Desalination Amendment - State Water Resources Control Board

206 Pages·2014·3.65 MB·English

Draft Staff Report
Including the Draft Substitute Environmental Documentation

Amendment to the Water Quality Control Plan
For Ocean Waters of California

Addressing

DESALINATION FACILITY INTAKES, BRINE DISCHARGES, AND THE INCORPORATION OF
OTHER NONSUBSTANTIVE CHANGES

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DIVISION OF WATER QUALITY
STATE WATER RESOURCES CONTROL BOARD
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

State of California
Edmund G. Brown Jr. Governor

California Environmental Protection Agency
Matthew Rodriquez, Secretary

State Water Resources Control Board
1001 I Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
[phone]
Homepage: http://www.waterboards.ca.gov

Felicia Marcus, Chair
Frances Spivy-Weber, Vice Chair
Tam M. Doduc, Member
Steven Moore, Member
Cover art by:
Dorene D' Adamo, Member Avi Jagdish, 2nd Grade, 2012
California Coastal Art & Poetry Contest
Tom Howard, Executive Director C a l if o r n i a C o a s t a l C o m m i s s i o n
Jonathan Bishop, Chief Deputy Director www.coast4u.org
Caren Trgovcich, Chief Deputy Director
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Table of Contents
1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................... 11
1.1 Purpose ....................................................................................................................................... 11
2 SEAWATER DESALINATION IN CALIFORNIA ........................................................................................ 12
2.1 Desalination Process ................................................................................................................... 12
2.2 Impacts to Aquatic Life Related Beneficial Uses ......................................................................... 12
2.3 Existing Facilities ......................................................................................................................... 13
2.4 Proposed Facilities ...................................................................................................................... 16
3 CALIFORNIA OCEAN PLAN ................................................................................................................... 19
3.1 Content and Organization ........................................................................................................... 19
3.2 Applicability to desalination facility intakes and discharges ...................................................... 19
4 PROJECT SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................ 21
4.1 Project Title ................................................................................................................................. 21
4.2 Project Description ...................................................................................................................... 21
4.3 Project Goals ............................................................................................................................... 21
4.4 Necessity and Need for Project................................................................................................... 22
5 WATER QUALITY PLANNING REQUIREMENTS AND PROCESSES ......................................................... 24
5.1 Federal Clean Water Act ............................................................................................................. 24
5.2 Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act ................................................................................. 24
5.3 California Environmental Quality Act.......................................................................................... 25
5.4 California Health and Safety Code Scientific Peer Review .......................................................... 26
5.5 Expert Panels ............................................................................................................................... 26
5.6 Water Board Funded Studies ...................................................................................................... 27
6 REGULATORY SETTING FOR DESALIANTION IN OCEAN WATERS ........................................................ 28
6.1 Clean Water Act Requirements Governing Desalination Facilities ............................................. 28
6.2 Porter-Cologne Authority over Seawater Intakes ....................................................................... 28
6.3 Porter-Cologne Authority over Discharges ................................................................................. 29
6.4 State Water Quality Plans and Policies ....................................................................................... 29
6.4.1 Ocean Plan and Desalination .............................................................................................. 29
6.4.2 Once-through Cooling Water Policy ................................................................................... 30
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6.5 California Coastal Act .................................................................................................................. 30
7 ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING ................................................................................................................. 32
7.1 Marine Ecosystems in California and Sensitive Habitats ............................................................ 33
7.2 Marine Biodiversity in California and Sensitive Species ............................................................. 37
8 ISSUES CONSIDERED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROPOSED DESALINATION AMENDMENT ...... 40
8.1 What types of facilities should the Amendment cover? ............................................................ 40
8.2 Should the proposed Desalination Amendment include definitions for new, expanded and
existing facilities? .................................................................................................................................... 43
8.3 Should the State Water Board identify a preferred method of seawater intake? ..................... 44
8.4 What siting considerations should the proposed Desalination Amendment address? ............. 59
8.5 Should the State Water Board provide direction in the Ocean Plan on mitigating for
desalination-related impacts? ................................................................................................................ 65
8.6 How should the State Water Board regulate brine discharges? ................................................ 82
8.7 Should the State Water Board impose a receiving water limit for salinity, and if so, what should
the limit be? ............................................................................................................................................ 93
9 ECONOMIC ANALYSIS ........................................................................................................................ 110
10 IMPACTS ON HOUSING AND DEVELOPMENT IN CALIFORNIA ...................................................... 111
10.1 Housing and Development........................................................................................................ 111
11 The Need to Develop and Use Recycled Water ............................................................................ 112
11.1 Recycled Water in California ..................................................................................................... 112
11.2 Benefits of Recycled Water ....................................................................................................... 112
11.3 Future Trends in the Use of Recycled Water ............................................................................ 113
11.4 Impact of the Proposed Amendments on Recycled Water Use ............................................... 113
12 ANALYSIS OF POTENTIAL ADVERSE ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS ................................................... 115
12.1 Presentation of the Impacts from Coastal Desalination Facilities ............................................ 116
12.1.1 Aesthetics .......................................................................................................................... 121
12.1.2 Agriculture and Forest Resources ..................................................................................... 123
12.1.3 Air Quality ......................................................................................................................... 124
12.1.4 Biological Resources .......................................................................................................... 133
12.1.5 Cultural Resources ............................................................................................................ 144
12.1.6 Geology and Soils .............................................................................................................. 146
12.1.7 Greenhouse Gases ............................................................................................................ 149
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12.1.8 Hazards and Hazardous Materials .................................................................................... 153
12.1.9 Hydrology and Water Quality ........................................................................................... 157
12.1.10 Land Use and Planning .................................................................................................. 161
12.1.11 Mineral Resources ........................................................................................................ 162
12.1.12 Noise ............................................................................................................................. 164
12.1.13 Population and Housing ................................................................................................ 167
12.1.14 Public Services ............................................................................................................... 168
12.1.15 Recreation ..................................................................................................................... 169
12.1.16 Transportation and Traffic ............................................................................................ 170
12.1.17 Utilities and Service Systems ........................................................................................ 171
12.1.18 Cumulative Impacts ...................................................................................................... 172
12.2 Projects Alternatives Considered .............................................................................................. 172
12.3 Alternatives Considered But Not Analyzed ............................................................................... 176
12.4 Analysis of Project Alternatives ................................................................................................ 177
12.4.1 Aesthetics .......................................................................................................................... 178
12.4.2 Air Quality ......................................................................................................................... 180
12.4.3 Biological Resources .......................................................................................................... 184
12.4.4 Greenhouse Gas Emissions ............................................................................................... 189
12.4.5 Hydrology and Water Quality ........................................................................................... 190
13 References .................................................................................................................................... 193

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LIST OF FIGURES

2-1 Existing coastal desalination facilities in California

2-2 Proposed desalination facilities in California

8-1 A visual comparison of three different loss rate model approaches, Fecundity
Hindcasting (FH), Adult Equivalent Loss (AEL) using the life history cycle of the
California sheephead

8-2 An empirical transport model can be used to estimate the source water body and
proportional mortality for entrained species

8-3 Brine discharge salinity concentrations in ppt (ppt) above relative to ambient seawater

8-4 Laser-induced fluorescence animation image of a brine plume discharge from a diffuser

8-5 Long-term variation of the daily mean salinity in parts per thousand (ppt) from 1980 to 2000
measured in Huntington Beach coastal waters.

8-6 Long-term variation of the daily mean salinity in parts per thousand (ppt) from 1952 to 1972
measured in Crescent City coastal waters

11-1 Historic trends of total recycled water use in California, by regional water boards

LIST OF TABLES

2-1 Desalination facilities located on the California Coast

2-2 Planned coastal desalination facilities as of 2014

8-1 A comparison of three different loss rate model approaches, Fecundity Hindcasting (FH),
Adult Equivalent Loss (AEL) and an Empirical Transport Model (ETM)

8-2 Average cost per acre of mitigation in California in 2014 dollars based on projects with
impacts similar to desalination facilities

8-3 Compilation of mixing zones and salinity effects related to desalination facilities

12-1 Description of coastal desalination facilities planned or under construction in California

12-2 State and federal ambient air quality standards

12-3 Mendocino County Air Quality Management District Thresholds of Significance

12-4 Monterey Bay Air Pollution Control District Thresholds of Significance

12-5 San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District Thresholds of Significance

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12-6 Ventura County Air Pollution Control District Thresholds of Significance

12-7 South Coast Air Quality Management District Thresholds of Significance

12-8 2012 Attainment and Nonattainment Zones relative to State Ambient Air Quality
Standards – Zones encompassing enclosed bays and estuaries

12-9 2012 Attainment and Nonattainment Zones relative to National Ambient Air Quality
Standards – Zones encompassing enclosed bays and estuaries

12-10 List of threatened and endangered invertebrates inhabiting coastal areas and waters of
California

12-11 List of threatened and endangered fish inhabiting coastal waters of California

12-12 List of threatened and endangered amphibians inhabiting coastal areas of California

12-13 List of threatened and endangered reptiles inhabiting coastal areas and waters of
California

12-14 List of threatened and endangered birds inhabiting coastal areas and waters of
California

12-15 List of threatened and endangered mammals inhabiting coastal areas and waters of
California
12-16 GHG Thresholds of Significance for Operational Emissions Impacts

12-17 Theoretical Energy Use and GHG Emissions for Carlsbad and Huntington Beach
facilities

12-18 Estimated Energy Use and GHG Emissions for the Marin facility. (Marin Municipal
Water District 2008)

12-19 Levels of environmental noise requisite to protect public health

12-20 California Department of Health Services Office of Noise Control Guidelines

LIST OF APPENDICES

A Ocean Plan with the proposed Desalination Amendment and other non-substantive
changes in blue strikeout or underline

B Environmental Checklist

C Tables of Life History Information on Select California Marine Organisms

D Summary Tables of Entrainment Studies

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E Guidance Documents for Assessing Entrainment Including Additional Information on the
Following Loss Rate Models: Fecundity Hindcasting (FH), Adult Equivalent Loss (AEL)
and Area Production Forgone using an Empirical Transport Model (ETM/APF)

F Summary Tables of Salinity and Brine Studies

G Economic Analysis

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LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

AEL Adult Equivalent Loss
APF Area of Production Foregone
ASBS Areas of Special Biological Significance
Basin Plan Regional Water Quality Control Plan
BMP Best Management Practices
Cal. Code. of Regs. California Code of Regulations
CalCOFI California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations
CARB California Air Resources Board
CCAA California Clean Air Act
CDFW California Department of Fish and Wildlife
CEQA California Environmental Quality Act
CH4 Methane
CO2 Carbon Dioxide
CWA Clean Water Act
DTSC Department of Toxics Substance Control
EIR Environmental Impact Report
EPRI Electrical Power Research Institute
ERP Expert Review Panel
ETM Empirical Transport Model
FH Fecundity Hindcasting
GHG Greenhouse Gas
kWh/mgal Kilowatts-hours per million gallons
LEED Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design
LOEC Lowest Observed Effect Concentration
MGD Million Gallons per Day
µg/m3 Micrograms per cubic meter
MMA Marine Managed Area
MPA Marine Protected Area
MRZ Mineral Resources Zones
N2O Nitrous Oxide
NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NOEC No observed effect concentration
NPDES National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
Ocean Plan Water Quality Control Plan for Ocean Waters of California
OTC Once-Through Cooling
OTC Policy Statewide Water Quality Control Policy on the Use of Coastal and
Estuarine Waters for Power Plant Cooling
P Proportional Mortality
m
Porter-Cologne Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act
ppt Parts Per Thousand
ppm Parts per million
psu Practical Salinity Units
Pub. Resources Code Public Resources Code
regional water boards Regional Water Quality Control Boards
RECs Renewable Energy Credits
RO Reverse Osmosis
Basin Plans Regional Water Quality Control Plans
SONGS San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station
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SCE Southern California Edison
scwd2 City of Santa Cruz Water Department and Soquel Creek Water
District
SED Substitute Environmental Documentation
SMCA State Marine Conservation Area
SMR State Marine Reserve
SMRMA State Marine Recreational Managed Area
State Water Board/SWRCB State Water Resources Control Board
SWPPP Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan
SWQPA State Water Quality Protection Area
TUa Acute Toxicity units
TUc Chronic toxicity units
U.S.C United States Code
U.S. EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency
VOCs Volatile Organic Compounds
Water Boards State and Regional Water Boards
Water Code California Water Code
WDR Waste Discharge Requirements
WET Whole Effluent Toxicity
WWTP Wastewater Treatment Plant

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