Draft Environmental Impact Report for Comprehensive Groundwater Cleanup Strategy Available for Review

The Lahontan Water Board is the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) lead agency for the investigation and cleanup of chromium-contaminated groundwater at the PG&E Hinkley Compressor Station. A Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) has been prepared by the Water Board and its consultant in connection with this project. The Draft EIR can be downloaded from this Webpage (see links below).

The Draft EIR public comment period closed on November 5, 2012. Copies of comments received are posted below, and responses to comments on the Draft EIR will be provided in the Final EIR.

If you have any questions about the Draft EIR or the environmental review process, please contact Anne Holden, Water Board EIR Project Manager, at 530-542-5450 or aholden@waterboards.ca.gov.

If you wish to discuss technical details of the groundwater cleanup project, please contact Lisa Dernbach, Water Board Project Manager, at 530-542-5424 or ldernbach@waterboards.ca.gov.

For media inquiries, please contact Lauri Kemper, Water Board Assistant Executive Officer, at 530-542-5436 or lkemper@waterboards.ca.gov.

Comments received on Draft EIR

• Comments from Individuals and Businesses, alphabetically by last name or business name
  • Commenters A - F
  • Commenters G - M
  • Commenters N - Z
• Comments from State Agencies
• Water Board staff-developed Questionnaires on EIR alternatives
• Surveys forms from 81 Hinkley Community Residents
• Transcript of Item 10 (Draft EIR information and public comments) from September 12, 2012 Water Board meeting in Barstow

Links to Draft EIR Sections

• Cover page and Table of Contents
• Executive Summary
• Chapters 1 and 2, Introduction and Project Description
• Chapter 3, Existing Conditions and Impacts
  • 3.1, Water Resources
  • 3.2, Land Use, Agriculture, Population, and Housing
  • 3.3 through 3.6, Hazards and Hazardous Materials; Geology and Soils; Air Quality and Climate Change; Noise
  • 3.7, Biological Resources
  • 3.8 through 3.12, Cultural Resources; Utilities and Public Services; Transportation and Traffic; Aesthetics; Socioeconomics
• Chapter 4, Cumulative and Growth-inducing Impacts, Significant and Unavoidable Impacts, Environmentally Superior Alternative
• Chapters 5 and 6, References and List of Preparers
• Appendices
• Appendix A: Groundwater and Remediation Supporting Documentation
• Appendix B: Additional Data on Alternatives
• Appendix C: Biological Resources Report
• Appendix D: Air Quality and Climate Change Background Information and Calculations
• Appendix E: Notice of Preparation and Scoping Comments

Presentations and handouts from public meetings on Draft EIR

• Handouts and staff presentation from the October 16, 2012 Draft EIR meeting in Hinkley available here:
  • Staff Presentation
  • Guide to information in the Draft EIR
  • Estimated groundwater drawdown map for Alternative 4B
  • Estimated groundwater drawdown map for Alternative 4C-4
  • Impacts to biological resources map
  • Area of potential impacts from agricultural units and in-situ remediation maps
• Handouts and staff presentation from the August 29, 2012 Draft EIR meeting in Hinkley available here:
  • Draft EIR Fact Sheet
  • 2012-2013 EIR Schedule, and impacts, mitigations, and cleanup times handouts (all in one file)
  • 2008-2013 Remediation Planning Timeline (large wall size poster)
  • Staff Presentation on Draft EIR

(Updated 12/4/12)