Notice of Availability of Proposed Mitigated Negative Declaration

Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District (APCD), as the lead agency, has released for your review and comment, a Proposed Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Temporary Permit for Four Diesel Engines at William Bolthouse Farms (Authority to Construct/Permit to Operate No. 12326).

The project is located at the intersection of State Highway 166 and the Cuyama River in northern Santa Barbara County in the South Central Coast Air Basin. The APCD is the only local agency with permit jurisdiction over this project.

Project Description

Bolthouse Farms is an agricultural operation that is currently growing carrots on approximately 4,000 acres of land. Irrigation is performed primarily by stationary diesel engine driven water well pumps. The engines subject to this permit drive water well pumps; were installed without a permit, and are currently onsite and operating at this facility.

This permit is being issued to allow the installation and temporary operation of four diesel-fired internal combustion engines used to power water distribution pumps during the current growing season. The APCD permit will temporarily allow up to approximately 239 lbs/day of emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) from the currently unpermitted engines with mitigation consisting of emissions limits to be enforced by the APCD, until the expiration of the permit on October 1, 2007. Bolthouse Farms is then required to remove these engines and has committed to replacing them with water pumps powered with electricity from the grid provided by Pacific Gas and Electric. Electric powered engines would be installed prior to the next growing season and result in significant emission reductions. These do not require permits from the APCD. The mitigated emissions increase is below the APCD’s thresholds of significance.

The APCD examined all environmental impacts of the project and determined that there are no significantly adverse impacts associated with the project. Therefore, the APCD has issued a Proposed Mitigated Negative Declaration.

The Proposed Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Four Diesel Engines at William Bolthouse Farms, is available for download here (PDF file):

Bolthouse-MND-8-07.pdf

The Declaration may also be obtained by calling our offices at (805) 961 8893, and the project file is available for public review at APCD's offices at 260 N. San Antonio Road, Suite A, Santa Barbara, CA 93110. Written comments on environmental issues in the Proposed Negative Declaration should be sent to Vijaya Jammalamadaka, Santa Barbara County APCD, 260 N. San Antonio Road, Suite A, Santa Barbara, CA 93110, or VLJ@sbcapcd.org before the close of the public review period at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, September 7, 2007.

                                                                                                                                            To be published August 16, 2007