HomeMy WebLinkAboutCD 2019-0010; CARLSBAD SEAWATER DESALINATION PLANT; Admin Decision Letter•
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June 11, 2019
Peter Maclaggan
Senior Vice President
Poseidon Channelside
5780 Fleet Street, Suite 140
Carlsbad, CA 92008
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SUBJECT: CD 2019-0010 (DEV0S-036)-CARLSBAD SEAWATER DESALINATION PLANT
The City Planner has completed a review of your application for a Consistency Determination {APN: 210~
010-45, 47 & 48) to modify PDP 00-02, which approved the construction of a 50 million gallon per day
{MGD) seawater desalination plant and appurtenant facilities, including pipelines for the conveyance of
desalinated water. The plant and pipelines were completed in 2015.
After careful consideration of the request, the City Planner has determined that the request to modify
PDP 00-02 meets all of the consistency determination findings below and APPROVES this request. The
proposed modifications are to transition the desalination plant to a stand-alone operation and include
design modifications to the desalination plant's intake and discharge system. The proposed modifications
are mostly underground and include the following:
• Install new fish-friendly dilution pump station and associated piping, some aboveground,
alongside the lagoon and northwest of the existing desalination intake pump station
• Modify intake and discharge connection points to the existing Encina Power Station {EPS) to
recognize the operation of the desalination plant as a stand-alone facility
• Modify the intake structure to accommodate the pump station wet-well
• Extend the existing 63-inch HDPE brine line from the intake area to the pump station area
• Construct a new 480 square foot electrical building in the berm to the north of the existing
guard station to supply power to the pump station
• Install a physical barrier {stacked concrete blocks or similar) in the discharge pond to enhance
mixing and relocate the discharge pond floating dock to improve water quality monitoring
• Remove, install, and upgrade landscaping in the disturbed areas around and near the
electrical building north and west of the existing intake pump station to provide beautification
and screening
In order for a Discretionary Permit Consistency Determination to be approved, all of the following findings
must be made:
1) No project condition, feature, facility or amenity is changed or deleted that had been considered
essential to the project's design, quality, safety or function in that the desalination project was
approved and constructed with the knowledge of the possible decommissioning of the Encino
Power Station and independent operation of the power station's intake and discharge pipes,
Community & Economic Development
Planning Division I 1635 Faraday Avenue Carlsbad, CA 92008-7314 I 760-602-4600 I 760-602-8560 f I www.carlsbadca.gov
CD 2019-0010 {DEV0S-036) -CARLSBAD SEAWATER DESALINATION PLANT
June 11, 2019
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with some modifications, by the ~~;htti;~)plan~ In addition, the proposed modifications do
not alter any essential aspect of the approved plant as they maintain its overall design, function,
and appearance.
2) The request represents an upgrade in overall design features and or materials and improves upon
the project's compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood in that the project features
aboveground and underground components that will be screened and not readily seen by the
public. The above ground piping, reaching 8 feet high and limited to an approximate 30 feet by
55 feet area of the dilution pump station, will be painted to blend in with surroundings. The
proposed 480 square foot, 13foot high electrical building will be constructed into a berm,
painted to blend in, and screened with landscaping along three sides of its perimeter. The above
ground piping and electrical building will not be noticeable to Carlsbad Boulevard due to
distance and intervening landscaping, fencing, and structures. Similarly, both features would
not significantly impact views from the lagoon or other parts of the Encino Power Station
property that may be redeveloped with publicly-accessible uses or become accessible to the
public due to distance and security buffers, screening measures such as the paint and
landscaping, and the relatively limited area and height of the above ground piping and electrical
building. In addition, the proposed modifications do not preclude either future on or off-site
screening.
Furthermore, the request upgrades overall landscaping in the intake pump station vicinity
through replacement of dying and unkept vegetation with large trees and shrubs, vines, and
groundcover.
3) The proposed revisions do not change the density or boundary of the subject property in that they
occur within the subject property and do not expand or change the project boundaries.
4) The proposed revisions do not involve the addition of a new land use not shown on the original
permit in that they simply modify the existing intake and discharge pipeline configuration and
operation but does not add any new land uses not shown on the original permit.
5) The proposed revisions do not rearrange the major land uses within the development in _that the
project components remain in the same locations as approved.
6) The proposed revisions do not create changes of greater than ten percent provided that
compliance will be maintained with the applicable development standards of the Carlsbad
Municipal Code in that the proposed modifications do not increase the area of the site, sizes of
major components, or plant treatment or discharge capacities.
7) The proposed changes will not result in ciny significant environmental impact, and/or require
additional mitigation in that they were analyzed in the Supplement to the Final EIR {SCH#
2004041081 and 2015091060} certified by the San Diego County Water Authority in August
2016, and in the Sixth Addendum to the FEIR dated February 2019. The analysis supports the
determination by the San Diego County Water Authority, as the lead agency, that the proposed
modifications would not result in new significant impacts that were not analyzed in previous
environmental documents and would not result in a substantial increase in the severity of
significant impacts that were identified in the previous environmental documents. Furthermore,
the proposed modifications are subject to the requirements and mitigation measures identified
in the previous environmental documents.
CD 2019-0010 (DEV0S-036) -CARLSBAD SEAWATER DESALINATION PLANT
June 11, 2019
Pa e 3
8) The proposed changes would not result in any health, safety or welfare impacts in that they are
consistent with the project description analyzed in the Supplement to the Final EIR (SCH#
2004041081 and 2015091060) certified by the San Diego County Water Authority in August
2016, and in the Sixth Addendum to the Final EIR dated February 2019. Furthermore, because
of the modifications' consistency, they would not result in any new significant impacts and
would not require additional mitigation. Accordingly, impacts to marine life due to the proposed
changes would remain less than significant.
9) There were not any major issues or controversies associated with the original project which would
be exacerbated with the proposed changes in that the impacts to marine life would remain less
than significant with the proposed modifications and would not require additional mitigation.
Potential impacts to marine resources were a significant controversy associated with the
original project. Other major issues included desalination project energy use and growth-
inducement. The proposed modifications would not substantially alter the energy use of the
approved project or induce growth as demonstrated in the Supplement to the Final EIR and Sixth
Addendum to the Final EIR.
10) The proposed changes would not be readily discernable to the decision makers as being
substantially different from the project as originally approved in that they do not alter the
approved desalination plant layout and appearance, nor change the site area, boundaries,
location, or the overall capacity of the plant and its infrastructure. The dilution pump station
and electrical building will be located adjacent to existing project infrastructure (e.g., intake
pump station, seawater intake and discharge facilities and pipes). Furthermore, most of the
dilution pump station will be located in a vault underground and associated above grade pipes
as well as the electrical building will be painted to blend with the surrounding area; the electrical
building also will be constructed into a berm and not visible from Carlsbad Boulevard due to
existing and proposed vegetation around the perimeter of the structure.
Therefore, the City Planner has determined that the application qualifies for a consistency determination
with the approved permit and approves the changes to the project based on Planning Division
Administrative Policy No. 35.
Please submit two (2) blueline copies (24" X 36") of all applicable exhibits for the project file of the
amended site plan. The copies must be submitted, stamped "Consistency Determination," and signed by
the City Planner prior to issuance of any grading or building permits for the project. The Consistency
Determination Title Block stamp, and other Title Block stamps, can be downloaded from the City's website
at http:ljwww.carlsbadca.gov/services/depts/planning/applications.asp. The Title Block (stamp) is
located at the bottom of the page.
If you have any questions regarding this matter, please feel free to contact your project planner, Pam
Drew at 760-602-4644.
CITY OF CARLSBAD
DON NEU, AICP
City Planner
CD 2019-0010 {DEV0S-036)-CARLSBAD SEAWATER DESALINATION PLANT
June 11, 2019
Pa e4
DN:PD:mf
c: George Piantka, Regulatory Environmental Services, NRG Energy, Inc., 5790 Fleet Street, Suite
200, Carlsbad, CA 92008
Scott Donnell, Senior Planner
Pam Drew, Associate Planner
Tim Carroll, Project Engineer
HPRM/File Copy
Data Entry
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