REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF BOARD GOVERNED COUNTY SERVICE AREAS
AND RECORD OF ACTION
September 12, 2023
FROM
BRENDON BIGGS, Director, Department of Public Works - Special Districts
SUBJECT
Title
Mitigated Negative Declaration for the County Service Area 70J Oak Hills Reservoir 3A Expansion Project in the Oak Hills Area
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Acting as the governing body of County Service Area 70J Oak Hills:
1. Adopt the Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration for the County Service Area 70J Reservoir 3A Expansion Project in the Oak Hills area.
2. Adopt the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Plan for the County Service Area 70J Reservoir 3A Expansion Project.
3. Approve the County Service Area 70J Reservoir 3A Expansion Project as defined in the Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration.
4. Direct the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors to file and post the Notice of Determination for the County Service Area 70J Reservoir 3A Expansion Project as required under the California Environmental Quality Act.
(Presenter: Brendon Biggs, Director, 387-7906)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Ensure Development of a Well-Planned, Balanced, and Sustainable County.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost) as all costs for the County Service Area 70J Oak Hills (District) Reservoir 3A Expansion Project (Project) will be funded by the District through revenue from service charges. Sufficient appropriation for the Project is included in the District’s 2023-24 Capital Improvement Program budget and will be included in future recommended budgets, as needed.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The District was established by the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors on December 28, 1971, to provide water services for the community of Oak Hills. The District, which is managed and maintained by the Department of Public Works - Special Districts, provides for the operation and maintenance of 3,229 water connections, five wells, five booster stations, nine water storage reservoirs, and 130 miles of water pipelines ranging from six inches to 16 inches in diameter.
The Project proposes the construction of a new two-million-gallon water tank, equipment control building, a stormwater/overflow detention basin, and other appurtenant devices necessary for operation of the tank. The District’s Water Master Plan requires the construction of a two-million-gallon storage reservoir tank to provide additional water storage, fire flow storage, and emergency storage to meet current and future growth of the Oak Hills community. The Project will expand potable water infrastructure to better serve the community and increase the County’s fire suppression capabilities.
In accordance with the California Environment Quality Act (CEQA) and CEQA Guidelines, an Initial Study (IS) was prepared to identify potential impacts that the Project may have on the environment. The IS concluded that all potentially significant environmental impacts resulting from the Project’s construction can be mitigated to a less-than-significant level. Therefore, a Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) for the Project is warranted.
The MND was circulated on April 23, 2023, to the responsible and trustee agencies, interested organizations and individuals, and the State Clearinghouse for the 30-day comment period as specified in the CEQA Guidelines. Comments were received and responded to via a Response to Comments (RTC) document, which is an attachment to the IS/MND document.
As all the potential environmental impacts can be adequately mitigated during Project construction, the Department of Public Works - Special Districts recommends the following:
• Adoption of the IS/MND.
• Adoption of the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Plan in compliance with Section 15074 of the CEQA Guidelines.
• Approval of the Project as defined in the IS/MND.
• Filing of the Notice of Determination.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Aaron Gest, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on August 11, 2023; Finance (Tom Forster, Administrative Analyst, 387-4635) on August 18, 2023; and County Finance and Administration (Paloma Hernandez-Barker, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on August 27, 2023.