2020-042 - Adopting the Mitigated Negative Declaration and Mitigation

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of Santa Ana Well No.32 Rehabilitation Project 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 INITIAL STUDY/MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION PUBLIC REVIEW In accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Section 21091 and State CEQA Guidelines Section 15073, the Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND) for the Well No. 32 Rehabilitation Project was circulated for a 30-day public review and comment period from October 24, 2019 to November 22, 2019. The subject of this IS/MND is to rehabilitate existing Well No. 32 located at Morrison Park in the City of Santa Ana, and the construction of approximately 3,250 linear feet of new pipeline to pump the well water to the existing John Garthe Reservoir. 1.2 AVAILABILITY OF INITIAL STUDY/MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION The draft IS/MND was available for review at the following locations: City of Santa Ana, Public Works Agency, 220 S. Daisy Avenue, Santa Ana, CA 92703 • Santa Ana Public Library, 26 Civic Center Plaza Santa Ana, CA 92701 1.3 PROJECT DESCRIPTION Project Location The proposed City of Santa Ana Well No. 32 Rehabilitation Project ("Project") site is located in the City of Santa Ana, in the central portion of Orange County (County), within Township 4 South, Range 10 West (unsectioned), Township 5 South, Range 10 West, Section 1, on the Anaheim, California, U.S. Geological Survey 7.5-minute Quadrangle Map (1977). Well No. 32 is located at 2801 North Westwood Avenue in the southwest corner of Morrison Park. A new proposed pipeline will connect the well to the existing John Garthe Reservoir traversing North Westwood Avenue to West Memory Lane to North Bristol Street. Project Description The City of Santa Ana (City) is proposing to rehabilitate existing Well No. 32 by removing the existing pump and installing a new one with a variable frequency drive to pump well water. The Project includes construction of approximately 3,250 linear feet of new pipeline to pump the well water to the existing John Garthe Reservoir. The project also includes a new above ground well building with an electrical room and a separate chemical facility building for on -site generation of sodium hypochlorite to disinfect well production waters. Appurtenant features include demolition of underground facilities, site improvements and landscaping. The City encompasses 27.5 square miles and has a population of over 325,000 people. The City operates a water distribution system which includes more than 450 miles of water mains and over 44,000 water services. The City's potable water is obtained by using a combination of pumping from the Orange County Groundwater Basin using 21 existing groundwater wells and importing water via seven (7) Metropolitan Water District pipeline connections. The City has some wells that produce groundwater with elevated nitrate levels. The City has developed a Nitrate Blending Plan that mixes the high nitrate groundwater with low nitrate groundwater. One of the high nitrate wells is Well No. 32 and it has been inactive for over nine (9) years due to low operating efficiencies and high nitrate levels. It is the City's goal to rehabilitate Well No. 32 and re -commission the well for service. Instead of treating the high nitrates at the well site and impacting Morrison Park, the City intends to incorporate Well No. 32 into its existing Nitrate Blending Plan. Water from Well No. 32 will be pumped to the John Garthe Reservoir site. At the John Garthe Reservoir site, the City blends December 2019 Page 1-1 F