Record of Decision and Floodplain Statement for the Interconnection of the Southpoint Power Plant With the Western Area Power Administration's Parker-Davis No. 1 and No. 2, 230-kilovolt Transmission Lines (DOE/EIS-0308)

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Western Area Power Administration

Record of Decision and Floodplain Statement for the

Interconnection of the Southpoint Power Plant With the Western Area

Power Administration's Parker-Davis No. 1 and No. 2, 230-kilovolt

Transmission Lines (DOE/EIS-0308)

AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE.

ACTION: Record of Decision.

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SUMMARY: Calpine Corporation (Calpine) applied for transmission service

from the Western Area Power Administration (Western) for the Southpoint

Power Plant Project. To accommodate the request, Western proposed to

upgrade its transmission system in order to accommodate the

incorporation of new generation into the system. This Record of

Decision (ROD) and Statement of Findings has been prepared in

accordance with Council on Environmental Quality regulations for

implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (40 CFR parts

1500-1508) and Department of Energy (DOE) Procedures for Implementing

NEPA (10 CFR part 1021), and DOE's Floodplain/Wetland Review

Requirements (10 CFR 1022). Western's decision for its action

considered the environmental ramifications of the Southpoint Power

Plant Project. Western has determined that no significant environmental

impacts will result from construction, operation and maintenance of

Calpine Corporation's Southpoint Power Plant, the two natural gas

pipelines, or the approximately 7 miles of high voltage transmission

lines, or from the upgrade of the Parker-Davis No. 1 230-kilovolt (kV)

transmission line. Therefore, Western has decided to provide an

interconnection with the plant and Western's transmission system in

west central Arizona. However, Calpine has yet to obtain a permit from

the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for the construction of the two

natural gas pipelines. Western will reconsider this decision if Calpine

fails to obtain the permit from the BLM.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. John Holt, Environment Manager,

Desert Southwest Customer Service Region, Western Area Power

Administration, P.O. Box 6457, Phoenix, AZ 85005, telephone (602) 352-

2592, email [email protected]. Copies of the Environmental Impact Statement

(EIS) and the Bureau of Indian Affairs ROD are available from Ms. Amy

Heuslein,

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Area Environmental Protection Officer, Bureau of Indian Affairs, P.O.

Box 10, Phoenix, AZ 85001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Western based its decision on the

information contained in the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Southpoint

Power Plant Project EIS (BIA EIS 98-25; Final dated November 1998), the

BLM's Topock Substation Environmental Assessment (EA) 1997 and South

Point Natural Gas Pipeline draft EA. The Phoenix Area Office of the BIA

prepared the Southpoint Power Plant Project EIS in considering the

approval of a lease between Calpine and the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe

(Tribe) for the project site. Western was designated a cooperating

agency for the Southpoint Power Plant Project EIS by the BIA on

November 24, 1998. After an independent review of the Final EIS,

Western concluded that its comments and suggestions have been satisfied

and adopted the BIA EIS for its participation in the Southpoint Power

Plant Project. However, following the preparation of the Final EIS and

based on system studies conducted for the proposed interconnection,

Western identified a need to upgrade its existing Parker-Davis No. 1

230-kV transmission line between the Topock Substation and the Parker

Substation. To determine whether a Supplemental EIS was required for

the proposed upgrade, Western prepared a Supplement Analysis (DOE/EIS-

0308-SA-1) pursuant to 10 CFR part 1021. Based on the Supplement

Analysis, Western determined that no further NEPA documentation is

required for the proposed upgrade. Therefore, Western has decided to

provide an interconnection for the power plant with Western's Parker-

Davis transmission system in west-central Arizona and enter into

construction agreements with Calpine Corporation for new transmission

lines described in the EIS.

The Southpoint Power Plant Project EIS addresses the effects of

constructing and operating a 540-megawatt, natural gas-fired, combined

cycle, electrical generation station on the Fort Mojave Indian

Reservation in Mojave County, Arizona. Calpine proposes to lease the

site from the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe (Tribe) to build the project.

The project will include the construction of a natural gas transmission

system for supplying fuel to the plant site, a water transmission

system for cooling and on-site use, and an electric transmission system

for delivering the power. The BIA ROD (March 1999) for the Southpoint

Power Plant Project indicated that the environmentally preferred

alternative was selected, and concluded that no significant,

unmitigated impacts will occur.

The gas transmission system will include two pipelines, one

connected to an El Paso Natural Gas pipeline and one to a Transwestern

Gas Company pipeline. The second pipeline will ensure reliability. The

BLM, Lake Havasu Field Office, is the lead Federal agency for the gas

pipeline. A draft EA has been prepared for the grant of right-of-way

for the gas pipeline. A review of the draft EA has shown that the

pipeline will have no significant impacts. BLM's visual resource

management requirements will be met, and impacts to soils and geology

will be moderate due to the erosion potential. There will be no long-

term impacts to air quality. Biological resources are rare to

nonexistent in the project area, and the pipeline will not affect

significant cultural properties. The project will impact floodplains

but impacts will be minor. Only one Federally protected species, the

southwestern willow flycatcher, has been documented in the area;

however, there is no habitat for that species in the vicinity of the

pipeline route.

The water transmission system will consist of a pipeline, which

will carry water from the Tribe's existing pumping platform on the

Colorado River to the power plant site. The system will be part of the

Tribe's central irrigation pumping complex. A backup system consisting

of two wells on site will be used only if river water becomes

temporarily unavailable. Process wastewater will be handled separately

from domestic wastewater. Domestic wastewater will be collected and

trucked to the Tribe's wastewater treatment plant. Process wastewater,

the waste stream created by operation of the power plant, will be

discharged into a 30-acre evaporation pond located on the bluffs above

the proposed plant.

The electric transmission system includes the Topock Substation,

which is being built by the Arizona Electric Power Cooperative. The

Topock facility includes the substation, two 69-kV transmission lines

for local service, and two 230-kV transmission lines to tie into

Western's Parker-Davis No. 1 and No. 2, 230-kV Transmission Lines. The

Kingman Field Office of the BLM was the lead Federal agency for the EA.

The BLM issued a finding of no significant impact for the substation

project in 1997. Western will construct two 230-kV transmission lines

to bring power from the Southpoint Power Plant to the Topock

Substation.

Western will also be required to upgrade the existing Parker-Davis

No. 1 Transmission Line in order to carry the additional load from the

Southpoint Power Plant. The upgrade will require the replacement of the

existing conductor and the addition of up to 15 new structures for that

portion of the line from the Topock Substation to the Parker Dam

Substation. These structures will add support to the line where

additional ground clearance is required. The design of the new lines

and the upgraded facilities is such that electrocutions of birds of

prey will be minimized.

Description of Alternatives

The BIA evaluated three alternative power plant sites. The

environmentally preferred location was selected. The No Action

Alternative for the power plant was evaluated and found that it will

not meet the needs of the Tribe. The natural gas pipeline draft EA

evaluated two different routing locations and identified the

environmentally preferred route. The gas pipeline No Action Alternative

will not meet the need of providing natural gas to fuel the power

plant. The Topock Substation EA, which is incorporated into the

Southpoint Power Plant Project EIS by reference, evaluated two

alternative substation locations, two system configurations, three

routing alternatives, and two access alternatives. In each case,

Western selected the environmentally preferred alternative. The No

Action Alternative was not selected because it will not meet the needs

defined in the Southpoint Power Plant Project EIS and the Supplement

Analysis. Nor will the No Action Alternative allow Western to meet its

obligations defined by its own Open Access Transmission Tariff which

was implemented to meet the intent of the Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission (FERC) order to open transmission line access (FERC Order

Nos. 888 and 888-A).

Mitigation Measures

The BIA identified mitigation measures needed to reduce the impacts

of Southpoint Power Plant to less than significant levels. The specific

measures are discussed in the EIS on pages 229 to 231. In addition,

mitigative measures associated with the Topock Substation EA are

discussed on pages 3-3; 3-10; 3-14; 3-18; and Appendix A. Mitigative

measures are suggested in the draft EA for the natural gas pipeline in

Appendix A. Each agency will be required to monitor the project for

compliance with its own mitigation measures. Table 3.1-4 of Western's

Supplement Analysis lists the standard mitigative measures that are

part of every Western

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construction contract that will apply to this project. Some of the

measures include restricting vehicular traffic to existing access roads

or public roads, re-contouring and reseeding disturbed areas,

environmental awareness training for all construction and supervisory

personnel, and mitigation of radio and television interference

generated by transmission lines. Mitigation for the desert tortoise is

in Table 3.1-5 of the Supplement Analysis.

Specific mitigation that applies to the construction of the new

lines and the upgrading of the existing lines is identified in the

Supplement Analysis. These measures include the following provisions:

1. A desert tortoise mitigation plan which will include

compensation for unmitigated impacts;

2. Restriction of construction and routine maintenance activities

along the transmission lines in bighorn sheep lambing areas between

January 1 and June 30;

3. When existing conductors are replaced, non-specular conductors

will be used; and

4. High-pressure sodium lights will be turned on only when

maintenance personnel are present.

Floodplain/Wetlands Statement of Findings

Construction of the Southpoint Power Plant will result in

substantial alteration to the natural drainage patterns onsite.

However, no significant impacts to off-site drainage patterns or

stormwater volumes will result from the construction of the plant or

the associated facilities. The existing volume of stormwater flows,

prior to construction of the plant, will be retained on site in

constructed basins to minimize sheet flows.

Only minor impacts from constructing the gas pipeline are

anticipated to the floodplain of the unnamed wash in the southwest

corner of Section 9, Township 17 North, Range 21 West. The ground

surface will remain relatively unchanged from pre-development

conditions.

The electric transmission system avoids floodplains to the extent

practical. The Topock Substation and associated lines are not located

in designated floodplains. The existing Parker-Davis No. 1 230-kV

transmission line crosses some ephemeral washes, but few transmission

structures were placed in the floodplains.

No wetlands or waters of the United States will be affected by the

proposed action. The proposed facilities will conform to all Tribal,

State, and local floodplain protection standards.

Dated: March 19, 1999.

Michael S. Hacskaylo,

Administrator.

[FR Doc. 99-8057 Filed 3-31-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450-01-P