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STATE OF CALIFORNIA
PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION

Pacific Gas & Electric Company's Hollister 115 kV Power Line Reconductoring Project

(Application A.09-11-016)

 

MITIGATION MONITORING

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Pursuant to the CPUC's approval of the Project, PG&E is required to implement the Applicant Proposed Measures (APMs) and mitigation measures identified in the Final IS/MND and the Mitigation Monitoring, Reporting, and Compliance Program (MMRCP). The CPUC, as the lead agency, is responsible for ensuring that the APMs and mitigation measures, as well as plans reviewed and approved by other agencies, are implemented throughout the construction phase of the Project. Below are Project documents related to mitigation monitoring that are available for public review.

 

Mitigation Monitoring, Reporting, and Compliance Program

The MMRCP is a standalone guide that includes the specific protocols, guidelines, and standardized procedures for environmental compliance to be followed prior to and during construction. The goal of the MMRCP is to provide a clear understanding of the Project's organization, establish lines of communication related to mitigation monitoring, and establish a method to effectively document and report compliance with all of the mitigation measures. A link to the MMRCP is provided below.

MMRCP
 

CPUC Notices to Proceed

PG&E has submitted five separate Notice to Proceed (NTP) requests to the CPUC for distinct parts of the Project. Below are links to the five NTP letters that authorized PG&E to begin construction of the Project.

Notice to Proceed No. 1
Notice to Proceed No. 2
Notice to Proceed No. 3
Notice to Proceed No. 4
Notice to Proceed No. 5
 

PG&E Monthly Compliance Reports

PG&E submits Monthly Compliance Reports to the CPUC to provide a status update regarding compliance with the MMRCP. Below are links to the Monthly Compliance Reports, followed by brief summaries of the construction activities that were conducted during the month. For an illustration of the Project features, including the pole and tower locations, see Draft IS/MND Figures 2-2a through 2-2i, and Final IS/MND Figures 2-2b and 2-2f.

October 2011

Preconstruction activities began on October 4 and primarily focused on installation of wildlife exclusion fencing. No actual construction activities occurred during this reporting period.

November 2011

Preconstruction activities continued during the month of November and included tree trimming, environmental training, and a helicopter survey. Construction activities began the week of November 7 and were conducted at the Anzar Junction and Lagunitas Switches areas.

December 2011

Construction activities continued during the month of December in the Anzar Junction, Natividad Switches, and Lagunitas Switches areas as well as the areas from Poles 13/10 through 14/13. Tree trimming activities began on December 5 along the gravel access road to the Anzar Junction and adjacent to Pole 13/1, and exclusion fencing was installed at the perimeter of Tower Pull (TP)-5 and Tower Landing Zone (TLZ)-4.

January 2012

Construction activities continued during the month of January along the Hollister Pole Segment, specifically in the area of Poles 13/00 through 14/09, and Poles 6/40 and 6/40A.

February 2012

Construction activities for the project continued during the month of February at the Lagunitas Switches, Anzar Junction, Earthbound Farms Staging Area, and Lagunitas Shoofly. Light-duty steel (LDS) poles were staged at the work areas for Poles 19/11 through 20/01, Poles 20/07 through 20/12, and Pole 20/14. A distribution line was pulled from Pole 21/16 through Pole 20/05. The crew augured holes and installed LDS Poles 13/09 and 14/06 and transferred conductor and transformer from the existing wood poles to the LDS poles. Helicopter crews conducted long-line helicopter flight activities between Lagunitas Shoofly to Tower 00/04, between Towers 00/03A and TP-5, and at the Lagunitas Shoo-fly area. Crews repaired the exclusion fencing at Poles 13/03 through 13/06, TP-7, and Lagunitas Switches, including TP-1, the shoo-fly, and the landing zone.

March 2012

Construction activities continued on both the tower and pole segments during the month of March at the Lagunitas Switches, Anzar Junction, Earthbound Farms Staging Area, and Lagunitas Shoofly. Crews conducted construction activities along the tower segment, which included removing electrical conductor and preform application. On the pole segment, crews conducted construction activities, which included installing and removing electrical grounds, auguring holes and installing TSPs and LDS poles, preparing concrete foundations, pouring concrete, and spreading soil. Crews mowed vegetation, leveled the ground, installed geofabric, and compacted gravel at the Earthbound Farms Staging Area. Crews deposited gravel onto the geofabric and installed a chain-link fence at the Earthbound Farms Staging Area. A PG&E crew installed metal flashing at the Earthbound Farms Staging Area as a gravel containment feature. A crew trimmed trees and cut brush and trees along the overland access route between Tower 0/05 and Tower Pull Site (TP)-3 and along the existing access road between Towers 0/04 and 0/06.

April 2012

Construction activities for the project continued on both the tower and pole segments during the month of April at the Lagunitas Switches, Anzar Junction, Earthbound Farms Staging Area, and Lagunitas Shoofly. The project was shut down due to rain from April 11 through 13 as the rainfall threshold of 0.25 inch within a 24-hour period was surpassed. The project was shut down in accordance with CDFG Incidental Take Permit (ITP) Measure 8.10. The PG&E crew constructed towers in the Earthbound Farms Staging Area on April 11 and 12 and did not mobilize within the project area on April 13. Crews worked on wooden poles in the Earthbound Farms Staging Area on April 11 and some office personnel conducted work within the trailers on April 12 and 13.

May 2012

Construction activities for the project continued on both the tower and pole segments during the month of May. Construction activities were conducted by Henkels & McCoy (H&M) and PG&E crews and included tower removal and installation, wood pole removal, augering holes, and installation of tubular steel poles (TSPs) and light-duty steel (LDS) poles.

June 2012

Construction activities for the project continued on both the tower and pole segments during the month of June. Construction activities were conducted by Henkels & McCoy (H&M) and PG&E crews and included tower installation, wood pole removal, augering holes, and installation of poles. During June, PG&E made a decision to replace H&M and use internal line construction resources to complete the project. The decision to replace the contractor was driven by unsatisfactory performance by the contractor and the availability of PG&E resources to complete the work. H&M crews demobilized all equipment, vehicles, and tools from the project on June 15. No tree trimming occurred in the month of June.

July 2012

Construction activities for the project continued on both the tower and pole segments during the month of July. Construction activities were conducted by PG&E Tower and Line crews and included existing pole removal, augering holes, pouring concrete, and pole installation. No tree trimming occurred in the month of July.

August 2012

Construction activities for the project continued on both the tower and pole segments during the month of August. Construction activities were conducted by PG&E Tower and Line crews and included augering and pouring concrete for tower footings, installing poles, removing existing wood poles, and assembling steel lattice towers and poles.

September 2012

Construction activities for the project continued on both the tower and pole segments during the month of September. Construction activities were conducted by PG&E Tower and Line crews and included augering holes for the installation of tower footings, installing poles and towers, and pulling conductor. Construction Activity Summary, a Line Crew phased the southern circuit (#1) inside the Hollister Substation and Pole 22/05.

October 2012

Construction activities for the project continued on the tower segment during the month of October. Construction activities were conducted by PG&E Tower Crew and included augering holes for the installation of tower footings, installing towers, and pouring concrete.

November 2012

Construction activities for the project continued on the tower segment during the month of November. Construction activities were conducted by PG&E Tower Crew and included tower assembly and installation, anchor bolt installation, and pouring concrete.

December 2012

Construction activities for the project continued on the tower segment during the month of December. Construction activities were conducted by PG&E Tower Crew and included tower assembly and installation, anchor bolt installation, and pulling conductor. Crews assembled and installed towers at Tower Landing Zone (TLZ)-2 and the work areas for Tower 2/13 and Tower 1/10. The Tower Crew installed the base for Tower 0/04. A Tower Crew flew and installed pre-assembled towers from TLZ-2 to the work areas for Towers 0/04, 0/09, 1/10, 1/11, and 2/13. In addition, the bolts on installed Towers 0/04, 0/09, 1/10, 1/11, and 2/13 were tightened. Crews pulled existing conductor into Tower 6/40A and removed the conductor from Tower 6/40.

January 2013

Construction activities for the project continued on the tower segment during the month of January. During the month of January, a PG&E Line Crew strung three sections of conductor between two steel poles within Tower Pull Site (TP)-7. The Line Crew installed new conductor and insulators between Poles 13/00A and 13/00B and new insulators at Tower 6/40A. Another Line Crew installed new conductor with insulators between Tower 6/40C to Pole 13/01. New conductor was pulled from TP-5 to TP-7. A PG&E Line Crew installed wooden snub poles with anchors at TP-1 and TP-5.

February 2013

Construction activities for the project continued on the tower segment during the month of February. During the month of February, a PG&E Line Crew pulled new conductor and installed insulators from Tower 0/06 to Pole 13/01. Conductor was installed on the western circuit from Tower Pull Site (TP)-3 to TP-5 and installed on both western and eastern circuits from TP-5 to TP-7 on both circuits.

March 2013

Construction activities for the project continued on the tower and pole segments during the month of March. Wood poles were removed from the crossing structure location between Towers 5/33 and 5/34. Snub poles were removed and the pole holes backfilled at Tower Pull Site-5 and between Tower 0/06 and 0/07. A new gate was installed along the access road near Tower 3/19. A shoo-fly pole was removed at Tower 10/51. Grout was applied at Pole 13/10, Tower 6/39, and Tower 6/40A. The Lagunitas shoofly was removed and the pole holes were backfilled with gravel.

April 2013

Construction activities for the project continued on the tower and pole segments during the month of April. Steel plates were installed over culverts at the San Benito River crossing on the access road to Pole 16/00 and over culverts in the vicinity of Poles 15/10, 17/02, 17/05, and 17/10. Steel plates were removed along the access road to Tower 2/16 and over a drainage crossing near Tower 5/36. Netting was installed over the construction equipment located at the Earthbound Farms Staging Area in order to prevent birds from building nests inside the equipment. Bird guards were installed at Pole 15/01.

May 2013

Construction activities for the project continued on the tower and pole segments during the month of May. Pole numbers, visual reflective strips, and high voltage signs were installed on Poles 14/13a through 14/15,Poles 15/00 through 17/03, Pole 17/12, Poles 17/14 through 18/01, Poles 18/04 through 18/14, and Pole 20/13. Anchors were drilled at the work area for Pole 17/09 and steps were installed on Poles 18/07 through 18/10. Bird guards were installed at Poles 20/17 through 21/00.

June 2013

Construction activities for the project continued on the tower and pole segments during the month of June. Six guy anchors and guy wires were installed at the work area for Pole 21/13. The common neutral wire was installed underneath the distribution line between Poles 21/05 and 21/12. Permanent grounds were installed from Pole 15/02 through Pole 15/14. A switch was installed at Pole 22/03 and a transformer was installed at Pole 22/04. Flying bells were installed at Pole 20/02A. Pole 22/03 was converted on the northern circuit from a suspension pole to dead-end pole with associated jumpers and insulators. The conductor from the Hollister Substation to Pole 22/05 was swapped from the southern circuit to the northern circuit and dead-ended. Steel plates were repositioned on the access road near Pole 15/10.

A Union Pacific Railroad employee was present for construction activities in the vicinity of the rail road crossing between Poles 22/04 and 22/05. A project compliance stand-down was held on June 25 due to recent compliance incidents. A meeting was held with the PG&E Environmental and Construction teams to discuss recent compliance incidents and methods to avoid future issues for the remainder of the project. Work resumed on June 26.

 

CPUC Approved PG&E Variance Requests

Subsequent to the CPUC granting PG&E the Permit to Construct for the Project, PG&E has requested variances to the Project. Below are PG&E's variance requests that have been approved by the CPUC:

Variance Request 1
Variance Request 2
Variance Request 3
Variance Request 4
Variance Request 6
Variance Request 7
Variance Request 8
Variance Request 9
Variance Request 11
Variance Request 12
Variance Request 13
Variance Request 14
Variance Request 15 - rescinded by PG&E
Variance Request 16
Variance Request 17 (7.1mb)
Variance Request 18 (8.1mb)
Variance Request 19 (5.8mb)
Variance Request 21 (3.91mb)
Variance Request 22
Variance Request 23
Variance Request 25
Variance Request 27
Variance Request 28
Variance Request 33
Variance Request 34
Variance Request 35
Variance Request 37
Variance Request 38
Variance Request 39
Variance Request 41
 
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