220 kV T/L with a new 500 kV T/L. The lands consist of telecommunications structures south of the proposed Project route; however, the portion traversed by the proposed Project is neither developed nor graded. Prior to ground disturbance, the proposed Project would follow protection of underground infrastructure notification protocol to ensure that no interruptions or co-location conflicts result. Because public facilities are neither present nor affected within this proposed Project area, further discussion is not applicable in this analysis.

Table 4.14-6
Segment 8: UTILITY PROVIDERS by Jurisdiction¹

¹   Sources: California Energy Commission, 2007; California Integrated Waste Management Board, 2007; Department of Water Resources, 2007; Inland Empire Utilities District, 2007; municipal general plans, community plans, County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works, 2007; Los Angeles County Sanitation District, 2007; Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, 2007

Provisions for natural gas, electricity, water, wastewater, and waste disposal services for each jurisdiction within the Segment 8 proposed Project area and alternatives appear in Table 4.14-6. Solid waste landfill data pertaining to availability (i.e., active and permitted) and daily and remaining capacities serving the proposed Project area and alternatives are presented in Table 4.14-2.

4.14.6.5.1 Environmental Setting.

City of Monterey Park. Refer to Section 4.14.6.4, Segment 7, for the environmental setting.

City of Montebello. Refer to Section 4.14.6.4, Segment 7, for the environmental setting.

City of Pico Rivera.

Fire Protection. The City of Pico Rivera is a member of the Los Angeles County Consolidated Fire District’s Division IV, in the East Region. The Department provides fire and emergency response through 25 stations in the division area, with Stations 25, 40, and 103 operating within the City. In the event that a station requires additional assistance, other stations may be called upon for support under reciprocal agreements (Padilla, 2007).

Police Protection. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department provides contracted police protection services to the City of Pico Rivera (LACSD, 2007).

Schools. The City of Pico Rivera is served by two school districts: El Rancho Unified School District (17 schools with an enrollment of 11,757), and Montebello Unified School District (29 schools with an enrollment of 35,286) (California Department of Education, 2007).

Hospitals. The Beverly Hospital in Montebello provides health and medical services to the City.

City of Industry. (Refer to Section 4.14.6.4, Segment 7, for the environmental setting.)

Community of Hacienda Heights.

Fire Protection. The community of Hacienda Heights is a member of the Los Angeles County Consolidated Fire District’s Division VIII, in the East Region. The Department provides fire and emergency response through 19 stations in the division area, with Station 91 operating within the community. In the event that a station requires additional assistance, other stations may be called upon for support under reciprocal agreements (Padilla, 2007).

Police Protection. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department provides contracted police protection services to the City of Industry (LACSD, 2007).

Schools. The community of Hacienda Heights is served by the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District, which consists of 39 schools, with an enrollment of 23,241 students (California Department of Education, 2007).

Hospitals. The Citrus Valley Medical Center - Queen of the Valley (West Covina), Doctor’s Hospital of West Covina, and Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital provide the health and medical services to the community (City-Data, 2007).

City of La Habra Heights.

Fire Protection. The City of La Habra Heights Fire Department provides the fire protection services to the City.

Police Protection. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department provides contracted police protection services to the City of La Habra Heights (LACSD, 2007).

Schools. The City of La Habra Heights is served by four school districts: East Whittier School District (13 schools with an enrollment of 8,979), Fullerton Joint Union High School District (8 schools with an enrollment of 16,299) (FJUHSD, 2007), Lowell Joint School District (6 schools with an enrollment of 3,225), and Whittier Union School District (7 schools with an enrollment of 13,544) (California Department of Education, 2007).

Hospitals. The City’s health and medical services are provided by the Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital in Whittier, Saint Jude’s Medical Center in Fullerton, and Whittier Hospital.

Rowland Heights.

Fire Protection. The community of Rowland Heights is a member of the Los Angeles County Consolidated Fire District’s Division VIII, in the East Region. The Department provides fire and emergency response through 19 stations in the division area, with Station 145 operating within the community. In the event that a station requires additional assistance, other stations may be called upon for support under reciprocal agreements (Padilla, 2007).

Police Protection. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department provides contracted police protection services to the community of Rowland Heights (LACSD, 2007).

Schools. Rowland Heights is served by the Rowland Unified School District, which consists of 22 schools, with an enrollment of 17,548 students (California Department of Education, 2007).

Hospitals. The Brea Community Hospital, Kindred Hospital in Brea, and Saint Jude’s Medical Center in Fullerton provide the health and medical services for the community.

City of Whittier.

Fire Protection. The City of Whittier is a member of the Los Angeles County Consolidated Fire District’s Division IV, in the East Region. The Department provides fire and emergency response through 25 stations in the division area, with Stations 17, 28, 59, and 96 operating within the City. In the event that a station requires additional assistance, other stations may be called upon for support under reciprocal agreements (Padilla, 2007).

Police Protection. The Whittier Police Department provides the police protection services to the Cities of Whittier and Santa Fe Springs (City of Whittier, 2007).

Schools. The City of Whittier is served by four school districts: East Whittier City School District (13 schools with an enrollment of 8,979), Lowell Joint School District (6 schools with an enrollment of 3,225), Whittier City Elementary School District (12 schools with an enrollment of 7,029), and Whittier Union School District (7 schools with an enrollment of 13,544) (California Department of Education, 2007).

Hospitals. The Beverly Hospital in Montebello, City of Hope national Medical Center in Duarte, Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital in Whittier, Saint Jude’s Medical Center in Fullerton, and Whittier Hospital Medical Center provide health and medical services to the City.

City of Chino Hills.

Fire Protection. The Chino Valley Independent Fire District Operations Division provides fire protection services to the Chino Valley area, which includes the Cities of Chino Hills and Chino. The Division oversees the day-to-day emergency operations for the District, and responds out of six fire stations located strategically throughout the District (Chino Valley Independent Fire District, 2007).

Police Protection. The City of Chino Hills receives police protection from the Chino Hills Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, as well as additional contracted services from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department (City of Chino Hills, 2007).

Schools. The City of Chino Hills is served by Chino Valley Unified School District, which consists of 36 schools, with a total enrollment of 33,693 (CVUSD, 2007).

Hospitals. The City of Chino Hills is served by the Chino Valley Medical Center, Canyon Ridge Hospital in Chino, and Doctor’s Hospital Medical Center of Montclair.

City of Chino.

Fire Protection. The Chino Valley Independent Fire District Operations Division provides fire protection services to the Chino Valley area, which includes the Cities of Chino Hills and Chino. The Division oversees the day-to-day emergency operations for the District, and responds out of six fire stations located strategically throughout the District (Chino Valley Independent Fire District, 2007).

Police Protection. The City of Chino Police Department provides police protection services to the City.

Schools. The City of Chino is served by Chino Valley Unified School District, which consists of 36 schools, with a total enrollment of 33,693 students (CVUSD, 2007).

Hospitals. The Chino Valley Medical Center and Canyon Ridge Hospital in Chino provide a large portion of medical services to the City. Other nearby facilities available to the City are Doctor’s Hospital Medical Center of Montclair, and Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, Pomona (City-Data, 2007).

City of Ontario.

Fire Protection. The Ontario Fire Department provides fire protection services to the City, and currently operates from 8 stations. The Department is also in the process of expanding to add an additional station in order to accommodate for the New Model Colony development.

Police Protection. The Ontario Police Department provides police protection services for the City.

Schools. The City of Ontario is served by four school districts: Chino Valley Unified School District (36 schools with and enrollment of 33,693), Cucamonga School District (4 schools with an enrollment of 2,843), Mountain View School District (4 schools with an enrollment of 9,714), and Ontario-Montclair School District (34 schools with an enrollment of 26,343) (OMSD, 2007).

Hospitals. The Canyon Ridge Hospital in Chino, Chino Valley Medical Center (Chino), San Antonio Community Hospital in Upland, and Vencor Hospital in Ontario provide the health and medical services to the City.

4.14.6.5.2 Impact Analysis.

Impact Summary. This portion of the analysis examines the extent to which the Segment 8 construction, operation, and maintenance of the proposed Project potentially impacts public services and utilities systems.

Construction of the proposed Project, is not expected to result in direct population increases (see Section 4.13, Population and Housing, and Section 7.0, Growth-Inducing Impacts). For this reason, construction of the proposed Project would not increase demands on schools. Furthermore, as a result of construction practices and precautions addressed in the following subsection, construction of the proposed Project would not result in placing undue demands on fire protection and law enforcement services, so as to exceed existing capabilities.

The California Aqueduct system (via various water districts) and local water supplies would provide potable water to the proposed Project. Water service is provided to jurisdictions in the Project area by a variety of water purveyors, as shown in Table 4.14-6. Project water needs are limited to fugitive dust suppression (as detailed in Section 4.4, Air Quality) and domestic uses for the construction workers, and represent a minute quantity relative to water resources available in the Project area. As a result, the construction water usage is not expected to exceed existing water service capacities.

The wastewater stream resulting from construction of Segment 8 is limited to quantities generated by the construction workers. As previously discussed (4.14.6.1.2), based on the average and maximum workforce requirements for the entire proposed Project, the quantity of wastewater generated during construction of the proposed Project would not introduce significant effluent quantities at the wastewater treatment facilities.

SCE will recycle waste materials to the maximum extent practical, and expects to recycle at least 50 percent of the construction and demolition waste materials, as detailed in Section 4.14.6.1.2. Table 4.14-6 identifies solid waste disposal facilities serving each jurisdiction. Based on the estimated quantities of solid waste generated during the proposed Project construction (Tables 3.8-1 through 3.8-14) and existing capacities at the active and permitted landfills serving the Project area (Table 4.14-2), construction of the proposed Project is not expected to exceed available capacities at the disposal facilities. Table 4.14-6 also identifies electricity and gas utilities serving jurisdictions in the Project area.

Operation and maintenance of the proposed Project would be conducted by SCE’s existing labor force, and would not create new jobs locally or regionally. As a result, the proposed Project is not expected to result in long-term requirements that would place a permanent increased demand on public service providers including fire protection, police protection, schools, and hospitals, and utility providers. Refer to Section 4.13, Population and Housing, for detailed assessments of the existing labor force within the proposed Project area and Section 7.0, Growth-Inducing Effects, for further discussion regarding the growth-inducing potential of the proposed Project.

Furthermore, maintenance practices (as discussed in the Operation Impacts, below) along the T/L corridor would reduce potential fire risks, thus decreasing the potential need for fire protection services. Lastly, operation of the proposed Project does not require water nor generate wastewater; therefore, such demands on existing facilities would be negligible.

The following subsections address potential Project-related construction and operation impacts and proposed mitigation measures according to the Appendix G, CEQA Guidelines.

Segment 8 includes 3 routes, 8A, 8B,, and 8C. Portions 8B and 8C traverse the same jurisdictions, and are similar in construction, operation, and maintenance activities to the extent that the impact analyses for these three routes are essentially the same.

Construction. As noted above, construction of Segment 8 would not be expected to place an undue demand on public services and utilities systems such that expanded or additional services, facilities, and systems would be required. Additionally, the Segment 8 environmental setting (availability of public services and utilities systems) and construction characteristics (effects on fire and police protection needs, regional labor force needs, water quality and water supplies, underground and overhead infrastructure, and waste disposition) are similar to those of Segment 4 with respect to relevance and extent of potential impacts under CEQA Appendix G significance criteria. Therefore, the Segment 4 (Section 4.14.6.2.1) discussion of significance criteria may be referenced to apply to Segment 8. No additional impacts are identified for this segment, and no mitigation would be required.

Operation. As noted above, construction of Segment 8 would not be expected to place an undue demand on public services and utilities systems such that expanded or additional services, facilities, and systems would be required. With respect to public services and utilities systems, potential impacts due to the operation and maintenance of Segment 8 and its alternatives are similar to those of Segment 4, such that the Segment 4 impact analysis (Section 4.14.6.1.2.1) under CEQA Appendix G may be referenced to apply to Segment 5. No impacts are identified for Segment 5, and no mitigation would be required.

4.14.6.5.3 Mitigation Measures. APM PUB-1 has been incorporated into the Project design and applies to this segment; therefore, any potentially significant impacts have been avoided or reduced to a less-than-significant level, and no mitigation measures are required.

4.14.6.5.4 Impact Significance After Mitigation Measures. The potential impacts to public services and utilities associated with construction and operation of Segment 8 are considered to be less than significant.

4.14.6.6 Segment 9

Segment 9 involves the construction and operation of substation facilities occurring in the unincorporated Kern and Los Angeles Counties, and Cities of La Cañada Flintridge, Lancaster, and Monterey Park.

Provisions for natural gas, electricity, water, wastewater, and waste disposal services for the City of La Cañada Flintridge appear in Table 4.14-7. Utility providers for the remaining jurisdictions in Segment 9 have been addressed previously, and are referenced to the appropriate location in Table 4.14-7. Solid waste landfill data pertaining to availability (i.e., active and permitted) and daily and remaining capacities serving the Project area are presented in Table 4.14-2.

4.14.6.6.1 Environmental Setting.

Kern County. Refer to Section 4.14.6.1.1, Segment 4, for the environmental setting.

Los Angeles County. Refer to Section 4.14.6.1.1, Segment 4, for the environmental setting.

Table 4.14-7
Segment 9: UTILITY PROVIDERS by Jurisdiction¹

¹   Sources: California Energy Commission, 2007; California Integrated Waste Management Board, 2007; Department of Water Resources, 2007; municipal general plans, County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works, 2007; Los Angeles County Sanitation District, 2007; Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, 2007

City of La Cañada Flintridge.

Fire Protection. The City of Cañada Flintridge is a member of the Los Angeles County Consolidated Fire District’s Division III, in the North Region. The Department provides fire and emergency response through 17 stations in the division area, with Stations 19 and 82 operating within the City. In the event that a station requires additional assistance, other stations may be called upon for support under reciprocal agreements (Padilla, 2007).

Police Protection. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department provides contracted police protection services to the City of La Cañada Flintridge (LACSD, 2007).

Schools. The City of La Cañada Flintridge is served by the La Cañada Flintridge Unified School District, which is comprised of 5 schools, with a total enrollment of 4,267 students (California Department of Education, 2007).

Hospitals. The sources of health care and medical treatment serving the City of La Cañada Flintridge are the Glendale Adventist Medical Center, Glendale Memorial Hospital, Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, and the Verdugo Hills Hospital in Glendale.

City of Lancaster. Refer to Section 4.14.6.1.1, Segment 4, for the environmental setting.

City of Monterey Park. Refer to Section 4.14.6.4.1, Segment 7, for the environmental setting.

4.14.6.6.2 Impact Analysis.

Impact Summary. This portion of the analysis examines the extent to which the Segment 9 construction, operation, and maintenance potentially impacts public services and utilities systems. Segment 9 differs from the other segments in that Segment 9 construction and operation activities pertain to substation facilities.

Construction of the proposed Project, is not expected to result in direct population increases (refer to Section 4.13, Population and Housing, and Section 7.0, Growth-Inducing Impacts). For this reason, construction of the proposed Project would not increase any demands on schools. Furthermore, as a result of construction practices and precautions addressed in the following subsection, construction of the proposed Project would not result in placing undue demands on fire protection and law enforcement services, so as to exceed existing capabilities.

The California Aqueduct system (via various water districts) and local water supplies would provide potable water to the proposed Project. Water service is provided to jurisdictions in the Project area by a variety of water purveyors, as shown in Table 4.14-7. Project water needs are limited to fugitive dust suppression (as detailed in Section 4.4, Air Quality) and domestic uses for the construction workers, and represent a minute quantity relative to water resources available in the Project area. As a result, the construction water usage is not expected to exceed existing water service capacities.

The wastewater stream resulting from construction of Segment 9 is limited to quantities generated by the construction workers. As mentioned previously (4.14.6.1.2), based on the average and maximum workforce requirements for the entire proposed Project, the quantity of wastewater generated during construction of the proposed Project would not introduce significant effluent quantities at the wastewater treatment facilities.

SCE will recycle waste materials to the maximum extent practical, and expects to recycle at least 50 percent of the construction and demolition waste materials. Table 4.14-7 identifies solid waste disposal facilities serving each jurisdiction within Segment 9. Based on the estimated quantities of solid waste generated during the proposed Project construction (Tables 3.8-1 through 3.8-14) and existing capacities at the active and permitted landfills serving the Project area (Table 4.14-2), construction of the proposed Project is not expected to exceed available capacities at the disposal facilities. Table 4.14-7 also identifies electricity and gas utilities serving jurisdictions in the Project area.

Operation and maintenance of the proposed Project would be conducted by SCE’s existing labor force, and would not create new jobs locally or regionally. As a result, the proposed Project is not expected to result in long-term requirements that would place a permanent increased demand on public service providers including fire protection, police protection, schools, and hospitals, and utility providers. Refer to Section 4.13, Population and Housing, for detailed assessments of the existing labor force within the proposed Project area and Section 7.0, Growth-Inducing Effects, for further discussion regarding the growth-inducing potential of the proposed Project.

Operation of the proposed Project does not require water nor generate wastewater; therefore, such demands on existing facilities would be negligible.

The following subsections address potential Project-related construction and operation impacts and proposed mitigation measures according to the Appendix G, CEQA Guidelines.

Construction. As noted above, construction of Segment 9 would not be expected to place an undue demand on public services and utilities systems such that expanded or additional services, facilities, and systems would be required. Additionally, the Segment 9 environmental setting (availability of public services and utilities systems) and construction characteristics (effects on fire and police protection needs, regional labor force needs, water quality and water supplies, underground and overhead infrastructure, and waste disposition) are similar to those of Segment 4 with respect to relevance and extent of potential impacts under CEQA Appendix G significance criteria. The chief difference between the Segment 9 and Segment 4 construction activities is that Segment 9 involves substation work. Despite this difference however, the public service and utilities-related construction characteristics of Segment 9 share the same attributes as Segment 4 with respect to CEQA Guidelines Appendix G. Therefore, the Segment 4 (Section 4.14.6.2.1) discussion of significance criteria may be referenced to apply to Segment 9. No additional impacts are identified for this segment, and no mitigation would be required.

Operation.

Would Project operation exceed wastewater treatment requirements of the applicable Regional Water Quality Control Board?

Operation of Segment 9 substation equipment may potentially generate wastewater subject to Regional Water Quality Control Board water quality standards. As a result, SCE would prepare and implement Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) plans where applicable, to prevent and manage releases of hazardous materials, as discussed in further detail in Section 4.8, Hazards and Hazardous Materials. These practices would decrease the potential for storm water contamination to the extent that Regional Water Quality Control Board wastewater treatment requirements would be exceeded. As a result, the Project would have a less than significant impact, and no mitigation measures are needed.

Would Project operation result in provision of new or physically altered governmental facilities for fire protection?

Potential fire risks during Project operation of Segment 9 would typically result from equipment failure. SCE’s operation and maintenance procedures for the substations involve regular inspection and equipment replacement on an as-needed basis. Such maintenance practices would minimize potential fire risks, and would ensure that Project operation would not place an undue burden on fire protection services. In this way, operation of the proposed Project would not result in new or expanded facilities for fire protection services. No mitigation measures are needed.

Would Project operation result in provision of new or physically altered governmental facilities for police protection?

Project operation would not result in a direct increase in the local population (Section 7.0, Growth-Inducing Effects), nor would new operational employees be needed to operate and maintain the T/Ls and substations, such to generate any additional population that could exceed the capacity of local police protection providers. In this way, the Project operation would have no impact on police protection. No mitigation measures are needed.

Would Project operation result in provision of new or physically altered governmental facilities for schools?

As summarized above, Project operation would not result in a direct increase in the local population. As a result, the Project will have no impact on schools. No mitigation measures are needed.

Would Project operation result in provision of new or physically altered governmental facilities for other public facilities?

As discussed above, operation of the proposed Project would not require the relocation of new workers to the Project area, nor would the Project result in a direct increase in the local population (Section 7.0, Growth-Inducing Effects). As a result, the proposed Project would not increase any demands on other public facilities and hence, would have no impact on other public facilities. No mitigation measures are needed.

Would Project operation require or result in the construction of new water or wastewater treatment facilities or expansion of existing facilities?

Operation of the proposed Project would not require any use of water or generate any wastewater; therefore, the Project would have no impact on existing water or wastewater facilities. No mitigation measures are needed.

Would Project operation require or result in the construction of new storm water drainage facilities or expansion of existing facilities, the construction of which would cause significant environmental effects?

Project operation would not require additional provisions for storm water drainage facilities. As a result, operation of the proposed Project would have no impact to require or result in construction or expanded storm water drainage facilities. No mitigation measures are warranted.

Would Project operation have sufficient water supplies available to serve the Project from existing entitlements and resources?

The proposed Project would be constructed with insulators which do not require cleaning. Similarly, other equipment used for the proposed Project would not require water during operation and maintenance. As a result, operation of the proposed Project would require negligible amounts of water for maintenance activities; hence, the Project would cause no impact to water supplies. No mitigation measures are needed.

Would Project operation result in a determination by the wastewater treatment provider which serves or may serve the Project that it has adequate capacity to serve the Project’s projected demand in addition to the provider’s existing commitments?

As discussed above, operation of the proposed Project would only use minimal amounts of water, and would generate negligible quantities of wastewater; therefore, the Project would have no impact on existing wastewater facilities and capacities. No mitigation measures are needed.

Would Project operation be served by a landfill with sufficient permitted capacity to accommodate the Project’s solid waste disposal needs?

During operation, the Project may generate small amounts of non-hazardous solid waste during routine maintenance procedures. (Hazardous waste disposal is discussed in detail in Section 4.8, Hazards and Hazardous Materials.) The extent practicable, waste materials would be recycled. Remaining waste material unfeasible to recycle would be disposed at a disposal facility. The quantity of waste material would be minute compared with the daily throughput capacities (as shown in Table 4.14-2), and would cause a less than significant impact. No mitigation measures are needed.

Would Project operation comply with federal, state, and local statutes and regulations related to solid waste?

The California Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989 mandates all local and county governments to adopt a Source Reduction and Recycling Element to divert 50 percent of solid waste from landfills. Consequently, a substantial number of waste handling and disposal facilities operate using source or centralized separation practices to divert landfill material.

The quantity of solid waste generated during operation of the Segment 9 is expected to be minimal. SCE will dispose waste materials in accordance with local regulations. Operation of the Project is not expected to impact solid waste statutes and regulations. No mitigation measures are warranted.

4.14.6.6.3 Mitigation Measures. APM PUB-1 has been incorporated into the Project design and applies to this segment; therefore, any potentially significant impacts have been avoided or reduced to a less-than-significant level, and no mitigation measures are required.

4.14.6.6.4 Impact Significance After Mitigation Measures. The potential impacts to public services and utilities associated with construction and operation of Segment 9 are considered to be less than significant.

4.14.6.7 Segment 10

Segment 10 consists of the proposed Project area and alternatives traversing through an unincorporated portion of Kern County.

Provisions for natural gas, electricity, water, wastewater, and waste disposal serving the Segment 10 Project area and alternatives are presented in Table 4.14-8. Solid waste landfill data pertaining to availability (i.e., active and permitted) and daily and remaining capacities serving the proposed Project area and alternatives are presented in Table 4.14-2.

Table 4.14-8
Segment 10: Utility Providers by Jurisdiction¹

Sources: Antelope Valley East Kern Water Agency, 2007; California Energy Commission, 2007; California Integrated Waste Management Board, 2007; county and municipal general plans, Department of Water Resources, 2007; Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, 2007.

4.14.6.7.1 Environmental Setting.

Kern County. Refer to Section 4.14.6.1.1, Segment 4, for environmental setting, and Table 4.14-1 for utility providers.

4.14.6.7.2 Impact Analysis.

Impact Summary. This portion of the analysis examines the extent to which the Segment 10 construction, operation, and maintenance of the proposed Project and alternatives potentially impacts public services and utilities systems.

Construction of the proposed Project, including Segment 10, is not expected to result in direct population increases (see Section 4.13, Population and Housing, and Section 7.0, Growth-Inducing Impacts). For this reason, construction of the proposed Project would not increase demands on schools. Furthermore, as a result of construction practices and precautions addressed in the following subsection, construction of the proposed Project would not result in placing undue demands on fire protection and law enforcement services, such that existing capabilities would be exceeded.

The California Aqueduct system (via various water districts) and local water supplies would provide potable water to the proposed Project. Water service is provided to jurisdictions in the Project area by a variety of water purveyors, as shown in Table 4.14-1, Utility Providers by Jurisdiction. Project water needs are limited to fugitive dust suppression (as detailed in Section 4.4, Air Quality) and domestic uses for the construction workers, and represent a minute quantity relative to water resources available in the Project area. As a result, the construction water usage is not expected to exceed existing water service capacities.

The wastewater stream resulting from construction of Segment 10 is limited to quantities generated by the construction workers. As previously discussed (4.14.6.1.2), based on the average and maximum workforce requirements for the entire proposed Project, the quantity of wastewater generated during construction of the proposed Project would not introduce additional effluent quantities at the wastewater treatment facilities.

As previously discussed (4.14.6.1.2), SCE will recycle waste materials to the maximum extent practical, and expects to recycle at least 50 percent of the construction and demolition waste materials. Table 4.14-8 identifies solid waste disposal facilities serving each jurisdiction within Segment 10. Based on the estimated quantities of solid waste generated during the proposed Project construction (Tables 3.8-1 through 3.8-14) and existing capacities at the active and permitted landfills serving the Project area (as shown in Table 4.14-2), construction of the proposed Project is not expected to exceed available capacities at the disposal facilities. Table 4.14-1 also identifies electricity and gas utilities serving jurisdictions in the Project area.

Operation and maintenance of the proposed Project would be conducted by SCE’s existing labor force, and would not create new jobs locally or regionally. As a result, the proposed Project is not expected to result in long-term requirements that would place a permanent increased demand on public service providers including fire protection, police protection, schools, and hospitals, and utility providers. Refer to Section 4.13, Population and Housing, for detailed assessments of the existing labor force within the proposed Project area and Section 7.0, Growth-Inducing Effects, for further discussion regarding the growth-inducing potential of the proposed Project.

Furthermore, maintenance practices (as discussed in the Operation Impacts, below) along the T/L corridor would reduce potential fire risks, thus decreasing the potential need for fire protection services. Lastly, operation of the proposed Project does not require water nor generate wastewater; therefore, such demands on existing facilities would be negligible.

The following subsections address potential Project-related construction and operation impacts according to the Appendix G, CEQA Guidelines.

Construction. As noted above, construction of Segment 10 would not be expected to place an undue demand on public services and utilities systems such that expanded or additional services, facilities, and systems would be required. Additionally, the Segment 10 environmental setting (availability of public services and utilities systems) and construction characteristics (effects on fire and police protection needs, regional labor force needs, water quality and water supplies, underground and overhead infrastructure, and waste disposition) are similar to those of Segment 4 with respect to relevance and extent of potential impacts under CEQA Appendix G significance criteria. Therefore, the Segment 4 discussion of significance criteria may be referenced to apply to Segment 10. No additional impacts are identified for this segment, and no mitigation measures would be required.

Operation. As noted above, operation of Segment 10 would not be expected to place an undue demand on public services and utilities systems such that expanded or additional services, facilities, and systems would be required. With respect to public services and utilities systems, the operation and maintenance activities required for Segment 10 are similar to those of Segment 4, such that the Segment 4 impact analysis (Section 4.14.6.1.2) under CEQA Appendix G may be referenced to apply to Segment 5. No impacts are identified for Segment 5, and no mitigation measures would be required.

4.14.6.7.3 Mitigation Measures. APM PUB-1 would be incorporated into the Project design and applies to this segment; therefore, any potentially significant impacts would be avoided or reduced to a less-than-significant level, and no mitigation measures are required.

4.14.6.7.4 Impact Significance After Mitigation Measures. The potential impacts to public services and utilities associated with construction and operation of Segment 10 are considered to be less than significant.

4.14.6.8 Segment 11

Segment 11 consists of the proposed Project area traversing through: the community of Acton (unincorporated community of Los Angeles County); the ANF; the Cities of La Cañada Flintridge and Pasadena; the community of East Pasadena (unincorporated community of Los Angeles County); the community of Altadena (unincorporated community of Los Angeles County), the cities of Temple City and San Gabriel; the communities of East San Gabriel and South San Gabriel (unincorporated communities of Los Angeles County); and the cities of Rosemead and Monterey Park.

Table 4.14-9
Segment 11: UTILITY PROVIDERS by Jurisdiction¹

¹   Sources: California Energy Commission, 2007; California Integrated Waste Management Board, 2007; Department of Water Resources, 2007; municipal general plans, community plans, County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works, 2007; Los Angeles County Sanitation District, 2007; Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, 2007.

Provisions for natural gas, electricity, water, wastewater, and waste disposal services for each jurisdiction within the Segment 11 Project area appear in Table 4.14-9. Solid waste landfill data pertaining to availability (i.e., active and permitted) and daily and remaining capacities serving the Project area are presented in Table 4.14-2.

4.14.6.8.1 Environmental Setting.

Angeles National Forest. Refer to Section 4.14.6.3, Segment 6, for the environmental setting.

Community of Acton.

Fire Protection. The community of Acton is a member of the Los Angeles County Consolidated Fire District’s Division V, in the North Region. The Department provides fire and emergency response through 19 stations in the division area, with Station 80 operating within the community. In the event that a station requires additional assistance, other stations may be called upon for support under reciprocal agreements (Padilla, 2007).

Police Protection. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department provides police protection to the community of Acton (LACSD, 2007).

Schools. The community of Acton is served by the Acton Agua-Dulce Unified School District, which is comprised of four schools, with a total enrollment of 1,909 students (California Department of Education, 2007).

Hospitals. The Antelope Valley Hospital Medical Center and the Lancaster Community Hospital in Lancaster currently serve the primary medical and health needs of the community of Acton. Future operation of the Palmdale Regional Medical Center will also provide additional medical resources to the community.

City of La Cañada Flintridge. Refer to Section 4.14.6.6.1, Segment 9, for environmental setting.

City of Pasadena.

Fire Protection. The Pasadena Fire Department (PFD) provides fire and emergency response services to the City of Pasadena. The Department operates through 8 strategically located fire stations within the City (City of Pasadena, 2007).

Police Protection. The Pasadena Police Department provides police protection services to the City (City of Pasadena, 2007).

Schools. The City of Pasadena is served by the Pasadena Unified School District, which is comprised of 23 schools, with a total enrollment of 21,321 students (California Department of Education, 2007).

Hospitals. The Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena provides the primary medical services to the City of Pasadena.

Community of East Pasadena.

Fire Protection. The City of Pasadena Fire Department provides fire protection services to the community of East Pasadena (Pasadena Fire Department, 2007).

Police Protection. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department provides contracted police protection services to the community of East Pasadena (LACSD, 2007).

Schools. The community of East Pasadena is served by the Pasadena Unified School District, which is comprised of 23 schools, with a total enrollment of 21,321 students (California Department of Education, 2007).

Hospitals. The sources of health care and medical treatment serving the community of East Pasadena are the Glendale Adventist Medical Center, Glendale Memorial Hospital, Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, and the Verdugo Hills Hospital in Glendale.

Community of Altadena.

Fire Protection. The community of Altadena is a member of the Los Angeles County Consolidated Fire District’s Division III, in the North Region. The Department provides fire and emergency response through 17 stations in the division area, with Stations 11, 12, 66, and 82 operating within the community. In the event that a station requires additional assistance, other stations may be called upon for support under reciprocal agreements (Padilla, 2007).

Police Protection. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department serves the Altadena community on a contracted basis (LACSD, 2007).

Schools. The Pasadena Unified School District, which is comprised of 23 schools, with a total enrollment of 21,321 students, is responsible for all public schools in the Altadena community (California Department of Education, 2007).

Hospitals. The Alhambra Hospital and Medical Center, Glendale Adventist Medical Center, and Huntington Memorial Hospital (Pasadena) provide health and medical services to the community (City-Data, 2007).

City of Temple City.

Fire Protection. The City of Temple City is a member of the Los Angeles County Consolidated Fire District’s Division IX, in the North Region. The Department provides fire and emergency response through 16 stations in the division area, with Station 47 operating within the City. In the event that a station requires additional assistance, other stations may be called upon for support under reciprocal agreements (Padilla, 2007).

Police Protection. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and City of Arcadia Police Department provide police protection services to the City of Temple City (LACSD, 2007; City of Temple City, 2007).

Schools. The City of Temple City is served by four school districts: Arcadia Unified School District (11 schools with an enrollment of 10,169), El Monte City School District (19 schools with an enrollment of 10,881), Rosemead School District (5 schools with an enrollment of 3,240), and Temple City Unified School District (8 schools with an enrollment of 5,709) (California Department of Education, 2007).

Hospitals. The Arcadia Methodist Hospital provides health and medical services to Temple City (City of Temple City, 2007).

City of San Gabriel. Refer to Section 4.14.6.4, Segment 7, for the environmental setting.

Community of East San Gabriel.

Fire Protection. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department provides police protection to the community of East San Gabriel (LACSD, 2007).

Police Protection. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department provides police protection services to the community of East San Gabriel (LACSD, 2007).

Schools. The community of East San Gabriel is served by 5 school districts of neighboring jurisdictions: Arcadia Unified School District (11 schools with an enrollment of 10,169), Garvey Elementary School District (13 schools with an enrollment of 6,297), Rosemead School District (5 schools with an enrollment of 3,240), San Gabriel Unified School District (9 schools with an enrollment of 6,130), and Temple City Unified School District (8 schools with an enrollment of 5,709).

Hospitals. The Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley Medical Center in San Gabriel provide health and medical services to East San Gabriel (City Data, 2007).

City of Rosemead. Refer to Section 4.14.6.4, Segment 7, for the environmental setting.

Community of South San Gabriel.

Fire Protection. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department provides police protection to the community of South San Gabriel (LACSD, 2007).

Police Protection. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department provides police protection services to the community of South San Gabriel (LACSD, 2007).

Schools. The community of South San Gabriel is served by the Montebello Unified School District (29 schools with an enrollment of 35,286) (Great Schools, 2007) and the Garvey School District (13 schools with an enrollment of 6,297) (California Department of Education, 2007).

Hospitals. The Beverly Hospital in Montebello, Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, and San Gabriel Valley Medical Center in San Gabriel provide health and medical services to the community.

City of Monterey Park. Refer to Section 4.14.6.4, Segment 7, for the environmental setting.

4.14.6.8.2 Impact Analysis.

Impact Summary. This portion of the analysis examines the extent to which the Segment 11 construction, operation, and maintenance of the proposed Project potentially impacts public services and utilities systems.

Construction of the proposed Project, including Segment 11, would not be expected to result in direct population increases (Section 4.13, Population and Housing, and Section 7.0, Growth-inducing Impacts). For this reason, construction of the proposed Project would not increase demands on schools. Furthermore, as a result of construction practices and precautions addressed in the following subsection, construction of the proposed Project would not result in placing undue demands on fire protection and law enforcement services, so as to exceed existing capabilities.

The California Aqueduct system (via various water districts) and local water supplies would provide potable water to the proposed Project. Water service is provided to jurisdictions in the Project area by a variety of water purveyors, as shown in Table 4.14-8. Project water needs are limited to fugitive dust suppression (as detailed in Section 4.4, Air Quality) and domestic uses for the construction workers, and represent a minute quantity relative to water resources available in the Project area. As a result, the construction water usage is not expected to exceed existing water service capacities.

The wastewater stream resulting from construction of Segment 11 is limited to quantities generated by the construction workers. As discussed previously (4.14.6.1.2), based on the average and maximum workforce requirements for the entire proposed Project, the quantity of wastewater generated during construction of the proposed Project would not introduce significant effluent quantities at the wastewater treatment facilities.

SCE would recycle waste materials to the maximum extent practical, and expects to recycle at least 50 percent of the construction and demolition waste materials. Table 4.14-9 identifies solid waste disposal facilities serving each jurisdiction. Based on the estimated quantities of solid waste generated during the proposed Project construction (Tables 3.8-1 through 3.8-14) and existing capacities at the active and permitted landfills serving the Project area (Table 4.14-2), construction of the proposed Project is not expected to exceed available capacities at the disposal facilities. Table 4.14-9 also identifies electricity and gas utilities serving jurisdictions in the Project area.

Operation and maintenance of the proposed Project would be conducted by SCE’s existing labor force, and would not create new jobs locally or regionally. As a result, the proposed Project would not be expected to result in long-term requirements that would place a permanent increased demand on public service providers including fire protection, police protection, schools, and hospitals, and utility providers. Refer to Section 4.13, Population and Housing, for detailed assessments of the existing labor force within the proposed Project area and Section 7.0, Growth-Inducing Effects, for further discussion regarding the growth-inducing potential of the proposed Project.

Furthermore, maintenance practices (as discussed in the Operation Impacts, below) along the T/L corridor would reduce potential fire risks, thus decreasing the potential need for fire protection services. Lastly, operation of the proposed Project does not require water nor generate wastewater; therefore, such demands on existing facilities would be negligible.

The following subsections address potential Project-related construction and operation impacts according to the Appendix G, CEQA Guidelines.

Construction. As noted above, construction of Segment 11 would not be expected to place an undue demand on public services and utilities systems such that expanded or additional services, facilities, and systems would be required. Additionally, the Segment 11 environmental setting (availability of public services and utilities systems) and construction characteristics (effects on fire and police protection needs, regional labor force needs, water quality and water supplies, underground and overhead infrastructure, and waste disposition) are similar to those of Segment 6 with respect to relevance and extent of potential impacts under CEQA Appendix G significance criteria for the proposed Project area traversing the unincorporated and incorporated areas of Los Angeles County and the ANF. Therefore, the Segment 6 (Section 4.14.3.2.1) discussion of significance criteria may be referenced to apply to Segment 11. No additional impacts are identified for this segment, and no mitigation measures would be required.

Operation. As noted above, operation of Segment 11 would not be expected to place an undue demand on public services and utilities systems such that expanded or additional services, facilities, and systems would be required. With respect to public services and utilities systems, the operation and maintenance activities required for Segment 11 are similar to those of Segment 6 to the extent that the impact analysis (Section 4.14.6.3.2.1) under CEQA Appendix G may be referenced to apply to Segment 11 for the proposed Project area traversing the unincorporated and incorporated areas of Los Angeles County and the ANF. No impacts are identified for Segment 11, and no mitigation measures would be required.

4.14.6.8.3 Mitigation Measures. APM PUB-1 has been incorporated into the Project design and applies to this segment; therefore, any potentially significant impacts have been avoided or reduced to a less-than-significant level, and no mitigation measures are required.

4.14.6.8.4 Impact Significance After Mitigation Measures. The potential impacts to public services and utilities associated with construction and operation of Segment 11 are considered to be less than significant.

4.14.7 References

Antelope Valley East Kern Water Agency. 2007. http://www.avek.org/index.html.

California Department of Education, Educational Demographics Unit. California Public Schools - District Report, 2005-6.

California Energy Commission. 2007. http://www.energy.ca.gov.

California Integrated Waste Management Board. 2007. http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov.

City of Baldwin Park. 2002. General Plan.

2007. Municipal Code. http://www.baldwinpark.com.

City of Chino. 2007. http://www.cityofchino.org.

City of Chino Hills. 2007. http://www.chinohills.org.

City Data. 2007. http://www.city-data.com.

City of Duarte. 2007. Municipal Code. http://www.accessduarte.com.

City of Industry. 2007. http://www.cityofindustry.org.

City of Irwindale. 1973. General Plan.

2007. http://www.ci.irwindale.ca.us.

City of La Cañada Flintridge. Municipal Code. 2007. http://www.lacanadaflintridge.com.

City of La Habra Heights. 2007. http://www.la-habra-heights.org.

City of Lancaster. 1997. General Plan.

2007. http://www.cityoflancasterca.org.

City of Montebello. 2007. http://www.cityofmontebello.com.

City of Monterey Park. 2007. Municipal Code. http://www.ci.monterey-park.ca.us.

City of Ontario. 2007. http://www.ci.ontario.ca.us.

City of Palmdale. 2007. http://www.cityofpalmdale.org.

City of Pasadena. 2007. http://ci.pasadena.ca.us.

City of Pasadena Fire Department. 2007. Personal communications with J. Wu, URS Corporation. April 4, 2007.

City of Pico Rivera. 2007. http://www.pico-rivera.org.

City of Rosemead. 2007. http://www.cityofrosemead.org.

City of San Gabriel. 2004. General Plan.

2007. http://www.sangabrielcity.com.

City of South El Monte. 2000. General Plan.

2007. http://www.ci.south-el-monte.ca.us.

City of Temple City. 2007. http://www.ci.temple-city.ca.us.

City of Whittier. 2007. http://whittierch.org.

Community of Rowland Heights. 1981. Community General Plan, Public Health & Safety.

County of Kern. 2004. General Plan.

County of Los Angeles. 1980. General Plan.

2005. Ordinance No. 2005-0004 Analysis.

County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works. 2007. http://ladpw.org.

Department of Water Resources. 2005. California Water Plan Update. http://wwwdwr.
water.ca.gov/.

Eastside Union School District. 2007. http://www.eastside.k12.ca.us/.

Fullerton Joint Union High School District. 2007. http://fjuhsd.k12.ca.us/pages/schools.htm

Great Schools. 2007. http://www.greatschools.net.

Inland Empire Utilities Agency. 2004-05. Annual Water Production Summary Report of IEUA Service Area.

Los Angeles County Altadena Community Plan. 1986. County of Los Angeles.

Los Angeles County Fire Department. 2005. 2005 Statistical Summary.

2007. http://www.lacfd.org.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. 2007. http://ww.lasd.org.

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. 2007. Member Agencies (profiles). http://www.mwdh2o.com/mwdh2o/pages/memberag/member02.html.

Mojave Water Agency. 2005. 2004 Regional Water Management Plan.

Ontario-Montclair School District. 2007. http://www.omsd.k12.ca.us.

Padilla, Sam. 2007. Los Angeles County Fire Department. Personal communications with J. Wu, URS Corporation. March 29, 2007.

Public Utilities Commission of the State of California. 1995. General Order No. 131-D.

Rowland Water District. 2007. http://www.rowlandwater.com.

Sanitation District of Los Angeles County. 2007. http://www.lacsd.org.

(Footnotes)

1   The CPUC has primary jurisdiction over the TRTP because it authorizes the construction, operation, and maintenance of public utility facilities in the State of California. Although such projects are pre-empted from local land use and zoning regulations and permitting, General Order (GO) No. 131-D, Section III C requires “the utility to communicate with, and obtain the input of, local authorities regarding land use matters and obtain any non-discretionary local permits.” Nonetheless, the TRTP appears consistent with local public services and utilities related zoning; however, any conflicts with local zoning would be less than significant due to the CPUC’s jurisdiction over electric power line projects and substations.

2   Project-related impacts to parks are addressed in Section 4.15, Recreation.

3   To clarify the intent of this significance criterion, “exceed” is interpreted as “violate,” such that the criterion would be evaluated as, “Project-related impacts to utilities and service systems would be considered significant if the Project would violate wastewater treatment requirements of the applicable Regional Water Quality Control Board.”

4   To clarify the intent of this significance criterion, “adequate” is interpreted as “inadequate,” such that the criterion would be evaluated as, “Project-related impacts to utilities and service systems would be considered significant if the Project would result in a determination by the wastewater treatment provide which serves or may serve the Project that it as inadequate capacity to serve the Project’s projected demand in addition to the provider’s existing commitments.”

5   To clarify the intent of this significance criterion, “sufficient” is interpreted as “insufficient,” such that the criterion would be evaluated as, “Project-related impacts to utilities and service systems would be considered significant if the Project would be served by a landfill with insufficient permitted capacity to accommodate the Project’s solid waste disposal needs.”

6   To clarify the intent of this significance criterion, “comply” is interpreted as “be in non-compliance”, such that the criterion is evaluated as “Project-related impacts to utilities and service systems would be considered significant if the Project would be in non-compliance with federal, state, and local statutes and regulations related solid waste.”