Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District Treatment Plant Solar Replacement Project
Summary
SCH Number
2025060111
Public Agency
Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District
(SVCSD)
Document Title
Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District Treatment Plant Solar Replacement Project
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
6/4/2025
Document Description
The nature of the project is to assist Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water), on behalf of the Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District (District) to cost effectively meet its Energy Policy goal of achieving carbon free water. This will be done by continuing to utilize on-site renewable power and transferring the responsibility of capital financing, operation, and maintenance of the PV solar system to White Pine Renewables, LLC. The existing PV solar system has degraded over time, producing considerably less electricity than when they were new, making it no longer economically viable and necessitating its replacement with a newer system.
The project will execute an agreement to transfer the current ownership of the existing solar system at the District’s treatment plant from the Power Authority back to Sonoma Water. Sonoma Water would then enter into a lease agreement with White Pine Renewables LLC, allowing White Pine Renewables LLC to remove, replace and reconstruct the existing PV solar system in the same location as the existing PV solar system, as well as own, operate, and maintain the new PV solar system. White Pines Renewables LLC will sell the power generated from the solar system through a Power Purchase Agreement to Sonoma Water’s primary power provider, the Power and Water Resources Pooling Authority (Pooling Authority). The latter would allow the Pooling Authority to continue providing the District’s treatment plant with renewable power and allocate associated environmental attributes to Sonoma Water.
Contact Information
Name
Yvette O'Keefe
Agency Name
Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District
Job Title
Senior Environmental Specialist
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency / Project Applicant / Parties Undertaking Project
Phone
Email
Location
Counties
Sonoma
Regions
Unincorporated
Other Location Info
The project site is located at the Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District’s Wastewater Treatment Plant, 22675 8th Street East, approximately two miles south of the City of Sonoma, California.
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Section15301(b): Existing Facilities; and Section 15302(c): Replacement or Reconstruction
Reasons for Exemption
The project will consist of the operation and leasing of existing structures and facilities of publicly owned utilities used to provide electric power involving negligible or no expansion of existing or former use. The project will consist of the replacement and reconstruction of existing structures and facilities where the new structure will be located on the same site as the structures replaced and will have substantially the same purpose and capacity as the structure replaced, including existing utility systems and/or facilities involving negligible or no expansion of capacity.
County Clerk
Sonoma
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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