4.12 PUBLIC SERVICES & UTILITIES 4.12 PUBLIC SERVICES & UTILITIES Environmental Setting Solid Waste

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1 4.12 PUBLIC SERVICES & UTILITIES This section details the environmental and regulatory setting of the Orcutt Hill Resource Enhancement Plan Project (Project) relevant to public services. It also identifies significance thresholds and impacts to public services related to the proposed Project. The public services relevant to the Project include: Solid Waste Disposal Sewage Systems Water Supply School Services Health Services Fire Protection Services Police Services Other sections of the EIR also address public services and utilities. Section 4.9, Energy and Mineral Resources, discusses electricity and natural gas. Section 4.7, Fire Protection and Emergency Response, discusses Fire and Paramedic services. Section 4.8, Hydrology and Water Quality, discusses storm water and drainage systems as well as potable and non-potable water and waste water services. Section 4.10, Land Use/Recreation/Policy Consistency Analysis, addresses the Project s potential effects on parks and recreational services and facilities. For a list of references used in the preparation of this section, please refer to Section 9.0, References Environmental Setting Solid Waste The nearest landfill to the Project Site is located at 2065 East Main Street, Santa Maria, CA Hazardous materials are currently stored onsite in plastic totes, tanks or steel drums and placed in secondary containment bins to be hauled away for disposal at a hazardous waste facility Sewage Systems Sewage generated by current operations is eliminated by way of an existing onsite septic system and drywell system. Annexation to a public sewer district does not currently take place Water Supply Two offsite wells, located in the City of Orcutt along Orcutt Creek (see Figure 4.8-2), have been used todate as a supplemental water source for oil well drilling and domestic uses. Produced oil well water comprises the remaining supply. The PCEC freshwater wells are located within the southern portion of the Santa Maria Groundwater Basin. The gross perennial yield of the basin is estimated to be approximately 125,000 acre-feet per year (AFY); however, the basin is in a state of overdraft, by approximately 8,900 AFY (County of Santa Barbara, Public Works Department, Water Resources 14EIR February 2015

2 Division, Water Agency 2012). For a more detailed discussion of water resources, see Section 4.8, Hydrology and Water Quality School Services The Orcutt Union School District (OUSD) comprised of elementary and junior high schools only, and the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District (SMJUHSD), comprised of high schools only, service the incorporated and unincorporated community of Orcutt. Contact information for both districts is as follows: Orcutt Union School District 500 Dyer Street Orcutt, CA (805) Santa Maria Joint Union High School District 2560 Skyway Drive Santa Maria, CA (805) The community of Orcutt is also serviced by Orcutt Academy, a K-12 charter school for which enrollment is determined by lottery. Orcutt Academy is located at 610 Pinal Avenue, Orcutt, CA The Project Site is in a rural setting, with surrounding land uses dedicated to oil and gas production, grazing, and agriculture and is not zoned directly within the OUSD boundaries. The nearest elementary school zoning to the Project Site is for Pine Grove Elementary School located at 1050 East Rice Ranch Road, Santa Maria, CA 93455, and the nearest middle school zoning to the Project Site is for Orcutt Junior High School located at 608 Pinal Street, Santa Maria, CA The Project Site is zoned within the SMJUHSD boundaries for Ernest Righetti High School located at 941 East Foster Road, Santa Maria, CA The student to full-time teacher ratio for these schools during the school year (NCES 2012) were as follow: Pine Grove Elementary School: 604 to 21, or 28.7 students per teacher. Orcutt Junior High School: 466 to 22.3, or 20.8 students per teacher Orcutt Academy: 629 to26.3, or 23.8 students per teacher Ernest Righetti High School: 2,191 to 91, or 24.1 students per teacher As of 2012, student to teacher ratios for the aforementioned schools servicing grades kindergarten through eight were not in exceedance of the ratios prescribed by the California Education Code (EC), which are outlined in the Regulatory Setting discussion of this section. Limits for grades nine through twelve are not addressed in the EC for class size penalties Health Services The nearest major hospital providing emergency services is Marian Regional Medical Center, a subsidiary of Dignity Health, located at 1400 East Church Street, CA 93454, approximately eight miles from the Project area. The hospital is a non-profit short term acute care center and maintains 286 staffed beds for patients. The hospital s most recent Medicare Cost Report detailed 10,480 total discharges and 44,141 patient days for the hospital cost report period ending June 30, 2013 (AHD 2014) Fire Protection Services The Project Site is located within a designated high fire hazard area pursuant to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) mapped fire hazard severity zones in State Responsible Areas (SRA). The Project Site falls within the jurisdiction of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department 14EIR February 2015

3 and is serviced by Fire Station No. 21, which is located at 335 Union Avenue located in Old Orcutt with a response time of approximately 5-7 minutes. Additional County fire stations are located farther from the Project Site in Los Alamos and on Harris Grade Road near Lompoc, and Vandenberg Air Force Base maintains fire response capabilities within the Base. Emergency access to the Project Site would be provided by existing and proposed oil roads extending from Rice Ranch Road, Highway 101 and Graciosa Road. See Section 4.7, Fire Protection and Emergency Response for a detailed analysis of fire and paramedic services Police Services Police protection for the Project Site and its surrounding area is currently provided by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff s Department. The Santa Maria Substation located at 812-A West Foster Road in Santa Maria, CA services the unincorporated areas of the Santa Maria Valley including Casmalia, Orcutt, Los Alamos and Garey, and it is the nearest of nine sheriff s stations within the County to the Project Site. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is the law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over all California highways, with additional responsibilities as state police. The County is located within CHP s Central Division, which includes regional offices in Buellton, Santa Barbara and Santa Maria. The Project Site is serviced by the Santa Maria area office, which is located at 1710 North Carlotti Drive, Santa Maria, CA The oil field is fenced and gated, and is not open to the general public. Several gated entryways exist to access the Project Site, and an access card or private code must be used to open the gate. Additionally, employees are onsite 24 hours a day to secure the facilities Regulatory Setting The regulatory framework for relevant public services generally consists of a requirement to provide an adequate supply of services (as defined uniquely by each type of service). Oversight of the public service providers is managed by an assortment of boards, commissions, and other types of local and regional institutions and agencies State California Integrated Waste Management Board Solid Waste Policies In October 2011, Assembly Bill 341 was signed into law, setting a 75 percent recycling goal for California by Year The legislation mandates that all California commercial or public entities that generate 4 or more cubic yards of solid waste per week, and for those multifamily dwellings of 5 or more units, must arrange recycling services by and following July 1, Individual jurisdictions determined compliance measures and due dates. In January 2010, the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) was established in an effort to streamline state recycling and waste diversion efforts. These responsibilities were formerly administered by the California Integrated Waste Management Board. CalRecycle is now comprised of the Waste Management Division and the Recycling Division, which manage programs created through the Integrated Waste Management Act (AB 939). AB 939 required that each county prepare a new Integrated Waste Management Plan, as well as requiring each city to prepare a Source Reduction and Recycling Element by July 1, Each source reduction 14EIR February 2015

4 element was to include a plan for achieving a solid waste goal of 25 percent reductions by January 1, 1995, and 50 percent reductions by January 1, Senate Bill (SB) 2202 made a number of changes to the municipal solid waste diversion requirements under the Integrated Waste Management Act. These changes included a revision to the statutory requirement for 50 percent diversion of solid waste to clarify that local governments should continue to divert 50 percent of all solid waste after January 1, Moreover, in 1997, some of the regulations adopted by the State Water Quality Control Board pertaining to landfills (Title 23, Chapter 15) were incorporated with CalRecycle regulations (Title 14) to create Title 27 of the California Code of Regulations. California Department of Education Policies California Education Code (EC) sections and prescribe the maximum class sizes and penalties for districts with any classes that exceed the following limits: Kindergarten average class size not to exceed 31 students; no class larger than 33 students. Grades one through three average class size not to exceed 30 students; no class larger than 32 students. Grades four through eight in the current fiscal year, average number of students per teacher not to exceed the greater of 29.9 (the statewide average number of students per teacher in 1964) or the district s average number of students per teacher in Limits for grades nine through twelve are not addressed in the California Education Code for class size penalties. Other limits for these grades include, but are not necessarily limited to, fire code and teacher union contracts Significance Criteria The CEQA Guidelines identify a number of items related to public services and utilities. According to these guidelines, impacts to public services and utilities would occur if a project would result in: A need for new or altered police protection and/or health care services; Student generation exceeding school capacity; Significant amounts of solid waste or breach any national, state, or local standards or thresholds relating to solid waste disposal and generation (including recycling facilities and existing landfill capacity); or A need for new or altered sewer system facilities (sewer lines, lift-stations, etc.). Appendix G of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) provides guidelines to assist in the determination of the significance of an impact for proposed projects. Impacts to the solid waste utility are analyzed in this EIR by the determination of whether existing landfills have both the capacity to accommodate the waste generated by the proposed Project and that the landfills comply with federal, state, and local statutes and regulations regarding solid waste. CEQA Appendix G defines potential impacts to public services such as police protection as whether a proposed project would result in substantial adverse physical impacts associated with the provision of new or physically altered governmental facilities, or need for new or physically altered governmental facilities, the construction of which could cause significant environmental impacts, in order to maintain service ratios, response times, or other performance objectives. 14EIR February 2015

5 County Thresholds Schools Thresholds According to the County s Environmental Thresholds and Guidelines Manual (County 2008), a significant level of school impacts is generally considered to occur when a project would generate sufficient students to require an additional classroom. This assumes 29 students per classroom for elementary/junior high students, and 28 students per classroom for high school students, based on the lowest student per classroom loading standards of the State school building program. This threshold is to be applied in those school districts which are currently approaching, at, or exceeding their current capacity. A project's contribution to cumulative schools impacts would be considered significant if the project specific impact as described above is considered significant (County of Santa Barbara, Planning and Development 2008). Solid Waste Thresholds A project is considered to result in a significant impact to public services if more than 350 tons of construction and demolition debris is projected for any construction, demolition or remodeling project of a commercial, industrial or residential development. A project is considered to result in a significant impact to landfill capacity if it would generate five percent (i.e., 196 tons) or more of the expected annual increase in waste generation thereby using a significant portion of the remaining landfill capacity. Source reduction, recycling and composting can reduce a project s waste stream (generated during operations) by as much as 50 percent. If a proposed project generates 196 or more tons per year after reduction and recycling efforts, impacts would be considered significant and unavoidable. Project approval would then require the adoption of overriding considerations. A project is considered to result in a significant impact to regional cumulative solid waste levels if it would generate one percent or more (i.e., 40 tons) per year of the estimated increase accounted for in the County s Source Reduction and Recycling Element (SRRE). To reduce adverse cumulative impacts, and to be consistent with the SRRE, mitigation should be recommended for projects which generate between 40 and 196 tons of solid waste per year. Because projects which generate under 40 tons per year of solid waste are accounted for in the existing waste reduction provisions in the SRRE, such projects would not be considered to have an adverse or significant impact (County of Santa Barbara, Planning and Development 2008). Water Supply Thresholds The County of Santa Barbara has established specific thresholds of significance for overdrafted basins, such as the San Antonio and Santa Maria groundwater basins. No threshold is established for a basin in a state of surplus. In an overdrafted basin, projected new consumptive water use of a project that exceeds the calculated threshold for that particular basin is deemed a significantly adverse environmental impact. Project related groundwater extractions are proposed from the Santa Maria Groundwater Basin. The applied threshold of significance for the Santa Maria Basin is 25 AFY. A project is also deemed to have a significant effect on water resources if a net increase in pumpage from a well would substantially affect production or quality from a nearby well (County of Santa Barbara, Planning and Development 2008). Fire Protection Services Thresholds In accordance with Appendix G of the State CEQA Guidelines, the proposed Project would have a significant impact on public fire protection service if it would result in substantial adverse physical impacts associated with the provision of new or physically altered fire protection facilities, or the need for new or physically altered fire protection facilities, the construction of which could cause significant 14EIR February 2015

6 environmental impacts in order to maintain acceptable service ratios, response times, or other performance objectives. For a more detailed discussion, see Section 4.7, Fire Protection and Emergency Response Impact Analysis and Mitigation Measures Impact Number PUB.1 Impact Description The proposed Project would not cause a significant impact on existing public services or utilities. Impact Class Class III Solid Waste: The proposed Project would generate solid waste in a variety of forms and types, including hazardous wastes, during site preparation; drilling; and production, processing and maintenance. Typical quantities of standard trash would be generated by the Project. The Applicant has indicated that solid waste would be disposed of properly at an approved facility. The nearest landfill to the Project Site is located at 2065 East Main Street, Santa Maria, CA Trash from the Project is not expected to impact local commercial trash service or the landfill(s) used for trash. Similarly, the installation of the Project Pipelines would also generate some construction related trash, however, the quantity is not anticipated to be significant. Hazardous materials stored onsite would be consistent with typical oilfield production. Materials would include a demulsifier, scale inhibitor, water clarifier, corrosion inhibitor and asphaltene inhibitor. Chemicals would be stored in plastic totes, tanks or steel drums and placed in secondary containment bins. The Applicant has indicated that hazardous materials would be properly disposed of at a suitable facility. Additionally, an inventory of all hazardous materials may be found in the Hazardous Materials Business Plan (HMBP) with the associated material safety data sheets (MSDS), location maps, and emergency response procedures. Impacts to the level of solid waste from the disposal of hazardous materials are not anticipated to be significant. Sewage Systems: Sewage generated by the proposed Project would be eliminated by way of an existing onsite septic system and drywell system. Annexation to a public sewer district would not be required as part of the proposed Project. No change is proposed to sewage disposal services; therefore, impacts to sewage disposal services are not anticipated to be significant. Water Supply: The drilling process for new oil and gas wells requires the one-time usage of approximately 300 barrels (0.038 acre feet) of freshwater per well. The drilling program would result in a maximum of 60 wells drilled in any given calendar year. Therefore, the Project s maximum single year usage of freshwater would be approximately 2.3 acre feet. Water for the proposed steam generation and oil production would be supplied by recycled water produced from the Monterey and Point Sal geologic formations from existing oil well operations. Freshwater for fire protection, office use, and ancillary operations (i.e., non steam generation) would continue to be supplied from two off-site private water wells owned by PCEC. No freshwater or potable groundwater is proposed to be used in the steaming process. Proposed cyclic steam for the new 96 oil wells would be obtained from recycled brine water already produced by existing oil operations. By using produced brine water, the proposed Project would not result in an increase in water use from the Santa Maria groundwater basin. Impacts to water supply are not anticipated to be significant. See Section 4.8, Hydrology and Water Quality for a detailed analysis on water resources. 14EIR February 2015

7 School Services: It has been determined that the Project does not have the potential to adversely affect school services. The size of the resident population in a geographic area affects the ability of school districts to provide quality education services to the public as a result of enrollment growth. The proposed Project has no associated residential population and would not produce any additional students. Therefore, impacts to school services are not anticipated to be significant. Health Services: Operation of the proposed Project would not require any increases in staffing levels of existing health care facilities and therefore would not affect provision of health services to existing or future populations and facilities. Impacts to health services are not anticipated to be significant. Fire Protection Services: The Project Site would continue to be serviced by the Santa Barbara County Fire Protection District, specifically Fire Department Station No. 21 located at 335 Union Avenue, Orcutt, CA To minimize potential fire-related risks of the proposed Project, the Santa Barbara County Fire Department would require the preparation of a Project-specific fire protection plan that addresses fire protection systems for proposed facilities, water availability and hydrant locations, hazardous material storage and access to individual well pod locations, the equipment pad location, and the multiphase booster pad location. Implementation of a fire protection plan approved by the Fire Department would reduce potential Project-related fire hazards to level of insignificance. See Section 4.7, Fire Protection and Emergency Response for a detailed analysis of fire and paramedic services. Police Services: Police protection for the Project Site would continue to be provided by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff s Department and the CHP s Central Division. Because of the Project Site s existing and proposed security infrastructure, it has been determined that the Project does not have the potential to adversely affect local police services. The Project Site s existing and proposed security infrastructure is adequate, and the Project would not necessitate any increases in staffing levels of the Sheriff s Department or CHP. Therefore, impacts to police services are not anticipated to be significant Cumulative Impacts Section 3.0, Cumulative Project Description, lists several projects in the vicinity of the Project area which would be considered to have the potential to cumulatively add to the proposed Project impacts. These projects include additional housing units, commercial space, institutions, and energy projects. Each of these cumulative projects must demonstrate that adequate public services and utilities exist as part of the permitting and environmental review process, and each would be required to comply with local and state standards. Therefore, the cumulative impacts from these projects with the proposed Project are not anticipated to be significant or cumulatively considerable. 14EIR February 2015