Pacific Southwest, Region 9
Serving: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Pacific Islands, Tribal Nations
Sustainable Infrastructure Projects
Region 9 encourages recipients to incorporate sustainable infrastructure practices in their projects. The following are some examples of SI in practice. For more information go to the Sustainable Water Infrastructure website.
City of San Diego (CA)
In Fiscal Year 2009, the City of San Diego (City) was authorized $900,000 in EPA Region 9 Special Appropriation Grant funds for the La Jolla Ecological Reserve storm drain overflow project. The $900,000 will be used to install low impact development (LID) improvements to divert runoff from the storm drain system by installing pervious pavement in portions of the parking lot of Kellogg Park, a City of San Diego municipal park covering an area of approximately three acres and located adjacent to the La Jolla Ecological Reserve. Currently the parking lot is subject to flooding and storm water flows, which drain onto the beach and receiving water body. The proposed porous pavement and other LID improvements would reduce runoff and the associated pollution into the La Jolla Ecological reserve. This proposed action has a relatively low cost in relation to the environmental and public health benefits achieved through green infrastructure. By using green infrastructure to manage storm water, the City is investing in wet weather management that is cost-effective, sustainable, and environmentally friendly. "The construction for this project will begin when National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review has been completed. NEPA review is standard and required of all construction projects that are at least partially funded by the federal government.
City of San Joaquin (CA)
The City of San Joaquin received a 2009 Appropriation in order to expand their Wastewater Treatment Facility from .252 million gallons per day (MGD) to 0.5 MGD. This expansion was necessary for two reasons: 1) They needed to mitigate a Waste Discharge Permit Notice of Violation issued by the Regional Water Quality Control Board for exceeding the average daily discharge limit, and 2) they wanted to equip the plant with greater capacity to support anticipated population growth. To meet these objectives while also preserving resources in the water scarce region of the San Joaquin Valley, the City of San Joaquin used a portion of their funding to develop a water conservation plan. There are two goals of their conservation plan. The first is a citywide reduction in water use of 20% by the year 2011. A 20% reduction in water usage by 2011 mirrors the reduction goals of the current California Green Building Standards Code. These savings will be accomplished through two primary means: equipment upgrades and a targeted education and community outreach programs. The second goal is to install water meters on all service accounts by the year 2020. California state law requires meters on all service accounts by the year 2025. Installing meters can also lead to reduced water use, and will enable the city to charge residents based on actual water usage. The cost of installing meters, however, is quite high, and the City will likely need to find grant funding in order to carry out the installations. "The construction for this project will begin when National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review has been completed. NEPA review is standard and required of all construction projects that are at least partially funded by the federal government".
Searchlight (NV)
The Clark County Reclamation District received a 2005 Appropriate to make improvements to the Searchlight wastewater treatment facility. The State of Nevada has enacted more stringent discharge limits for nitrate. The existing treatment system is facultative ponds and uses no energy. The initial Environmental Assessment included a preferred treatment system with activated sludge and an increased capacity of 0.5 million gallons per day. However, the proposed size of the facility was reduced to 0.25 million gallons per day (half the original size) and will now use aerated lagoons for treatment which will reduce the amount of additional energy required and the amount of greenhouse gas emissions compared to the activated sludge process. "The construction for this project will begin when National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review has been completed. NEPA review is standard and required of all construction projects that are at least partially funded by the federal government.
City of Surprise (AZ)
In Fiscal Year 2009, the City of Surprise (City) was authorized $500,000 in EPA Region 9 Special Appropriation Grant funds for Water Treatment Improvements. With this funding, the City will conduct a sanitary survey to assess the capability of their drinking water system to continue to consistently and reliably deliver an adequate quality and quantity of safe drinking water, and to continue to ensure the system’s compliance with federal drinking water standards. The survey involves four principal stages: 1) planning the survey, 2) conducting the on-site survey, 3) compiling a survey report, and 4) performing follow-up activities. Additionally, a technical consultant will be hired to generate and design any recommended physical improvements, an enhanced supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system, and a SCADA programming and design standards manual. SCADA systems are critical to optimizing plant performance and often reveal opportunities to increase energy efficiency.