Wastewater Energy and Electrical Resiliency Project

Wastewater Energy and Electrical Resiliency Project

The Wastewater Energy and Electrical Resiliency (WEER) Project would modernize and replace aging electrical infrastructure at the City Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) to improve electrical system reliability, resiliency, operational flexibility, worker safety, and emergency preparedness. Most of the electrical distribution systems at the facility were installed in the 1980’s and 1990’s. While well maintained, it has exceeded its useful life and creates operational and maintenance challenges. The project includes replacement of deteriorated underground electrical distribution lines, completion of a redundant facility-wide electrical loop, replacement and consolidation of substations, transformers, and switchgear, construction of a new main electrical building, demolition of the existing maintenance building, installation of a new centralized standby power generation system, and upgrades to electrical equipment serving treatment processes such as interstage pumps and aeration blowers. The project would also replace obsolete medium-voltage equipment with modern electrical systems, incorporate upgraded controls and variable-frequency drives to improve operational efficiency, and provide infrastructure capable of supporting long-term WWTF operations. Replacements and upgrades are needed to improve reliability, safety, maintainability, and alignment with current standards to establish a 30-to-40-year service lifespan.

Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz

Northern California

California Air Resources Board (ARB), California Coastal Commission (CCC), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Bay Delta Region 3 (CDFW), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Marine Region 7 (CDFW), California Department of Parks and Recreation, California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), California Department of Transportation, District 5 (DOT), California Department of Water Resources (DWR), California Fish and Game Commission (CDFGC), California Highway Patrol (CHP), California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC), California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Central Coast Region 3 (RWQCB), California State Coastal Conservancy (SCC), California State Lands Commission (SLC), Office of Historic Preservation, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water, District 5, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Water Quality, State Water Resources Control Board, Divison of Financial Assistance, University of California Natural Reserve System (UCNRS)

Waste Treatment:Other (electrical upgrades)(MGD 17)

Coastal Permit, Demolition Permit

Aesthetics, Agriculture and Forestry Resources, Air Quality, Biological Resources, Coastal Zone, Cultural Resources, Cumulative Effects, Drainage/Absorption, Energy, Flood Plain/Flooding, Geology/Soils, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Hazards & Hazardous Materials, Hydrology/Water Quality, Land Use/Planning, Mandatory Findings of Significance, Mineral Resources, Noise, Population/Housing, Public Services, Recreation, Solid Waste, Transportation, Tribal Cultural Resources, Utilities/Service Systems, Vegetation, Wetland/Riparian, Wildfire